Is Adaptability underlying to Fertility and Weaning Mass?
Back to Articles The “Magic” of Beefmaster Beefmaster is a synthetic breed that is made
Read More
Menu
The Society has been in existence since 1986. The Beefmaster breed is designed to provide profitable genetics to the beef producer in Southern Africa. The famous Tom Lasater was quoted in saying “Cattle Breeding is a Relatively Simple Endevour – the Only Difficult Thing is to Keep it Simple”
Beefmaster is a synthetic breed that is genetically composed of ± 50% Brahman, 25% Hereford and 25% Shorthorn blood. This was achieved after years of selective breeding, careful experiments and vicious culling of unwanted animals.
Throughout the history of the Beefmaster breed the main objective was profitable meat production. The best cattle produce the highest quality meat at the lowest cost, which means more profit. The breeding and management program that is followed is based on nature’s oldest law: ‘Survival of the fittest.’ Upon selection six characteristics are required. The required economically important traits are: fertility, temperament, weight, conformation, hardiness and milk production.
Beefmaster cattle were specifically bred to be fertile, with a focus on selecting for animals that could produce and raise a calf every year. Beefmaster cattle typically reach sexual maturity at a young age. Beefmaster cattle are known for their easy calving, which is a reflection of their good pelvic structure and size. Beefmaster cattle have been shown to have high reproductive performance, with good conception rates, low incidence of infertility, and high calf survival rates.
Beefmaster cattle were bred with a focus on maternal traits, such as milk production, fertility, and mothering ability. These traits are important for ensuring that calves have access to the nutrition they need to grow and thrive, resulting in heavier weaning weights. Years of selection have had the result of medium framed cows weaning on half their weight.
Beefmaster cattle are known for their adaptability to different environments, which allows them to thrive in a variety of conditions. They are equally adapted to the Kalahari, the Eastern Highveld, the Bushveld and also Sourveld. This adaptability can lead to better forage utilization and more efficient conversion of feed to weight gain, resulting in heavier calves at weaning.
Back to Articles The “Magic” of Beefmaster Beefmaster is a synthetic breed that is made
Read More
Back to Articles Why Beefmaster is the ‘profit breed’ Riana de Beer, a Beefmaster breeder
Read More
Back to Articles Improving the stud one animal at a time Dirco Swart, owner of
Read MoreFollow us over on Facebook and keep up to date with the latest in Beefmaster news.
