The concept of 'terminal' breeding and outcrossing

Along with the proper nutrition, grazing management and livestock healthcare, genetics or 'proper functional breeding' forms one of the cornerstones of successful livestock production, writes Shane Brody.

- Shane Brody

Essentially, the cost implications of breeding poor-quality, inferior animals are the same as breeding good-quality animals, but as a farmer you will always obtain superior prices for good-quality animals or for commodities produced by them. In fact, the input costs of producing inferior livestock may be far higher than producing good quality because inferior animals tend to grow slower and may be more inclined to suffer from prevalent livestock diseases, parasite infestation, and so on.

Farming has become very competitive, so to run a profitable business you need to be ‘on top of your game’. Generally, functional livestock breeding is a highly scientific profession and there are many pitfalls that novice or unaware producers may encounter.

For example, inbreeding (using direct relatives) or the use of closely related animals (also known as line breeding) can result in recessive genes or bad traits in the progeny (calves, lambs or piglets you produce).