Beef Cattle Breeds

Mostly bulls

Angus

• Most commonly registered breed in world

• Polled

• Rustling ability

  • Thrive under adverse conditions on shrubs, leaves, trees, vines

  • Cold tolerant

• Great mothering ability

• Little calving difficulty

• Marbling

Brahman

• Bos indicus

• Originated in India

  • Sacred cattle of india

• Horns that curve upward and tilted to the rear, dewlap, pendulous ears, hump, highly developed sweat glands that secrete an oily secretion w/ an odor that repels insects

Hereford

• England 1742

• US in 1817

• Polled Hereford

• 2nd most popular breed

• Tough and survives rough ranching conditions

• Squamous cell

Charolais

• French

• Came to US thru Mexico

• 878 C.E. earliest record

• 2 million in US

• Polled or horned

• Hardy and can raise heavy calves

• Bulls used to improve ruggedness in herd

Simmental

• Among the oldest in the world and most spread out

  • 40-60 million worldwide

• Switzerland

• Guatemala imported 1st simmental into N. America

• Triple purpose breed

  • Meat, milk, draft

• Pierce x breeding

Texas Longhorn

• Columbus 1493

• 10 million in cattle drives during mid-1800’s

• Hardy

• Well adapted to U.S.

  • Used to occupy the Great Plains after destruction of bison after Civil War

• High fertility may be used to boost current herds with low pregnancy percentages