Ineight on new methods of beef cattle breeding and

Ineight on new methods of beef cattle breeding and production recently put in use as well as others in process of development were covered , during the program at the annual meeting of the Virginia Beef Cattle Association held Feb. 16th and 17th at Natural Bridge. George Litton, Head of V. P. I.’s Animal Science Depart ment, in his personable and intelligent manner moderated a panel of five men. . all outstanding in their fields. . for a full two hours. Topics and men covering same were as follows: Cross Breeding - Mr. Tillman Bubenzer, Farm Supt. Conner Prairie Farms. Nobelsville, Ind. Performance Testing - Mr. John J. Hickman, Jr. Marketing Manager, Armour Beef Cattle Improvement, Denver, Colo. is Synchronizing Esterus - Dr. T. N. Meacham, Teaching and Research Staff V. P. I. Blacks burg, Va. I. Quality - Mr. Howard H. White, Assistant Manager Hygrade Food Products Corp. Richmond, Va. New Concepts in Beef Carcass Evaluation - Mr. Al ? Kluener, President, Edward 5 J. Kluener Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. *»: Nothing so very new about ♦ crossbreeding. Mr. Bubenzer . . a shrewed German. . likes It. will stick with it. Feeds out his own. Virginia research results: show around 30% in' crease in growth rate, higher percentage calf crop, mote :hardiness. Definite trend increased buyer acceptance of ^cross-bred feeder, calves. Quality standardef'-’df’meat "quite different from quality standards of live animal. Meat quality should and can be a result of breeding should not 'be had by needle injections of ^tenderizing chemicals. Cutout differences of animals of same slaughter grade on foot vary as much as $41.00 in salable meat. Housewife doesn't want fat — wants lean red tender tneat of good flavor. Mar belling, (streaks of far intermingled with red meat) still desirable.

Armour selected three hundred young bulls weighing 500 550 pounds that had proven through performance testing 4 as calves. Tested on feed by Oklahoma A. and M. minimum requirements 2 1/2 pounds Rain per day. I forgot what feed conversion requirements were. Only 38 met all minimum feed lot requirements, Further selections were made by electronic sonoscope (an electronic gadget for measuring back fat) and something that sounded to me like photogramming. . similar tosteroscope. Anyway it allows three dimensional viewing of muscle lng qualities. Bulls passing all requirements were sent to Texas and bred to determine transmitting ability of their qualities. The end product. . five Armour Gold Star Bulls whose semen has been made <,'available to cowmen through Al Studs. Armour has already : bad private offers as high as $50,000.00 for ownership intea •st. (Beef breed Associations require 1/2 ownership of sire