I have been discussing the A2 beta-casein and its effects on beef cattle over the last three weeks. If you are new to this discussion, the A2 beta-casein is a milk protein that contributes to the nutritional value of the milk. All mammals have A2/A2 milk, except cattle, where the A1 variant is present. It is thought that the A1 variant was bred into cattle through a genetic mutation and/or a focus on more growth, more milk and less fat.
An A2/A2 cow can theoretically raise a bigger calf on less milk than an A1/A2 or A1/A1 cow. I theorized that this could be one of the reasons why our moderate-sized, low-input PCC™ cows can raise big calves without being heavy milkers. To validate this theory, the PCC™ AI sires were tested and 86% came back A2/A2. Similarly, 474 bulls for the fall sales were tested and 82% were A2/A2.
I found two sources that thought only about 50% of conventional beef cattle are actually A2/A2. We wanted more proof, so Kit contacted ABS. He had a simple request; he wanted to purchase one straw of semen from 50 of their most popular AI sires to test for the A2 beta-casein. His request was denied.
This was a very interesting decision on their part, but not unexpected. After all, the results probably wouldn’t be very flattering for them. We plan to try other avenues to get some actual data on conventional high-input bulls.
In the meantime… A2 test results are available on all PCC™ AI Sires. We plan to make the A2 information on our Colorado, Montana and Nebraska sale bulls available to our customers and potential customers. Pharo Cattle Company™ continues to push the envelope to help you be more profitable! Sign up for our weekly PCC™ Updates below to ensure that you don’t miss this information.