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Dairy vs. Beef Cattle – Do Looks Matter?

How the physical appearance of cattle plays a role.  

Not all cattle breeds are the same. Just like how bodybuilders and marathon runners look very different, dairy and beef cattle have unique physical traits based on what they are bred for. 

For example, think about an Angus beef cow and a Holstein dairy cow. When you put them side by side, their differences are clear because of their special purposes and genetics. 

The Angus beef cow is like a bodybuilder. It’s strong,muscular, and bred for meat production. These cows need big muscles and some body fat to provide high-quality beef. Just like bodybuilders, they have thick, well-developed muscles that give them a strong and sturdy look.

On the other hand, the Holstein dairy cow is more like a marathon runner. It’s lean, slim, and doesn’t carry much extra fat. Dairy cows are bred to make milk, so their energy goes into milk production instead of building muscle. That’s why they look thinner than beef cows, as most of their feed gets turned into milk.

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Leman Swine Conference: Vaccination strategies to reduce PRRS virus recombination

Video: Leman Swine Conference: Vaccination strategies to reduce PRRS virus recombination

Dr. Jay Calvert, Research Director with Zoetis, recently spoke to The Pig Site’s Sarah Mikesell at the 2023 Leman Swine Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, about his conference presentation on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus recombination.

“The number one problem in PRRS these days from a vaccine point of view is the emergence of new strains of PRRS. Since the beginning, we have had new strains and a lot of diversity,” said Dr. Jay Calvert. “We thought we knew it was all about mutation changes in amino acids and the individual strains over time, but they take on new characteristics.”

With the onset of more common whole genome sequencing and recombination analysis, Dr. Calvert says there is another mechanism, and recombination seems to be a key factor.