"Why are you selling a heifer?"

This spring I had posted on Facebook that I was selling a beef cross heifer.

Someone commented, "I'm confused, why are you selling a female?".

The post had gone viral because this heifer had some very unusual markings.

I was telling a non ag friend about it. She paused and said, "you mean there really is a difference between beef and dairy animals?".

So what is the difference?

Most of us know that there are two types of bovine, Beef and Dairy. And to be honest, to the average eye they look pretty much the same.

But I'm going to throw in a monkey wrench and talk about 4 types of bovine.

 

1. Beef:

We've all seen the "certified Angus" right?

Did you know in Europe they prefer Hereford beef. 

Anyhow, there lots of beef breeds and just a simple Google search will bring up a list.

Beef are really good at making beef. It's their purpose in life and they do it really well. The mamas still make milk but usually just enough for one calf. Since they are only feeding one baby they dont need a lot of high energy foods. 

Grass and minerals. Maybe a little grain and molasses when a little more energy is needed and you've got some very happy cows. 

 

2. Dairy:

This is what we specialize in. 

There are what's considered to be 6 dairy breeds. Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey, Ayrshire, Guernsey, and Milking Shorthorn. 

There's also what is called Red & White but they are pretty much Holstein.

The dairy breeds are very good at making milk. And while they make great beef, they don't make as much as a beef breed. Even the boys are slower at maturing. But they say that Holstein makes some of the best tasting beef there is.

I call the Dairy breeds the Olympic athletes of the bovines. 

 

3. Dual Purpose:

The Swiss, Ayrshire and Milking Shorthorn fit in this category. They are good at making milk but also carry a little more meat on their bones. The pioneers would have had these breeds both for oxen and milking.

We have at least a couple of each of the dairy breeds.

 

4. Beef on Dairy Crosses

The heifer that I talked about at the beginning would have fit in this category. A dairy mother and a beef father. Her genetics mean that she would milk less then her mother and gain weight like her father. Her purpose is to make meat.

 

Why would a farmer do that?

A dairy cow needs to calve about once a year to keep her producing a level of milk that makes her profitable to keep in the herd. 

A modern dairy only needs to keep 30- 40 percent of the calves born each year. 

If I can use sexed semen to guarantee that I will have 30 heifers born in a given year then I can breed the other 70 to a beef breed.

Remember that "beef animals" produce more meat per animal then a dairy steer will. 

Right now of each calf that is born, a beef is worth $700 where as a dairy boy calf is worth only $500. Thats $200 x 70 = $14,000 in more income for me and more Angus beef to be sold in stores and at your favorite restaurants.