A bit of conventional and a bit of exotic means improved performance and better returns at the sale barn, an AgriLife Extension economist says.

A cross between British ad Brahman cattle add significant value to breeding stock in south Texas conditions, says Levi Russell, AgriLife Extension economist, Corpus Christi.

Russell, bases this opinion on data from a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service study in south Texas that show Brahman and British crossbred cattle add value to breeding stock and performed best in terms of sale price.

“The research here shows the value of crossbreeds in this region,” said Russell, AgriLife. “The increase in the number of calves a rancher could expect from his or her breeding stock due to Brahman influence certainly increases profit potential for the herd.”

The study examined the effects of Brahman influence and other managerial and market factors on prices paid for breeding cattle in South Texas. The results are available in a publication at the AgriLife Extension Bookstore (http://bit.ly/1ohskqB ).

The study data was collected in April at the Tri-County Commercial Female Sale in Beeville. The special sale featured 123 lots from which the following information was collected: number of head sold, coat color, frame size, condition, Brahman influence, physiological stage, polled, price per head and weight. Read more.