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Breeding Merit of Topcross Parents for Preweaning Traits in Hereford Cattle¹

University of Arizona, Tucson

Abstract

In an attempt to concentrate desirable genes for performance traits in beef cattle, inbred lines of Hereford cattle have been developed at several experiment stations in the Western region. To be useful in improving commercial herds, sires developed in these lines could be utilized by several methods: (1) Mated to females of other inbred lines to produce sires combining the desirable traits of both lines. These linecross sires could then be used in commercial or purebred herds; (2) Mated to outbred purebred females, with the resulting topcross male progeny available for general industry use; and (3) Mated to commercial females, either within or between breeds. Method 2 would probably result in the greatest number of sires available for widespread use in commercial herds. Thus, the relative performance of progeny from top-cross sires would be of great interest to the industry, as well as the producing ability of topcross females for use in "multiplier" purebred or commercial herds.

¹ Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Paper No. 1326. This study was conducted in cooperation with the U.S.D.A. under Western Regional Project W-1.

² U. S. Range Livestock Experiment Station, Miles City, Montana.

³ Department of Animal Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.