Jack Ward is the American Hereford Association COO and Director of breed improvement. He’s just finished giving us an overview of a new Heterosis Research Project they’re conducting.

I’m going to interview him and have him explain this since you may not be familiar with the term. I know I wasn’t. Basically this is an effort to document the value and results of cross-breeding Hereford bulls with Angus-based cows. It’s a 3 year program which has been going on for a year now.

What we’re hearing now is the performance difference between Angus sired vs. Hereford sired cattle. Their first year conclusion is that there’s a $78 advantage to the Hereford sired. This is a real world commercial setting. The study is being conducted in cooperation with California State University, Chico; Lacey Livestock; Harris Feeding Co.; and Harris Ranch Beef Co.

Post Update: Here’s my interview with Jack. He explains heterosis, what the goal of their research is and the first year results.

Listen to my interview with Jack here: aha-07-ward.mp3

Or you can download and listen to the interview here: Jack Ward Interview (4 min MP3)