In the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at Texas Tech University, Dale Woerner, Ph.D., Cargill Endowed Professor, delivers unique research to meet growing beef demands.  

“Seven or eight years ago, a day-old dairy bull calf was worth about $50,” Woerner said. “Today, the average beef-on-dairy calf, the day it’s born, is $850.”  

The implementation of beef-on-dairy crossbreeding is increasing, and Texas Tech is leading the charge through various research efforts.  

Woerner said the dairy industry’s largest priority should always be milk production, but physiologically, dairy cows must be pregnant to lactate. With only one-third of dairy calves being used to produce offspring, there is an immense opportunity to leverage beef potential in the remaining two-thirds of calves.  

Woerner said dairies contribute to approximately half of ground beef production and dairy cattle account for over 20% of the current fed cattle supply.  

Bruce Cobb, executive vice president of production at Certified Angus Beef, believes that much of Texas Tech’s beef-on-dairy research has played a significant role in advancing the brand. Recent discussions on this topic have centered around Angus genetics, allowing Cobb an opportunity to facilitate enhancements to the breed’s overall beef supply.  

“It crosses over to [Certified Angus Beef] in terms of quality, sustainability and economics,” Cobb said. “There is a tremendous amount of connection between us and what Texas Tech is doing.” 

Taylor McKinzie is a doctoral student in AFS whose research focuses on feeding probiotics to beef-on-dairy cattle. She said her curiosity was derived from her interest in making beef-on-dairy crosses more profitable and appealing for the producer and packer.  

“We have to have these beef-on-dairy crosses to meet supply and demand,” McKinzie said. “They’re not going away.” 

With half of her data collection complete, McKinzie said sharing relevant research with beef and dairy producers has been a positive step for Texas Tech.  

“From a meat science perspective and whenever you get into the cooler, those beef-on-dairy cross carcasses are more closely resembling your conventional beef,” McKinzie said.  

Woerner said he thinks people have been trained to believe dairy cattle products are low quality. However, he said scientific results suggest the opposite.  

“Our research actually demonstrates the tenderness and flavor profile of beef coming from dairy animals…is actually superior to conventional beef,” Woerner said.  

When addressing misconceptions, Woerner emphasized the importance of communication and outreach. He said his duty is to share the facts honestly and find effective ways to connect with consumers.  

In addition to nationwide presentations with beef and dairy producers, Woerner and the department host the ‘Beef x Dairy Symposium,’ a biannual event that exchanges ideas between producers and experts from both sectors.  

Whitney Crossland, Ph.D., associate professor in AFS, said producers must learn to interact and understand beef-on-dairy cattle as a mutual relationship.  

“And that’s what’s so important about the symposium: [getting] all of these people in [the] industry in the same room and [having] these conversations every two years,” Crossland said.

Story by Ryan Hess; Design by Halle Munson; Photography by Avery Meers; Advertisements by Riley Green.

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