November 24, 2020

 

New Mexico State University exploring sustainable beef production in US Southwest

 

Researchers at New Mexico State University, together with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and a network of institutions and ranchers, are looking at ways to improve the sustainability of beef production in the Southwest through crossbreeding cattle.

 

In the study, heritage Raramuri Criollo cattle are being bred with commercial beef bulls (Brangus, Angus and Red Angus) to see if the crossbred will be more marketable for the beef industry as compared to straight bred. The research also considers the crossbred cattle's health in the feedyard, weight gains, and meat quality.

 

The resulting crossbreed calves at ranches in southern New Mexico, southern California and southeast Utah.appear to be larger than the Raramuri Criollo calf, but are roughly the same size. The crossbreds are usually hornless and characteristically have a single color coat, unlike pure Criollo breeds.

 

The research is funded by a three-year study grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

 

The environmental benefits of Raramuri Criollo cattle have been studied by the USDA Agricultural Research Service at the Jornada Experimental Range in south-central New Mexico, in collaboration with NMSU researchers since 2011. Raramuri Criollo cattle have adapted to harsh conditions over centuries since being brought into the US in the 1600s.

 

However, its marketability is not profitable as its calves are small at weaning compared to traditional beef breeds, according to Andres Cibils, NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences professor. Ciblis said they need a longer development time before being marketed, resulting in buyers paying less for the Criollo breed.

 

Ciblis said by the end of this research, 360 calves, half crossbred and half straight bred, would have been evaluated to gain solid comparisons of how the crossbred and straight bred do as far as health in the feedyard, weight gains and meat quality.

 

The livestocm will be pastured on new variety of winter wheat developed by Texas A&M University for high grazing performance on winter pasture.

 

Ciblis said meat quality data includes beef taste evalutation done by Taste panels at Texas A&M's Sensory Science Evaluation Laboratory in College Station. They will determine how the crossbred beef compares to other commercial beef, adding that Criollo beef is extremely tender."

 

The goal of this study is for ranchers to have a cow / calf operation using a traditional beef breed bull and a herd of Criollo cows. The end result is a herd that is more environmentally sustainable on arid rangelands threatened by climate change, compared to traditional beef breeds.

 

-      New Mexico State University