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 "- November, 1963
Everglades Station 11imeo Report EES64-10 November, 1963

 Selecting Beef Cows fo Poductflh I

 R. W. Kidder 1


 For many years dairymen have been improving their herds and increasing the
milk production per cow through records kept by Dairy Herd Improvement Associa-
tions and their predecessor the Cow Testing Association. Milk production records
have been the basis for the great improvement in the capacity of dairy cows to
produce milk. These records have also been a major factor in the improvement made
through artificial insemination by applying such results to sire selection and
progeny testing.

 Producers of beef cattle have been searching for years for a similar means
of finding out which cows are their best producers and how much better they are
than the poorest producers in their herd. In a small herd the owner or operator
can know his individual animals and keep many records in mind without writing them
down. As the size of the herd increases, the need for written records increases.
What records should be kept, then becomes an important question. The next step is
to apply these records toward promoting herd improvement and thereby increasing
profits.

 In the past, culling of cows and the selection of herd replacement has been
based mostly on visual appraisal. This is a sound practice and it has produced
the quality and type representing our breeds of cattle which are the foundation
of the industry. In the past, this appraisal has been guided largely by show ring
winnings. The present day trend is to supplement the best in breed type with
data on growth or weight for age, regularity of reproduction and growth of pro-
geny. This means that more and better records are a necessity.

 One of the most spectacular trends in beef production in 1963, is the wide-
spread acceptance of performance testing. At the Toronto meeting of Performance
Registry International (PRI) in June, their report showed a 43% increase in mem-
bership and a 214% increase in participation in IBM analysis of herd records.
Fourteen beef breeds were represented by membership from 50 states, 6 provinces
of Canada and 6 foreign countries.

 Everglades Experiment Station records indicate that cross-breeding offers
the best solution for commercial beef production in Florida. Other data indicates
that crossbreeding systems can be used effectively throughout the southern states.
This program is based on the use of purebred bulls. Studies now in progress will
supply information on how to use purebred sires to best advantage and will also
give additional data concerning the benefits from using production tested sires.


1/ Animal Husbandman, Everglades Experiment Station, Belle Glade, Florida.