In the project Fremavling af profitable tyrekalve, we have collaborated with the Danish fund Kvægafgiftsfonden to design a beef bull for crossbreeding, primarily with Jersey cattle. We have focused on breeding a bull with top marks in terms of growth, musculature and especially light calving. The limousine race basically has some good features on these parameters that we wanted to strengthen. These characteristics are important for the individual farmer but also for the consumer because:

1. The calf can be ready for slaughter in one year because of good growth, which reduces the amount of feed and CO2 pollution per animal.
2. Most fat on an animal is a waste product that the farmer does not want to feed for and the consumer does not want to pay for it either. The double muscle gene tells the animal that it must produce meat instead of fat, in that way the feed is utilized more optimally.
3. Light calving is absolutely crucial so mother and calf is well, and does not need a vet and therfore increse the costs or, in worst case results in death.

We have measured these characteristics via genomic test and myostatin test, ie. test for double muscles. Thereby we know the characteristics of the bull even before we begin to see his offspring. Throughout the project, we have added two other parameters, namely ultrasound scan of the back which shows the size of the animal’s back muscle and measurement of gestational duration. Ultrasound scan of the back makes it possible to identify those animals that have a larger back muscle and thereby also larger pieces of expensive meat, such as ribeye. A shorter gestation is of course beneficial for the milk production.   The project has resulted in the bull Bingo, which is semen drawn Bingo’s genomic test is very high on calving ease, growth and especially musculature, which makes him incredibly good for crossbreeding especially for Jersey cattle.