Beef-dairy crossbreds often heartier than purebreds

In a first-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of Dairy Science, a team led by Penn State researchers determined that by the age of eight months, on average, the hybrid calves that recovered from pneumonia achieved similar average daily growth to calves that never had pneumonia.

Source: FEEDSTUFFS, February 2025. Link.

Study researchers reported that pneumonia observed in beef-on-dairy crosses only compromised their growth for about three weeks before they began bouncing back.”

Image: Bovine Veterinarian/Alison Fulton