By Blake Jackson
A study by Penn State researchers has found that beef-on-dairy crossbred calves, known for their superior meat quality, can effectively recover from pneumonia and achieve similar growth rates to healthy counterparts by eight months of age.
This finding offers valuable insights for dairy farmers seeking to diversify their income through beef-on-dairy crossbreeding programs.
"“We've had really high inflation, of course, across the United States, but particularly in the dairy industry, where the cost of raising purebred dairy replacements has grown astronomically," explained Melissa Cantor, assistant professor of precision dairy science.
"Adding the beef-on-dairy hybrid sideline to their businesses has helped them, but financial constraints dictate that dairy farmers must be selective about which animals they keep. They need to be sure the practice makes sense for them economically."
The study analyzed 143 crossbred calves and found that while pneumonia, detected through ultrasound scans, initially impacted growth, calves exhibited compensatory growth and ultimately achieved similar average daily gains to their healthy peers.
“Our study, which aimed to understand the impact of pneumonia on growth and the potential for self-healing in calves, highlighted that beef-on-dairy crosses often recover from pneumonia without antibiotics, unlike purebred Holstein dairy calves,” Cantor said.
“We think this is at least partially attributed to hybrid vigor, the phenomenon by which a progeny exhibits superiority over its parents in traits such as growth rate and productivity. This research was aimed at understanding the long-term effects of pneumonia and the economic implications of crossbreeding.”
The researchers believe this resilience is partially attributed to "hybrid vigor," a phenomenon where offspring exhibit superior traits compared to their parents.
This research was a collaborative effort involving Ingrid Fernandes, Tara Felix, Allison Welk, David Renaud, and Donald Sockett.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-pamwalker68
Categories: Pennsylvania, Livestock, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle