Joe Emenheiser, a livestock Extension educator with the University of Connecticut, presented a webinar exploring the new frontiers of beef and dairy crossbreeding.
“Even though this topic has been discussed and practiced before, we’re in a new realm in animal breeding and animal nutrition,” Emenheiser said.
“Beef x dairy” means that the sire is first and the cow is second.
“Close to 20% of beef is dairy beef — a dairy bred cow that is slaughtered,” Emenheiser said.
By crossbreeding their lower-performing dairy cows to beef bulls, producers can develop a new revenue stream.