It is well documented that Yak have been crossbred with cattle for over 3,000 years. This took place on the Tibetan Plateau and was done to produce an animal with extreme hybrid vigor. The cross produces sterile males that mature twice as fast as full blood yak steers. These are used for meat production and drought animals. The females also grow at a much faster rate and the adults produce a larger quantity of milk, which can be turned into butter and cheese.

In the United States today Yak ranchers find the same problems as the Tibetans. Full blood yak steers take 3 to 4 years to finish on grass and the heifers generally are to small for the meat market. The cross between a yak cow and easy calving cattle bull will produce sterile males and fertile females that can be grass finished in 18 to 24 months. If you compare full blood yak meat to the 1/2 cross the fat content and taste are almost the same. So, for the yak rancher that wants to be in the exotic meat market, the obvious most profitable cross is a full blood yak cow with an easy calving cattle bull. This would allow the rancher to control the number of full blood yaks that he owns by taking all the crossbred yaks to market and still retain the genetic integrity of his yak herd.

SUMMARY OF CROSSBREEDING

1} EXTREME HYBRID VIGOR

2} STEERS AND HEIFERS FINISH IN 18 TO 24 MONTHS

3} SAME LOW FAT, GREAT TASTE AS FULL BLOOD YAKS

4} HERD SIZE CONTROL – ALL F1 HYBRIDS GO TO MARKET

5} GENETIC  INTEGRITY  OF YAKS RETAINED