BRANGUS SECTION
Brangus Genetics Offer Heterosis for Rebuilding the Nation’s Cow Herd
By Tommy Perkins and Jason Bates D
ATA SUGGEST THE U.S. BEEF COW POPULATION IS AT ITS lowest since 1952 because of the prolonged drought across the nation, high feed costs,
and other factors impacting the beef industry. Brangus cattle will be part of the nation’s herd rebuilding that is beginning to occur. Brangus cattle offer a plethora of opportunity for
commercial cattle producers to increase profi tability. The strong maternal attributes, with the added het- erosis, allow cattlemen to capture more dollars in the marketplace by using Brangus genetics. Additionally, the feeder calf by-product will excel in
the feedyard as well as yield and grade with the best in the industry for maximizing post-weaning profi tability. The Brangus-sired feeder calf has many traits of
value to the commercial beef producer, especially out of English cows such as Hereford and Angus. U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) data
show Brangus-English cross calves have tremendous growth potential, feed effi ciency and increased yield while obtaining carcass quality equal to or greater than those sired by Continental breeds. Brangus females are outstanding mothers that pro-
vide added heterosis over a Bos taurus x Bos taurus cross in terms of effi ciency, animal health, and longev- ity. Likewise, Brangus beef carcasses are accepted in many premium product lines such as Certifi ed Angus Beef® and Nolan Ryan All Natural Beef. International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA)
is developing programs that increase demand for Bran- gus genetics. The Brangus Gold program defi nes the popularity of Brangus-sired females. IBBA is commit- ted to adding marketing opportunities for commer- cial cattlemen using our genetics as we seek strategic partnerships and alliances with industry partners to improve marketability of Brangus sired feeder calves. Brangus cattle may be black or red and are polled.
Although Brangus cattle are known best for their abil- ity to perform well in extremely hot, humid climates, they also thrive in cold climates. Louisiana research suggests that Brangus cows increased body weight
60 The Cattleman April 2014
Tommy Perkins, Ph.D., IBBA executive vice president
Jason Bates, IBBA direc- tor of fi eld services and commercial marketing
during the summer months while Angus cows lost weight. Brangus appeared to be more adapted to the coastal climate, which is indicative of their Bos indi- cus infl uence. From a carcass standpoint, Texas A&M University
research confi rmed the ability of Brangus steers to produce exceptionally high quality carcasses. The test included 330 animals sired by 17 Brangus bulls and 32 animals sired by 2 high-marbling, high-accuracy EPD (expected progeny differences) bulls. All 19 sires were randomly mated to mostly Brangus females. All the cattle were managed, fed and harvested the same. Warner-Bratzler shear force analysis indicated that 97 percent of the Brangus steaks were scored “tender” or better whereas only 94 percent of the Angus steaks scored tender. Use of genetic evaluation technologies, performance
and pedigree tracking software as well as genomics has continued to move Brangus cattle to the forefront of the beef industry. Incorporation of Total Herd Reporting (THR) has
empowered the Brangus database and ultimately our genetic evaluation. IBBA has always been a leader in genetic evaluation technology, and its recent adop- tion of multi-breed EPD methodology is no different. These genetic selection tools offer producers necessary information for making sound genetic decisions while hitting marketing goals. We believe the producers making the best genetic
decisions today will see the most opportunities for profi t in the next decade. Please do not hesitate to call 210-696-8231 or go to IBBA’s website at GoBrangus. com for additional information. Editor’s note: Tommy Perkins, Ph.D., is the executive
vice president of IBBA. Jason Bates is the director of fi eld services and commercial marketing.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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