"Heterosis", or hybrid vigor, is achieved by crossing two different strains, varieties, breeds or species. In the cattle world, maximum hybrid vigor is obtained by crossing totally unrelated animals, achieving the "best of both worlds". Because the American Brahman are of the Bos indicus species, they naturally produce an exceptional first cross (F-1) with other breeds of European or British origin of the species Bos taurus.

The resulting hybrid offspring is consistently superior in weight per day of age and carcass efficiency, as well as inheriting many economic characteristics of its Brahman parent, such as drought resistance, heat tolerance, disease resistance and increased longevity.

The F-1 female is highly regarded by commercial cattlemen as a maternal machine with few peers. She has bred-in environment adaptivity, increased milk production, higher fertility and the heat and disease resistance of her Brahman parent. She will wean a calf with more weight per day of age than her straight-bred contemporaries. And she will live longer, producing more pounds of calf over her lifetime than others. In the feedlot, Brahman hybrid steers make rapid, efficient gains and produce high cutting carcasses that are free of excess fat, which today's packer and health-conscious consumer demand.

The use of Brahman bulls with European or English breed cows is one of the most popular crossbreeding practices in the United States, with the resulting F-1 calf in high demand by cattlemen for replacement females or feeders in the feedlot. It stands to reason that the full benefit of hybrid vigor is also gained by using bulls of European or English breeding with Brahman cows. It is very popular, particularly in southern parts of the United States, to use Brahman bulls to service cows in dairy operations. The resulting Brahman F-1 female will make an excellent commercial beef cow.

F-1 Brahman Female Certification Means New Profit Opportunities

• Helps insure that the F-1 Brahman hybrid female is a true F-1 Brahman female.

• Helps establish the genetic superiority of the true F-1 Brahman female.

• Establishes or strengthens the value and quality of breeding programs, both registered and commercial.

• Provides registered breeders an opportunity to establish a new and valuable market for production by producing a potential commercial mother cow that is in strong demand in a short supply situation.

• Helps promote foreign sales. F-1 certificates meet requirements of many countries which insist upon parentage certification of imported animals.

• Only enrolled breeders will be listed in promotion of F-1 Brahman females and distributed in answer to inquiries to the association for sources of supply of these superior animals.

• Benefit from a continuing promotion and advertising program by the ABBA, emphasizing the highly profitable traits of the F-1 Brahman female.
  
  

Become an ABBA f-1 Member

The certification of F-1 Brahman females program is a service of the American Brahman Breeders Association to give proper recognition and new value dimensions to the F-1 Brahman female.

Certification of these F-1 Brahman females serves the same purpose as registration papers issued by purebred registries for animals within their own breed: the certificate or ear tag identifies the dam’s purity while establishing her F-1 Brahman female identity.

All purebred beef cattle – except those breeds having a percentage of Brahman blood as a base (Breeds which have Brahman blood as part of its base would produce progeny having more than ½ Brahman blood - see F-1 PLUS program) can be crossed with the American Brahman to produce female progeny that are eligible for certification as Golden Certified or Certified F-1 Brahman females. Only female progeny can be certified.

The F-1 Program is set up into two divisions:

• Certified F-1 – the program in which the sire must be registered and the dam is a qualified cow, a purebred cow whose physical characteristics have been inspected by an ABBA representative.
• Golden Certified F-1 – a female that is the progeny of two registered parents.

The program permits use of registered Brahman bulls on registered or qualified, purebred non-registered cows of other breeds, or registered bulls of other breeds on registered or qualified, purebred non-registered Brahman cows.  Either system provides the same end result: an F-1 Brahman hybrid: ½  Brahman – ½  Bos Taurus breed. You take the resulting increased growth and values of these certified females with you on your trips to the bank.

Any producer of registered or purebred non-registered cattle may enroll in the Certification of F-1 Brahman females program.  Members will receive membership mailings, will be listed in the member search on the ABBA website, will be informed about the progress of the breed, be eligible for special premiums and allowed to participate in the National F-1 Sale. Members of the ABBA also must enroll in the F-1 Program in order to participate.

Eligible Sires:

All sires, either Brahman or other breeds, must be purebred and registered within their own breed (if other than Brahman, that breed must not contain any Brahman blood).

Multiple sire matings are permissible, but all bulls and their breed must be listed on applications for progeny certification.

Eligible Dams:

Dams may be registered within their own breed, or may be purebred, non-registered females that are qualified by ABBA inspection. Breeds other than Brahman must not contain percentages of Brahman blood as a base.

If both parents are registered within their respective breed, each animal’s name, registration number and breed identification will qualify their female progeny for certification. When both parents are registered, their progeny is recognized as a Golden Certified animal.

If the herd contains purebred, non-registered females, including non-registered Brahmans, the cows must be qualified by an ABBA inspector and properly identified before their progeny may be certified.

Qualifying Purebred, Non-Registered Dams

Simple procedures govern qualifications of herds of purebred, non-registered cows to produce Certified F-1 Brahman females.

A request is made to the ABBA for a visual inspection of the herd. The inspector arranges a visit to the applicant’s herd, qualifies eligible females, and files a report with the ABBA office listing those dams which qualify. Inspections can also be performed via submitted photos and videos at a $6/head fee. Each qualifying dam must be identified with fire brand, tattoo, horn brand, or eartag. Qualification of an approved non-registered dam is non-transferable, but remains qualified as long as she is in the applicant’s herd.

Required Information

Certificate Option

For the certificate option, the owner must provide information on each animal including the name, address and signature of the enrolled breeder; the herd identification number of the F-1 female being certified; ownership brand or other identification; birth record (month or season and year); color markings; the breed, name, identification number and registration number of the sire; and, if registered, the breed, name, identification number and registration number of the dam.  If the dam is a qualified non-registered dam, its identification number is provided in lieu of purebred registry information.

Individual certificates of certification will be issued by the ABBA upon receipt and approval for certification, and payment of the appropriate fee ($7.50). The ABBA maintains filing systems which includes owners, program certificates by numbers, and sires by breeds. Adequate safeguards are maintained to help eliminate fraudulent entries.

Eartag Option

For the eartag option, the owner must provide information on each animal including the name, address and signature of the enrolled breeder; sire and dam breed information; and number of certifications requested.

Certification and Qualification Fees

Enrollment fee, all participants, one time: $50.00

Annual Administrative Fee: $20.00

Certified F-1 Brahman Female Certificate or Eartag, each: $7.50

Qualification inspections of purebred non-registered herds: $6/head

New F-1 Plus Certification Available

The American Brahman Breeders Association (ABBA) announced the introduction of a new F-1 Plus program at the association’s annual Winter Board Meeting on Jan. 16 in Fort Worth, Texas. The F-1 Plus program offers certifications for progeny of Golden Certified and Certified F-1 females.

“F-1 Plus is a multi faceted program that will provide marketing opportunities for our F-1 program participants as well as their customers,” said ABBA Executive Vice President, Chris Shivers. “This too will allow us to capitalize on a program that will fit any environment.”

Along with environmental adaptability, the built in efficiency, growth and carcass quality of F-1 Plus certified cattle will allow them to fit a wide array of marketing programs.

The ABBA is accepting F-1 Plus certifications for cattle with varying percentages of Brahman influence. Having a Golden Certified F-1 or Certified F-1 dam is the basic requirement for calves to qualify for the program. They must contain at least 25 percent Brahman genetics passed through the F-1 cow to receive certification.

For further information, contact Chris Shivers at cshivers@brahman.org.

Posted Jan. 24

ABBA F-1 and F-1 Plus Program Applications

• ABBA F-1 Member Application
• ABBA F-1 Certification Application
• ABBA F-1 Certification Application (Eartag Option)
• ABBA F-1 PLUS Certification Application
  

F-1 Program Member Signage

Support the ABBA F-1 program by purchasing one of the following designs. The designs can be customized and used in a variety of promotional efforts from stationary, to truck-door magnets, to trailer signs. If interested, please contact the ABBA office for more details and pricing at 713-349-0854.

Customizable ABBA F-1 Program Member design
Can be sized in 4:5 ratio
(i.e. 4 in. x 5 in., 8 in. x 10 in.,12.8 in. x 16 in., etc.)

General ABBA F-1 Program Member design
4 inches x 5 inches - good for trailer stickers, vehicle doors, etc.