Well-rounded bulls bring profit to cattle breeders. From: Agricultural Research | Date: April 1, 2003| Author: Spillman, Amy | COPYRIGHT 2003 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

For years, beef cattle producers have kept track of characteristics of their animals to selectively breed them and improve specific traits, such as growth rate, fat content, or marbling. Unfortunately, selectively breeding to improve one characteristic can lead to undesirable correlated responses, such as reproductive inefficiencies.

Now, geneticists Michael MacNeil, at ARS' Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory in Miles City, Montana, and William Herring, h...