If you know the genetics then visual appearance means nothing. Maybe not. Colorado researchers studied steers of known composition, 1/4 Brahman-3/4 Hereford, and ½ Brahman-1/2 Hereford. Trained evaluators estimated Brahman% in each steer. Estimates for 1/4-bloods were mostly from 3/16 to 5/16 but ranged from zero to 9/16. About 30% of ½-bloods were estimated correctly, but ranged from 1/4 to 13/16. There was no correlation between estimated Brahman% and marbling. However, higher estimated Brahman% was associated with decreased tenderness, even among steers of the same actual genetic composition. And, steers of the same estimated Brahman% were similar in tenderness, even though they differed in actual Brahman%. So, looks may matter after all. Overall, steers estimated at 3/8 or less Brahman% produced the most tender loin steaks.
Body Characterisitcs VS. Reproduction
Iowa workers weighed and ultrasonically scanned 180 Angus heifers at 268, 303, 370, and 405 days of age for ribeye area, fat over the rump and over the last rib, and intramuscular fat. Reproductive traits measured were reproductive tract score and cycling score at 344 days, number of services to AI conception, and pregnancy status after the first breeding season. In general, there was little relationship between body characteristics and reproductive traits, except that tract score was positively related to weight and rump fat, and heifers that cycled tended to be heavier at 405 days of age. Interestingly, there were no significant relationships between tract score, number of services, and pregnancy.
New Publications in the "Range Detect" Series
"Stocking Rate: The Key Grazing Management Decision" L-5400, concludes that flexibility of stocking rate (amount of land allotted per animal for the grazing season) is more important in sustaining and protecting the range resource and maximizing profit than stock density (land per animal at a specific point in time) or carrying capacity (maximum long-term stocking rate possible without range degradation). "Using Body Condition Scores to Manage Range Cows and Rangeland", E-102, provides guidelines on using body condition to direct supplemental feeding programs and to make decisions on stocking rate and stock density. These publications are available at http://agpublications.tamu.edu/catalog/topics/Rangelands.html .
Are "Ears"
It seems that every time you turn around you hear that Brahman-type cattle are not desired by the industry. And yet, look at the list published annually by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association of the largest cow/calf operations in the U.S. Of the 18 largest, ranging from 8,200 to 40,000 cows, 13 operations (including the top 4) had some Bos indicus influence. This probably would not be true if marbling was the only thing important in beef production, but it's not. In fact, marbling is not even the only important factor in carcass merit. And as long as we run beef cows in the South and Southwest, there will be "eared" genetics in a lot of efficient, profitable herds.
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