Beef Sire Selection for the Dairy Herd

Allen Gahler, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Sandusky County, Ohio State University Extension

Creating half-blood bull calves with sexed beef bull semen can increase profitability on the dairy farm. By some estimates, fed cattle that include dairy genetics make up something in the neighborhood of 25% of the U.S. beef supply. With improvements in the utilization of male-sexed beef bull semen, many dairy farmers are choosing to utilize beef genetics to add value to their calf crop.

On March 10, Al Gahler presented via Zoom during the OSU Extension Beef Team’s 2021 winter beef school on making beef cattle sire decisions for the dairy herd. Al covered Expected Progeny Differences (EPD’s) and traits to consider in order to maximize the value and marketability of crossbred beef on dairy calves. The session begins as OSU Extension Beef Field Specialist Garth Ruff introduces Al Gahler to discuss effectively utilizing beef sires to add value to the dairy based calf crop. The presentation can be viewed at: https://u.osu.edu/beef/2021/03/17/beef-sire-selection-for-the-dairy-herd-2/