Crossbred beef cattle are more profitable

Crossbred Angus-by-Hereford calves (seen in photo above, and cover, at the Albaugh Ranch, Shasta County) yielded a significantly higher return per head at weaning and at yearling age than straight Hereford calves out of Hereford dams of the same age, under the same environmental conditions. At weaning age, crossbred calves weighed 62 lbs more than the straightbred, and (at $27 per 100 lbs) were worth $16.74 more than the straightbreds. Yearling crossbred steers brought an income of $28 more than straight Hereford steers, and crossbred heifers brought $16 more than Hereford heifers.