One of the ways AgNext hopes to improve sustainability in animal agriculture is through genetic research, including beef on dairy crossing. Crossing beef bulls with dairy cows has so far shown to produce not only better quality, but also more sustainable beef. 

What is Beef on Dairy Crossing?

Beef on dairy crossing involves producing a more sustainable calf by using beef semen in a herd of dairy cows for breeding. The benefit of using dairy cows for meat is that they produce better quality beef (factors such as bone-to-muscle ratio and organ quality). However, the two challenges of meat production from dairy cattle are lower yield (they don’t produce as much meat as beef cattle) and Carbon Dioxide output (most CO2 is produced during the milk production process). Beef on dairy crosses can be more sustainable because they have the meat quality benefits of dairy cows, but higher yield due to the beef genetics. Also, because they are not producing milk, the Carbon Dioxide output is lower than purebred dairy cows. We look forward to additional research in this field by experts such as Dr. Pedro Carvalho. 

Beef on Dairy Crossing Defined by Dr. Pedro Carvalho:


Additional Resources for Beef on Dairy Crossing: