What Are 10 Major Breeds of Beef Cattle
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In part two of our "What's Your Beef?" serial on raising cattle on small farms, we assistance you reply the questions of what brood of beefiness cattle you should get .
The writer'due south herd of mixed Hereford, Black Angus, and Carmine Angus cattle.
Rich Taber / CCE Chenango
In the showtime commodity in this series in the summer edition of SFQ , I outlined several of the many topics with which you need to become familiar with if you lot wish to accept a successful beef cattle enterprise. This article installment's purpose is to hash out the several breeds that are available from which you can choose. Even more important is to select animals that have good genetic qualities, which is probably more important than the item brood that you might cease up with.
First, I will mention some of the many breeds that are available. Beef cattle breeds, at least here in the Northeast, have their origins from ii unlike parts of Europe. The first and nigh common are the British breeds. Black Angus, Crimson Angus, and Herefords are the Fords, Chevys, and Dodges of the beefiness cattle earth and are the nigh mutual and popular. There are innumerable sources of these animals available in our part of the world. Some other popular British breeds are Devons, Dexters, Belted Galloways, Crimson Polls, Beefiness Shorthorns, and Scotch Highlands. The other beef breeds originated in mainland Europe and are referred to as the continental breeds. Blond d'Aquitaine, Charolais, Chinanina, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Maine Anjou, Normande, Piedmontese, Pinzgauer, and Simmentals all have their respective followings. In many or the hotter parts of the country you lot detect a number of breeds that have Brahman genetics in their makeup; in brutally hot climates they exercise fine but are not all that common here in the northeast.
A young, purebred Angus moo-cow.
Courtesy of Rich Taber / CCE Chenango
In selecting a breed , I would suggest that yous first pick a breed that is common in your area; that way yous volition notice an infrastructure of farmers and breeders that tin answer many of your questions. You might want to consider having crossbred cattle likewise. Why crossbreds? In nature there is a holding known every bit "hybrid vigor , " meaning that crossbred animals, especially outset-generation crosses, tend to exist healthier, stronger, and out produce the pure breeds that they were derived from. A very popular cross here in the Northeast in the "Black Baldie , " a Hereford and Black Angus cantankerous. They look like a Hereford with generally white heads and faces but their body colour in usually black. Another popular cantankerous is the Hereford and the Red Angus; the cows tend to look similar Herefords with a lot of cherry on their heads. If yous intend to have a cow/calf herd and plan on selling calves every bit feeders, or finishing them yourself, crossbreds are a very viable alternative.
Should you consider purebred/registered stock? If you lot have plans on being a purebred breeder with the intent to sell pure stock to other people , this might end upward being a skilful alternative. Notwithstanding, if you are a beginner, I would advise getting your easily on some skillful commercial (unregistered) stock to get your feet moisture and to learn the ropes with. The herd on my home farm has historically been a serial of crosses of the "big Three"; Herefords, Black Angus, and Red Angus. I recommend these breeds as you tin can notice good animals in many different parts of the state. Blackness Angus are very popular , and the Angus Association has done an excellent job in recent years in promoting their brood. Blackness hided cattle tend to bring a premium cost, so much so that several other breeds of cattle take developed lines of black cattle to cash in on that premium. The Simmental breed is a prime number example of this, and " SimmAngus " crosses have become very popular in recent years.
I personally tend to favor a lot of Hereford blood in my herd, and their crosses, in item considering the animals are quite docile and like shooting fish in a barrel to work with. This yr I replaced my Hereford bull with a Cherry Angus to keep up the hybrid vigor in succeeding generations.
The author's former herd sire, a purebred Hereford now on duty at a neighboring farm.
Courtesy of Rich Taber / CCE Chenango
You might notice that I take not mentioned any dairy cattle breeds. You can indeed heighten dairy beef, and I won't discourage y'all if you are so inclined, but they have a scrap longer to end, and generally bring lower prices at the cattle markets. For dwelling house use you can exercise well with a few of these too as with crosses of some of the other dairy breeds. In some parts of the country, a certain percentage of Holstein dairy cattle are being crossed with Black Angus due to a number of factors. These make a good cantankerous and if you can find a source of calves you might do well with them.
As I alluded to earlier, where yous go your animals from is FAR more of import that what the item brood is. A few years agone , in some subcontract machinery manufactures that I wrote for this publication, I warned people to stay abroad from "tractor jockeys" as a source of a good used tractor — some of them tend to be the equivalent of a used car salesman. In a similar vein, I would caution you to stay away from cattle sale barns equally a source of convenance stock. I spend my share of time at cattle sale barns, but much of this time is to network with other farmers and to stay beside of markets. If it's a dispersal sale, and the farmer is getting rid of all of their cattle that might exist acceptable. But many times , an fauna consigned to a auction barn is destined for the slaughterhouse. Another thing that I have noticed, even when the animals are being sold as "convenance stock", you have no thought how old the animal is. I prefer to buy bred heifers, or younger cows that are 2-3 years old and are going to be effectually for many years. A beefiness cow can last for upwards of ten years or and so, and do y'all want to pay the same cost for a 10-year-old as you would a two-yr-old ?
This volume is an excellent reference for beginning beefiness producers.
Courtesy of Rich Taber / CCE Chenango
When it comes to selecting a bull, I always suggest that y'all buy your bulls from a reputable breeder and avoid 'Auction Barn Taurus . " A balderdash that comes from stock that has been selected for having depression birth weights is important too. Taurus, the undiscriminating bull of no known genetics, may just happen to sire huge calves that you finish up having to pull from cows in the balmy month of February during a blizzard! Many of your ameliorate breeders use bogus insemination, and the best genetics are available past doing so. Do non take shortcuts in bull selection!
You can source good cattle in the classified advertisement sections of farm papers, such every bit Country Folks, the newspaper in which many of you lot receive Minor Farm Quarterly. The New York Beefiness Producers Clan is well worth joining, equally they put out an excellent magazine with ads throughout it. Each twelvemonth they also produce a breeder's directory of producers from all over NY State. Retrieve, yous get what y'all pay for and if its good breeding stock that y ou are looking for exercise your homework and don't take shortcuts!
Source: https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2020/10/selecting-a-beef-cattle-breed/
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