Breeds of Beef Cattle

1. Breeds of Beef Cattle

2. Angus • Originated in Scotland • Solid black in color • Naturally polled • Consumer preference led to Certified Angus Beef

3. Hereford • Originated in Hereford, England • Red with white head, legs, and underline • Horned • Early maturing • “Mothering” breed

4. Polled Hereford • Developed in Iowa by Warren Gammon • Naturally hornless • Red with white face, legs and underline

5. Shorthorn • Originated in England • Red; red & white or roan in color • Originally used as a dual purpose breed for meat and milk • Sometimes called the Durham breed

6. Simmental • Originated in Switzerland • Oldest breed of cattle in the world • Large, powerful breed • Brought to the United States in 1971 • Orange/Yellow and white to black in color

7. Gelbvieh • Originated in Germany • Red in color • Noted for superior fertility and mothering ability • Tend to be extra fleshy under the throat

8. Charolais • Originated in France • Traditionally white in color • Long bodied, large cattle • Heavily muscled • Coarse looking

9. Maine Anjou • Originated in France • Dark red with white markings or black • Developed by crossing the Mancelle breed with the Shorthorn breed

10. Chianina • Originated in Italy • One of the oldest breeds of cattle • Tallest breed of beef cattle • Short hair that is white to steel gray • Terminal breed • Low milk production

11. Salers • Originated in France • Fastest growing breed in the United States • Mahogany red to black in color • One of the last breeds to be imported into the United States

12. Brahman • Originated in India • Able to survive on very little, poor feed • Insect & heat resistant • Excess skin and large hump on back • White to gray, red to black

13. Santa Gertrudis • Developed on the King Ranch in Texas • All Santa Gertrudis are descendants of the bull, Monkey • They were created by crossing shorthorn cows and Brahman bulls • Good producers in tropical climates

14. Texas Longhorn • Developed entirely by nature in North America • Known for its long horns • High fertility • Were near extinction in 1927

15. Beefmaster • Early 1930s, Tom Lasater, from a crossing of Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle. • His purpose was to develop cattle that would produce and make money during economically hard times in the harsh environment of South Texas. • Six Essentials - Weight, Conformation, Milk Production, Fertility, Hardiness and Disposition. • While brownish-red is the most common color, the breed has no color standards. • Beefmasters were recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a pure breed in 1954.

16. Belgian Blue • Originated in Belgium • The double-muscling phenotype is a heritable condition which results in the increased number of muscle fibers • typically blue-grey mottled hair color, however its color can vary from white to black. • Double-muscled cows can experience dystocia (a difficult birth), even when bred to normal beef bulls or dairy bulls, because of a narrower birth canal.