Farms.com Home   Expert Commentary

Maintaining Proper Leg And Foot Structure In Your Herd Can Benefit Cattle's Longevity And Productivity

Mar 14, 2017

By Dr. Bob Weaber



It’s a trait that can be managed from a genetic standpoint, but is often overlooked says Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Dr. Bob Weaber about feet and leg structure in your cow herd. He told Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays recently that this is a very important trait for you mama cows to have.

“We only have so much selection pressure that we can apply,” Weaber said. “And that selection pressure gets diluted the more traits that we try and include in our selection objectives and unfortunately sometimes some of the things that are really important fundamental things, maybe get overlooked a little bit.”

Part of the problem, he says, stems from the fact that many producers are not totally comfortable evaluating leg and foot structure, perhaps due to unfamiliarity with factors such as appropriate angulation, foot size and shape uniformity. Helping to solve this, Weaber points to selection index tools being developed that should be available in the near future to producers, much like what the dairy industry currently uses.

“I think long term what’s going to happen is maybe model a little bit after the dairy business,” he said. “We anticipate as we build these tools for feet and leg structure for the US beef herd, these tools will be eventually incorporated into the selection index.”
 

Click here to see more...