tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post1696270362645820800..comments2024-03-26T22:16:26.572-04:00Comments on Terrierman's Daily Dose: Playing God With Milk CowsPBurnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05781540805883519064noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-88802438854482010662009-04-24T21:16:00.000-04:002009-04-24T21:16:00.000-04:00Actually, cattle breeding is very much up to the p...Actually, cattle breeding is very much up to the producer. It's not up to the big farmers alone.<br /><br />I grew up where every farmer had his own bull, and people took pride in their cattle strains.<br /><br />Crossbreeding is very common in beef cattle production. The most common type is the cross breeding a "Black Angus" (Aberdeen-Angus) bull with a Hereford cow.<br /><br />The offspring is called a black baldy. It is typically then bred back into the "Black Angus" gene pool until-- I think it's three generations-- it can be registered as full "Black Angus."<br /><br />In America, we register the Aberdeen-Angus cows in two separate registries. The red ones are in one registry. The black ones are in another. The black ones have been better selected for marbled meat and is better marketed. Today, a black beef that has Angus characteristics is going to earn a higher price at market than virtually any cow.<br /><br />How do I know this-- well, my grandfather raises beef cattle. He's well-known for raising beefs and Walker-strain American foxhounds. Most of the people I went to school were from families that bred their own strains. Saturdays were spent at the "stock sale," where you could buy new stock to either fatten and sell or add to your strain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-81196695232452877922009-04-24T10:37:00.000-04:002009-04-24T10:37:00.000-04:00Ack, misread, sorry. delete that.Ack, misread, sorry. delete that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-47141454110247894922009-04-24T10:36:00.000-04:002009-04-24T10:36:00.000-04:00Also, that is a picture of a beef, not dairy cow. ...Also, that is a picture of a beef, not dairy cow. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-51726463982136964052009-04-24T10:35:00.000-04:002009-04-24T10:35:00.000-04:00Actually, cattle genetics are controlled by some o...Actually, cattle genetics are controlled by some of the larger producers of breeding stock. Bulls' progeny are tracked and measured for traits, whether it be milk production, rib eye area size, birth weight (important for firt time heifers), weaning weight, etc. These are called Expected Progeny Differences, or EPDs. This is a statistic created with a plus or minus for pounds, days, etc. Bulls' data is published and their semen collected and marketed through Select Sires. Producers can find their perfect mates for their cows this way, to match their phenotypes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-12638161921189418972009-04-24T09:59:00.000-04:002009-04-24T09:59:00.000-04:00I just got a comment yesterday defending the breed...I just got a comment yesterday defending the breed standard in my breed, saying that people breed "structurally sound" goldens that can still work. "Structurally sound" is a code phrase for "follows the breed standard."<br /><br />I think showed a bunch of examples of how the show dogs were really poorly designed to do the work.<br /><br />I can show hundreds of examples, via youtube videos and working retriever commentaries that go back to the early twentieth century.<br /><br />And still they continue to think that the blond or "white" Newfoundland is the superior type of golden.<br /><br />I've seen the work. It's a bit like watching a Belgian draft horse try to run the Kentucky Derby.<br /><br />Most beef cattle aren't bred in registries and arbitrary breed standards. They are bred for the quality of their meat.<br /><br />Most are outcrossed every few generations. I know lots of "Black Angus" (the marbled meat cattle derived from the Aberdeen-Angus strain) that have Hereford in them. The intermediate strain even has a name. They are called "Black baldies."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com