Italian Journal of Animal Science

The Beef-on-Dairy Strategy: Integrating Supply Chains for Sustainable Meat Production

The "Beef-on-Dairy" practice (crossing dairy cows with beef bulls) is reshaping the cattle industry by using beef semen on dairy cows to produce crossbred calves with superior carcass merit compared to pure dairy males.

This practice is not merely an economic opportunity for dairy farmers to valorize surplus calves; it represents a significant step towards a more sustainable global protein supply chain. By obtaining high-quality beef from the existing dairy herd, the environmental overhead of maintaining separate suckler cow herds can be reduced, effectively lowering the carbon footprint per kilogram of beef produced.

This Article Collection aims to collate the latest scientific evidence on Beef-on-Dairy strategies, covering the entire production cycle from genetic selection to meat quality. We seek contributions that evaluate the biological, economic, and environmental implications of this integrated system, highlighting its potential to meet the growing demand for beef while optimizing resource use.

We invite Original Research, Reviews, and Short Communications addressing:

• Genetic Selection: Identification of beef sires best suited for dairy cows (calving ease, growth rate, carcass traits).
• Reproductive Strategies: Use of sexed semen (female dairy) combined with beef semen to optimize herd replacement and beef output.
• Nutrition and Management: Specific feeding strategies and growth performance of dairy-beef crossbreds compared to purebreds.
• Meat Quality: Carcass characteristics, meat tenderness, and consumer acceptance of crossbred beef.
• Animal Welfare: Implications for calf health and rearing systems.
• Sustainability Assessment: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies comparing the carbon footprint of Beef-on-Dairy vs. specialized beef systems.
• Economic Analysis: Profitability for dairy farmers and the beef supply chain.

Alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This topic strongly supports the following SDGs:

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production (Maximizing the output value of the dairy herd and reducing the waste of low-value dairy male calves).
• SDG 13: Climate Action (Improving production efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity per unit of product).
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger (Ensuring a secure and efficient supply of high-quality animal protein).
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth (Creating new revenue streams for dairy farmers and adding value to the supply chain).

keywords:

1. Beef-on-Dairy
2. Crossbreeding
3. Meat Quality
4. Sustainable Livestock
5. Dairy Efficiency
6. Supply Chain Integration

Guest Advisors

Dr. Donagh Berry is a Senior Principal Dairy and Beef Research Geneticist at Teagasc (Ireland). He received his PhD at UCD (Ireland) & Wageningen (The Netherlands) in 2003. His current research interests include: (i) low-cost phenotyping tools; (ii) (inter)national genetic and genomic evaluations for all traits in cattle and sheep; (iii) experimental-based and data analysis-based validation of national genetic evaluations; (iv) derivation of breeding goals in cattle and sheep; (v) breeding schemes in cattle and sheep; and (vi) genome-wide association studies. For more details about Dr. Berry’s work, please visit: https://teagasc.ie/staff-directory/donagh-berry/ or https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4349-1447.

Dr. Massimo De Marchi is full Professor of Animal Science at the Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova (Italy). He received his Master’s degree in Agricultural Science and Technology (cum laude) in 2002 and a PhD in Animal Science (specialization in Genetics, Biostatistics, Biodiversity and Biotechnologies) from the University of Padova in 2006. His current research interests include: (i) implementation of infrared spectroscopy technique as a tool to predict novel phenotypes; (ii) husbandry strategies to improve sustainability in conventional and organic livestock systems; (iii) impact of animal welfare conditions in dairy and beef farms; and (iv) development of activities in the dairy and beef industry related to by-products within a circular-economy perspective. For more details about Dr. De Marchi’s work, please visit: https://www.dafnae.unipd.it/en/DeMarchi or https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7814-2525.

Dr. Mauro Penasa is full Professor of Animal Breeding and Genetics at the Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova (Italy). He received his Master’s degree in Animal Science and Technology (cum laude) in 2005 and a PhD in Animal Science (specialization in Genetics, Biostatistics, Biodiversity and Biotechnologies) from the University of Padova in 2009. His current research interests include: (i) beef-on-dairy strategies to enhance meat production from dairy herds; (ii) genetic and genomic aspects of milk phenotypes and functional traits in dairy cattle (e.g., fertility, health, metabolic traits); and (iii) genetic characterization of local poultry breeds and species. For more details about Dr. Penasa’s work, please visit: https://www.research.unipd.it/simple-search?query=Penasa+Mauro or https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9984-8738.

Disclosure Statement: Guest Advisors declare no conflict of interest regarding this work.

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review. Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

To submit your papers to this Article Collection, please:

1. Check "yes" for the question, "Are you submitting your paper for a specific special issue or article collection?"
2. Select the Article Collection ‘The Beef-on-Dairy Strategy: Integrating Supply Chains for Sustainable Meat Production’ from the drop-down menu under the question, "Special Issue or Article Collection Name."

Please contact Changluan Zhou at [email protected] with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.