Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western , Series 4

Volume 14 Number 4 1973 Article 2

1-1-1973

New breeds : how do we use them?

J L. Anderson

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Recommended Citation Anderson, J L. (1973) "New cattle breeds : how do we use them?," Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4: Vol. 14 : No. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/journal_agriculture4/vol14/iss4/2

This article is brought to you for free and open access by Research Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4 by an authorized administrator of Research Library. For more information, please contact [email protected]. By J. L. Anderson, Senior Animal Production Officer

Traditionally, beef production in Australia has been based on a few of the many breeds that developed in the United Kingdom. Pedigree breeding was used to maintain these breeds and was probably a sound policy, when combined with selec­ tion on performance, to maintain and concentrate merit in stud herds. Pedigree breeding seems to have been taken too far in som: countries which prohibit the use of crossbred males. Emphasis on pure breeding has caused many prejudices against the practices of mixing and selec­ tion which were the original bases of breed formation. Most breeds were developed by crosses or mixtures of other types or breeds and this crossbred foun­ dation was selectively bred towards an "ideal" which the breeder pro­ gressively developed. Inevitably, a new breed was also a reflection of the environment in which it de­ veloped. The expansion of beef production in Australia meant that British breeds were moved into diffi­ cult environments as settlement of the continent progressed. There were specific adaptations of breeds of to particular environ­ ments as in Western Australia, where a strain of Shorthorn pre­ dominates in the northern areas while the Hereford is the most num­ erous besf breed in the south. Despite the adaptation of British breeds to the various environments in Australia there was, and still is, continuous interest in introducing other breeds of cattle to improve beef production. The problems in adaptation of British breeds to northern tropical parts of Australia forced an investigation of breeds of cattle from tropical and (the Zebu breeds). The Brahman breed was first introduced from the United States in 1932 and after initial use in North Queens­ land was followed by further impor­ tations in the 1950's. These intro­ ductions were the basis of the so- called "Zebu revolution" in north­ ern Australia. Other Zebu breeds introduced were the Africander, Red Sindhi and Sahiwal, while the Santa Gertrudis, a stabilised Zebu

Journal of Agriculture Vol 14 No 4, 1973 x British crossbred was also im­ ported. More recently, the importation into the United Kingdom of a range of western European cattle breeds has been of great interest in Austra­ lia. Semen from some of these breeds is available to Australian im­ porters. Recent changes in semen importation requiremeits have opened sources of new breeds in Canada also. All over the beef- production world the interest in new cattle breeds is very active and Australia must use these various types to ensure that its beef industry- is kept at the highest productivity level possible. The table at the end of this article lists the breeds of cattle at present available in Australia together with breeds that might have potential Brahman bull value to the Australian beef in­ dustry.

BREED CHARACTERISTICS Most breeds are readily identified by heritable characters such as coat colour or polledness which are usually controlled by a single gene. However, the characters of real economic importance are not so simply controlled and are less read­ ily identified until they are measured in performance recording schemes. Furthermore, the segregation of the single gene effects has been one of the main reasons for emphasis on pure breeding and the supposed difficulty of new breed develop­ ment. Economically important characters are controlled by many Africander bull genes and the development of breeds based on these characters is a blending of these characters and then selection of those animals showing improved performance. These were the practices used by Bakewell with Leicester sheep and the Colling brothers with Shorthorn cattle, and by many others since then in the development of our domestic animal breeds. The thoroughbred horse, Corriedale sheep, Australian Illawarra Short­ horn and are all examples of breeds based on mixing and the practice of mating the best males to the best females without attention to pedigrees or much concern with inbreeding. We have many more aids now than were available to the breeders

Journal of Agriculture Vol 14 No 4, 1973 who developed our existing breeds. The National Beef Recording Scheme has been introduced to assist breeders to improve charac­ ters such as growth rate, mothering ability, reproductive performance and carcass quality. This, com­ bined with the move to sell beef and cattle on th; objective measurement of economic characteristics, will en­ able the development of animals more suited to particular markets. It will also reduce the need for the incorporation of distinctive charac­ ters unrelated to economic merit as markers of particular breeds. BREEDING PRINCIPLES Faced with the bewildering that are available to him, how does the producer make a decision on which breed or breeds to use? Hereford bull tions have been made and have de­ His first step is to identify within fined considerable differences be­ each breed those production charac­ tween breeds. The differences ters which he wishes to have in his between breeds in characters such own herd. We are all aware that as growth rate, milk production and the phenotype or actual character maturity type are an important seen and measured is a combination source of genetic variation for im­ of the genotype, the genes control­ provement in efficiency of beef pro­ ling that character, and the effects Better known British breeds often duction. In fact, we find that most of the environment in which the used with new breeds to produce of the genetic improvement in beef animal was raised. Consequently, hybrid vigour. production that has occurred in re­ the results of evaluations done in cent times comes from introduction one environment do not necessarily of new breeds and the changing of apply in another environment. Most breeds rather than from improve­ of the reported evaluations have no ment within breeds. common control breed and the If we assume that, at least in samples used can be criticised as general terms, the producer can not representative of the breed. identify a breed or breeds to use, Despite these limitations, evalua- Angus bull his second step involves the choice of two different breeding principles.

Pure breeding Pure breeding is used if he decides that one particular breed has special merit for his production system and market and he then uses animals of this breed only. If his herd is already composed of the breed he wants, then he ap­ plies performance recording to his herd to improve performance by selection within the herd and by purchase of tested animals from other herds of the same breed. If his present herd is not the breed he wants, then the farmer uses a grading-up programme until the new breed is at the level where the herd is considered pure. The success of the grading-up pro- 232

Journal of Agriculture Vol 14 No 4, 1973 BREEDS OF CATTLE AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA AND BREEDS WHICH MAY HAVE POTENTIAL VALUE TO THE AUSTRALIAN BEEF INDUSTRY gramme will depend on the farm­ A. European breeds (Bos taurus) previously imported into Australia er's ability to choose suitable bulls now well established for his purposes. Angus Guernsey These are the traditional methods Ayrshire Hereford of pure breeding that have been Devon Jersey used for some time, although they Friesian Red Poll do not take into account the strict Galloway (a late introduction (1940)Shorthorn—both beef and dairy pedigree breeding of the stud in­ and in small numbers) types dustry. Grading up has been used in most breed-development pro­ B. European breeds (Bos taurus) available through importation of grammes especially where only a semen from the United Kingdom and Canada limited introduction of animals or United Kingdom Canada semen of the breed is possible. The Canadian Holstein Canadian Holstein Brahman, Santa Gertrudis and Charolais Charolais Murray Grey breeds all use this Limousin Chianina grading-up principle. Lincoln Red Irish Friesian Crossbreeding Meuse-Rhine-Yssel (MRY) Limousin Simmental Where no single breed embodies all Maine Anjou South Devon the many characters required for Simmental efficient beef production, the prin­ Sussex ciple of crossbreeding is used. Aty and all the breeds listed under A contemporary breeds have had a* above period of initial crossbreeding to C. Zebu breeds (Bos indicus) previously imported into Australia produce the blending of characters Africander and the variation on which selection Brahman could be practised. With cross­ breeding, there are two major possi­ Santa Gertrudis— bilities— a crossbred of Bos taurus and Bos indicus developed in United States of America Systematic crossbreeding Red Sindhi We can use two breeds and mate Sahiwal first to one breed of bull and then back to the second breed. This is D. Breeds developed in Australia usually called criss-cross mating. If Australian Illawarra Shorthorn—from Shorthorn and Ayrshire breeds we use three breeds mating first to Belmont Red—from Africander, Hereford and Shorthorn breeds one bull breed, then to the second —from Brahman and Hereford breeds bull breed, then to the third bull —from Brahman and Angus breeds breed and then back to the first and Droughtmaster—from Brahman and Shorthorn breeds so on, it is called rotational cross­ Murray Grey—from Angus and Shorthorn breeds breeding. In fact, we could use Tasmanian Grey—from Angus and Shorthorn breeds any number of breeds in the rota­ A number of crossbred types including a dairy animal using the Red tion. Sindhi, Sahiwal and Jersey breeds, and beef animals using Red Sindhi With such continuous crossbreed­ and Sahiwal breeds crossed with Shorthorn or Hereford have also been ing we are looking for more than developed more recently. just the combining of desired char­ acters of each breed because we are E. Breeds of European origin (Bos taurus) which may have potential aware of the phenomenon of hybrid for use in Australia (not listed in any particular order) vigour. This phenomenon is seen France Piedmont especially in those characters of low Charolais Maremma heritability that are associated with Limousin Switzerland ' fitness or maternal ability, such as Blonde d'Aquitaine reproduction, survivability, or milk Maine Anjou Brown Swiss production. Hybrid vigour is where Normandy Simmental the performance of the progeny is Germany The Netherlands greater than the mean performance of its parents. It is seen especially Simmental (Fleckvieh) Meuse-Rhine-Yssel (MR where the relationship between German Yellow (Gelbvieh) Friesian Friesian breeds is most distant. For example, Denmark in crosses between British and Zebu Italy Danish Red breeds there is a high level of hybrid Chianina vigour but in crosses between Romagna Sweden British beef breeds, say, Short- Marche Swedish Red and White (SRB) 233 Journal of Agriculture Vol 14 No 4, 1973 F. Breeds of Zebu origin (Bos indicus) which may have potential for of both established and new breeds. use in Australia particularly in tropical areas (Not listed in any Often with new breeds, the industry particular order) will make its decisions on their use Africa Red Sindhi before any detailed experimental Africander Sahiwal evaluation has been completed. Boran Tharparkar Evaluation at the research level is Bonsmara (a crossbred animal) an expensive and long-term opera­ tion and as a source of definitive Drakensberger Criollo (various types from different Kenana information is most essential. But countries) Mashona the need for rapid comparative in­ Brazilian Polled formation on breeds in the field Sokoto Indo Brazilian White Fulani situation is even more important. North America Producers who decide to intro­ Asia Brahman duce new breeds into their herds Gir Santa Gertrudis must be encouraged to participate Haryana in "on-farm" performance testing Kankrej Charbray such as the National Beef Record­ Krishna Valley Jamaican Brahman ing Scheme and to make their herds Ongole available for collection of informa­ tion on the breeds they are using. In doing this, it is essential that data on the existing breed is obtained through contemporary comparisons. The quality of this information will vary considerably with the interest and application of different produc­ ers but each piece of information horns and Herefords, there is very of the first cross and a depression will be valuable as part of the sum little hybrid vigour. In systematic of fitness characters from inbreed­ total of data on a new breed. By crossbreeding systems, the breeds ing in small populations. However, using field situations the evaluations can be chosen to exploit hybrid we know that interbreeding first will be done on a wide range of en­ vigour but since it is expressed par­ cross animals produces greater ticularly in reproductive characters vironments and under commercial variation in the next generation, conditions. This, combined with the dams of commercial progeny and selection can exploit this vari­ should be crossbred. work on research stations, will pro­ ation either upwards or downwards. vide the most rapid and complete In the second generation, wide evaluation of new breeds. Formation of new breeds phenotypic variation in characters New breeds result from the mixing of economic merit such as growth The introduction of Charolais of diverse breeds and the selection rate, fitness and carcass quality is into the U.K. was carried out under from within this crossbred founda­ not likely and if selection for these is close control using both research tion for animals with desirable maintained there should be little stations and commercial herds. Its characters. There are many ex­ risk that the fears of traditionalists duration was considerably shortened amples of this process. In Austra­ will be realised. Some degree of by the use of artificial breeding and lia, the Droughtmaster was devel­ inbreeding is inevitable and This has because of the specific use of the oped from Brahman and Shorthorn certainly played an important part breed as a sire of calves for beef and the Murray Grey from Angus in the development of all existing production from the dairy herd. The and Shorthorn. Both these new breeds. Its use has a positive role important fact was that evaluation breeds had only two old breeds in in breed formation to maintain high at the industry level was carried out their makeup. The Belmont Red selection intensities on the desired from the very first introduction and has three breeds, Africander, characters for the breed. the assessment by the farmers who Shorthorn and Hereford. used the breed was a significant Both the Droughtmaster and the factor in the results of the evalu­ BREED EVALUATION ation. Belmont Red result from the inter­ All the decisions that have been The Charolais study could well breeding of first generation cross- discussed presume that the producer breds between Zebu and British serve as a model for the introduc­ is first of all aware of the characters tion of new breeds into Australia. breeds with selection on perform­ he needs to combine in his cattle ance being applied in subsequent The present relatively uncontrolled for efficient beef production, and semen importations of Charolais, generations. This means that cross­ secondly that the merit of the avail­ bred bulls are used which is con­ Limousin, Simmental and other able breeds in these characters is trary to the views of traditional western European breeds into Aus­ also well known. This second point stud breeders. In their view, as tralia will result in much less ade­ reveals an area where much more crossbreeding continues there is a quate evaluation of these breeds for failure to maintain the hybrid vigour work is required on the evaluation Australian conditions. 234 Journal of Agriculture Vol 14 No 4, 1973