Productive lifespan and stayability in Argentine Creole cattle in the Salado Basin

Abstract

The Argentine Criollo Cattle (BCA) breed was predominant until the early 20th century. However, in the Salado Basin—Argentina’s main beef calf-producing region—it currently represents a minority population. The objective of this study was to analyze the productive lifespan (LVP) and stayability (S) of dams in a BCA herd within this region. A total of 196 dams that both began and completed their reproductive lives were evaluated. The average LVP was 93.85 months (range: 5.84–205.20), and the average total number of calves (NCT) per cow was 8.23 (range: 1–18). Cows with traditional mating (EPP36) outperformed those with early mating (EPP24), with an average advantage of 20.6 months in LVP and 1.67 more calves. Based on productivity, three groups of dams were identified: low (BP, n = 40), intermediate (IP, n = 52), and high (AP, n = 104). As productivity increased, the average kinship within each group decreased, suggesting greater genetic variability among the most productive cows. The logistic regression model for stayability (S) showed that an increase in age at first calving (EPP) was associated with a higher probability of a cow weaning at least seven calves lifelong, supporting the differences observed between EPP24 and EPP36 groups. More frequent use of the BCA breed could contribute to increasing average productivity in the extensive livestock systems of the Salado Basin.