Providing Major Benefits Without Changing Your Breed Completely

In the temperate regions of Australia, traditionally the home of the British breeds, the low maintenance Droughtmaster breed is being used increasingly in crossbreeding programs to produce easy care productive cattle.

    
Hereford cross Cow with
Droughtmaster cross Calf.

They are also used in tropical areas to improve carcase qualities and performance.

The progeny resulting from this crossbreeding, have a significant economic advantage through their inheritance of Droughtmaster traits (in addition to the expected heterosis):

    CALVING EASE

    ADAPTATION

    LONGEVITY

    REDUCED EYE PROBLEMS

    BLOAT RESISTANCE

    MOTHERING ABILITY

    MILKING ABILITY

High growth sires can be used successfully over Droughtmaster females, due to generations of Droughtmaster breeders constantly selecting for:

    LOW BIRTH WEIGHT

    CALF SHAPE

    PELVIC STRUCTURE

The Droughtmaster bull passes on these dominant traits to his progeny in a crossbreeding program.

    
Charolais cross
Droughtmaster steer.

Consequently, the F1 Droughtmaster female is renowned as a very efficient dam, and most effective when used with high growth sires.

This combination fits the axiom 'cows for your country - bulls for your market'.

 

    
Droughtmaster cross
Angus steer.

 

With equal parts of Bos taurus and Bos indicus blood, the Droughtmaster provides the opportunity to crossbreed without causing a dramatic change to either the visual appearance (phenotype) or to the genotype of the progeny.