How Beefmaster Cattle Can Improve Your Herd

Rebuild Your Cowherd with Time Tested and Improved Beefmaster Females

By: Beefmaster Breeders United Communications

It is clear that the US beef cow population is as low as ever.  High feed costs and other competition for the land use has certainly changed the dynamics of the beef industry as we once knew it to be. The traditional ten year beef market cycle may be challenged moving forward.  These interesting dynamics lead me to believe that there is a tremendous opportunity awaiting us in the beef cattle industry.  More specifically, Beefmaster cattle should be part of the upcoming herd rebuilding that is bound to occur sooner than later. 

USDA data suggests that cattle (ranch) owners are an aging group with over one third of them being 65 years of age or older.  Additionally, more than fifty percent of them are age 55 or older which is even more reason to use Beefmaster cattle in the rebuilding phase.  Beefmaster cattle have been selected for docility for more than sixty years and you can rest assured that they will make working cattle more pleasurable because of their superior temperament.  Data clearly shows that selecting for calm, docile cattle simultaneously improves feedlot gain, health and ultimate carcass performance.   

Beefmaster cattle optimize traits necessary to rebuild the cow herd because they excel in fertility, calving ease and longevity.  Commercial cattlemen understand the economic advantages that improvements in these traits offer a beef operation.  These include, but are not limited to, higher conception rates, more weaned calf per cow and reduced replacement heifer development costs. 

For more information about how crossbreeding with Beefmaster Cattle can improve your program, check out our article Crossbreeding with Beefmaster Cattle.

You will appreciate the high quality females that Beefmaster bulls produce as they will excel in the hot, humid environments of the South to the wet, cool climates up north and everywhere in between.

Efficiency is also a strong attribute of the Beefmaster breed.  In a recent all-breeds performance test in Texas, yearling Beefmaster bulls were the highest average daily gain (ADG) on test as well as the lowest residual feed intake (RFI) on test.   Beefmaster cattle not only have high daily gains, they also consume less feed per pound of gain. 

Use of Beefmaster influenced cattle allows you to be a low-cost producer with reduced input levels in the cow/calf enterprise.  These cost cutting measures have been built into the Beefmaster influenced female and will be necessary for cow/calf operators to survive in the developing beef industry.

Docility, fertility, efficiency, and longevity are just a few of the traits that Beefmaster cattle offer as you will also appreciate the early growth of these calves.  Your weaned calves will have heavy weights at the market place and will have added value in the feedlot segment of the beef industry.  For example, feed out data from Mississippi shows that Beefmaster sired calves made $201 more per head than Angus sired calves.  All of the calves were born on the same ranch, in the same season, weaned and backgrounded together and all fed in the same Kansas feedlot. 

The Beefmaster calves harvested with an average yield grade of 2.7, high select quality grade and 1361 pound live weight whereas the Angus calves averaged a yield grade 2.5, high choice and weighed 1112 pounds.  The Angus calves may have had a higher quality grade but the combination of increased weight and efficiency of gain improved the bottom line for the Beefmaster sired calves. 

Beefmaster History

The Beefmaster breed gained popularity in the 1970s, however the Beefmaster breed dates back to the 1930s when Tom Lasater, the breed’s founder, developed Beefmasters from a systematic crossing of Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle. His purpose was to develop cattle that were more productive than existing breeds; cattle that would produce and make money during economically hard times in the harsh environment of South Texas.

The new breed was developed on what has become known as the Six Essentials – Weight, Conformation, Milk Production, Fertility, Hardiness and Disposition. These essentials became the economic strength of Beefmasters and have made them favorites with those who depend on cattle for a living. Beefmasters are the only beef breed specifically developed to excel in these important economic traits.

While brownish-red is the most common color, the breed has no color standards. Beefmasters were recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a pure breed in 1954.

Since the early 1970s, when the breed began rapid expansion from its South Texas birthplace, Beefmasters have survived several wrecks in the cattle market without adversely affecting their growth and demand. From 1974 to 1998, membership in Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) grew from 300 to nearly 7,000. BBU, which was founded in 1961, is one of the top five largest beef breed registry in the United States in membership and top ten in registrations.

Responding to change and tough challenges are part of the Beefmaster heritage. Today, like yesterday, Beefmasters and the cattlemen and cattlewomen who raise them are ready to handle the ever changing beef cattle industry. With this ever changing industry, cattle producers have several aspects that need to be focused on and Beefmasters can make these tasks a little easier. Beef cattle producers can focus on rebuilding their herds with strong and fertile Beefmaster females and focus on genetic performance improvements with Beefmaster bulls.

While heifer selection plays an important role in herd improvement, Dr. Kent Anderson, Zoetis associate director of animal genetics, says that bull selection is a primary driver of genetic improvement in a herd. The Beefmaster bull is making a name for himself in the cattle industry because he is “The Best of Both Worlds”. Commercial cattlemen and women have witnessed that a Beefmaster bull will produce extremely fertile, functional and docile females to rebuild America’s cowherds, as well as produce profitable and efficient feeder calves that deliver results in the current market place.

If you are looking for solid colored (red, black or dun), muscular, fertile, and easy calving cattle don’t hesitate to call 210-732-3132 or go to our website at www.beefmasters.org for additional information. BBU works for its members by offering adult and junior memberships.

The association encourages Beefmaster enthusiasts to learn more about BBU programs, which include whole herd reporting, genetic evaluation, marketing efforts, The Beefmaster Cowman, field days, seminars and satellite organizations.

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