Beef cattle breeding programs often evaluate both growth performance and reproductive traits when selecting future breeding bulls. However, it is not always clear whether these two aspects of performance are closely related or largely independent. Understanding this relationship is important to avoid incorrect assumptions when making breeding decisions. In this study, semen quality and growth performance were evaluated in Limousin bulls tested under standardized conditions over several consecutive years. Instead of analyzing individual measurements separately, the study examined how groups of reproductive and growth-related traits behaved together. The results showed that semen quality traits and growth performance traits followed stable and consistent patterns over time. However, only a small number of semen characteristics showed some association with growth-related traits, while most reproductive measurements varied independently of growth performance. These findings suggest that semen quality and growth performance describe different aspects of bull performance. Therefore, growth performance alone should not be used to predict male reproductive capacity, highlighting the importance of evaluating both reproductive and productive traits when selecting breeding bulls.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.