Are There Different Types of Heterosis and do They Have the Same Value to a Beef Producer?

Bob Weaber (Kansas State University): It's important for producers to recognize, when they think about a crossbreeding system, that there are different kinds of heterosis. We can think about individual heterosis, or the performance of an individual calf, or heterosis like maternal heterosis. That is the additional performance of a cow in terms of maternal traits and even paternal heterosis. It turns out in beef production systems that about 2/3 of the economic benefit of a crossbreeding program comes from having crossbred cows. So we encourage producers to think about building systems and crossbreeding programs that will allow them to maintain and retain heterosis in their cowherd and replacement heifer selection strategies to leverage the value of improved fertility and longevity in those females; that brings economic performance into their cowherd.