a Continental breed, and a
Zebu-influenced breed. (See
story on the next page.)
“From the Angus breed,
we believe we gain marbling,
milk production, mother-
ing ability, and relatively
good muscling,” says Davis.
“From the Simmental, we
gain heavier muscling and
good milk production. From
the Brangus, we get strong
mothering ability, disease
resistance, longevity, and
heat tolerance.”
The heat tolerance of the
Brangus influence pays off
during South Carolina’s
90°F. summer days. It
also pays dividends in the
feedlot, where the Brangus-
influenced cattle are less
likely to go off feed in warm
or hot weather.
The Davises have bred
uniformity into cattle by
carefully managing the ge-
netic influences to maintain
maximum heterosis in an
CAPTURE HYBRID VIGOR MAXIMUM HETEROSIS
GIVES J. DAVIS CATTLE A PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGE.
C
apturing the benefits of maximum heterosis is the
breeding goal at J. Davis Cattle, Westminster, South
Carolina. Heterosis is that hybrid vigor resulting
from crossbreeding. It can result in enhanced per-
formance in traits such as growth, fertility, longevity,
and disease resistance.
After 16 years of focusing on strategic crossbreeding, Joe and
Mandy Davis are seeing increasingly predictable results from
planned crossing of Angus, Simmental, and Brangus (a Zebu-
influenced breed originating from a crossing of Angus with
Brahman cattle).
“For the past three years, our steers have gained 3.9 to 4.4
pounds per head per day in the feedlot,” says Joe Davis. “For
each of the past two years, 99% and 95% have graded Choice
or better. Along with
that, the average age at
harvest has gone way
down, dropping from
549 days in 2015 to 460
days in 2017.”
Average carcass
weight for the past three
years has ranged from
900 to 927 pounds.
The Davises developed
their three-way cross by
choosing breeds repre-
senting differing regions
of origin: a British breed,
Photography: Provided by Joe Davis
ongoing three-way balance.
“The breeding plan is a
triangle,” says Davis. “The
key is to breed each female
to a sire of the breed she’s
least related to, and that will
be the breed of her great-
grandsire. We record the
sire, grandsire, and great-
grandsire of every female.”
staying organized
A
color-coded breeding
chart keeps the plan
organized. The chart identi-
fies the six cross-breeding
sequences of a three-breed
cross after a full six-year
cycle of breeding females to
the breed of their great-
grandsire. It identifies in
color-coded bars the breed
of sire she should be bred
to. The chart also shows the
breed sequence of a resulting
heifer and the breed of bull
she should be bred to.
“At birth, heifer calves
are tagged with an ear tag
matching the color of the
bar on the chart showing
what breed of sire the heifer
will be bred to for the rest of
her life,” says Davis. “Our
farms are divided by breed,
too. We use Angus sires at
one farm, Simmentals at a
second farm, and Brangus at
a third farm.”
Working with herd
manager Mike Hall, the
Davises bred 200 females in
November and December
of 2017 to calve next fall.
With little or no hay,
females graze year-round
on 470 acres divided into 40
pastures. The pastures are
further crossfenced to make
up 155 paddocks.
Depending on for-
age availability, calves are
weaned in spring at 176
to 220 days of age. Actual
54 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com |August 2019
Joe Davis of Westminster, South
Carolina, developed a three-way cross
of Angus, Simmental, and Brangus to
gain specific traits from each breed.
“We use
Angus sires
at one farm,
Simmentals
at a second
farm, and
Brangus at a
third farm.”
e f
INSIDER
®
By Raylene Nickel
