We recently dined with friends and among the many conversations, they asked how often we were bringing a new bull into the mix. “Well, not very often”, we replied. “In fact, we are taking a stab at producing our own bulls.” Their reply, “What? You can do that?”

I believe we can. We hold bulls back similar to the way we hold back heifers. Depending on the bull calf crop, one bull is chosen to bred the cows, one is held in reserve and the rest are sold. Its easier said than done though. Thought, planning and discretion must be used and heifers from some matings aren’t kept. The program gets complicated as we assess each animal, male and female, to determine who the stud bull will be and which offspring will be kept. One result we plan to achieve is to raise bulls that do well in our grass-based program and mostly fescue environment.

Don and I are members of the American Herbataurus Society and we read quit a bit of Gerald Fry’s information. Below is an excerpt from the Society’s site about linebreeding as opposed to inbreeding. We won’t hesitate though to bring genetics on the farm to further our focus of producing quality breeding stock.

“Linebreeding is a system of mating in which the relationship of an animal or animals is kept as close as possible to some ancestor in the pedigree. The ancestor is usually a male rather than a female, because the male produces many more descendants than a female and this allows a greater opportunity to prove merit by means of a progeny test.

Linebreeding is a special form of inbreeding but differs from inbreeding because inbreeding itself is a system of mating, which related parents are mated with no particular attempt to increase the relationship of the offspring to any particular ancestor in the pedigree.

The genetic effects of linebreeding are the same as inbreeding. Linebreeding tends to make the pairs of genes carried in the heterozygous condition in the ancestor more homozygous in the linebred offspring. In addition, linebreeding increases the probability that the linebred offspring will possess the same genes at the ancestor to which linebreeding is directed. If the ancestor possessed many desirable genes, the offspring are more likely to possess these same desirable genes. If he possessed detrimental recessive genes in the heterozygous state, the offspring are more likely to possess those as well. Linebreeding will bring some of these recessive genes together in the homozygous state in some offspring. This serves to emphasize the importance of linebreeding to an ancestor that is superior genetically and carries a minimum of detrimental recessive genes. Accurate and adequate progeny tests help to identify such individuals.

Linebreeding is often looked upon with favor by breeders, but inbreeding is not, probably because linebreeding is not so intense and when it is used, the inheritance of truly outstanding animals is concentrated in the pedigree.

As a general rule, a sire is not mated to his own daughters when linebreeding is practiced, but half-sib matings are made among the offspring of this particular sire. Mating a sire to his daughters can and will concentrate his favorable qualities on those offspring, but care must be exercised to identify detrimental traits and rigid culling practiced to stop regression.

There are different systems of linebreeding that are done according to kinship of the animals being mated and they are all practiced with the main objective of

concentrating genes of a particular ancestor in the herd or flock. Any linebreeding program requires a planned, systematic mating schedule. If practiced for a long period of time, linebreeding sooner or later must be directed through one or more of the ancestor’s sons or other descendants.

A word of caution about linebreeding is appropriate. It will be most successful when used by breeders who recognize its potentialities and its limitations and by those who have made a detailed study of the principles of breeding. Even in these instances, success will depend upon the breeder’s ability to find and recognize individuals of outstanding merit. Nevertheless, the industry could and should make more use if this system than it has in recent years.” ~ Gerald Fry

Recently someone said to me, “Why don’t you just breed her and take her to the sale barn? You’ll get more for her.” Well, that’s true but let me give some background information on the cow numbered 806; she’s being culled because she didn’t bred back during the set breeding season. She was giving all she had to the calf by her side and didn’t have the energy to bred back. That calf has since been weaned from her and she has put on weight and she would probably settle, however when its time to bred back and she has a calf by her side again, she won’t settle. Don and I believe that cows like this don’t belong in the breeding stock side of the industry. The consequences of selling her as such are obvious. The sale barn would get negative publicity for customers who sell junk and the buyer would experience frustration and lost revenues. Being only three years of age, she would typically have several years ahead of her but alas, her future will be spent on the grill.

The girls are shedding out nicely and are heavy with calf.  We manage our breeding season to calve within a sixty-day time frame and when the available forage supply is of good quality.  During this time leading up to calving, the cows are on some of our best pasture. Good nutrition in the final months of pregnancy is important.  This nutrition aids the calves as they develop the gland systems which will serve them as they grow into future breeding stock.  The first calves will drop mid-June when the normal temperatures are not too hot or too cold.