Beef Cattle Breeds Identification & Characteristics
Angus • Origin – Scotland • Color – Black • P/H – Polled • Characteristics • 2nd most popular, • Resistant to pink eye • Superior carcass • Not as rugged as others
Barzona • Origin – US - Arizona • Color – Red • P/H – either • Characteristics • (1/4) Africander, Hereford, Shorthorn, & Angus • Good fertility, rate of gain, mothering, hardiness, resistant to pink eye • Medium size, long head
Beefalo • Origin – • Color – variety • P/H – • Characteristics • cross of (3/8) bison/buffalo & (5/8) any breed of cattle • Hardiness, calving ease, meat quality (buffalo) • Fertility, milking ability, handling ease (beef)
Beef Master • Origin – US (TX) • Color – red, variety • P/H – polled • Characteristics • Hereford, Brahman, Shorthorn
Belted Galloway • Origin – Scotland • Color – Black Grey, white belt • P/H – polled • Characteristics • Similar to the Galloway • Larger • More milk • Grow more rapidly
Blonde D’Aquitaine • Origin – France • Color – blonde, light yellow • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Used as draft • Use for meat and milk
Brahman • Origin – India • Color – variety • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Sacred cattle of India • Large drooping ears • Excess skin
Brahman Crosses • Braford • Brahmousine • Braler • Brangus • Charbray • Simbrah • Gelbray
Brangus • Origin – US • Color – black • P/H – polled • Characteristics • Resistant to pink eye • Good milkers • Good carcass
Brown Swiss • Origin – Switzerland • Color – chocolate • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Dosile • Raised for milk & beef • Crossed with Angus
Charolais • Origin – France • Color – white, cream • P/H – Horned • Characteristics • Long bodied • Good milkers • 3rd most popular • Larger in size • Muscular
Chianina • Origin: Italy • Color: white to steel gray • P/H: horned • Characteristics: • One of the oldest breeds of cattle • Tallest breed of beef cattle • Short hair • Terminal breed • Low milk production
Corriente • Origin – Spain • Color – any except pure white • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Milk, draft, meat • Hardy
Devon • Origin – England • Color – rich red, dark red preferred • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Adequate milk production • Genetic Tool • Fertility • Calving ease • Docility • Hardiness • Adapt to temperature extremes
Galloway • Origin – Scotland • Color – dark • P/H – polled • Characteristics • Wavy hair • Hardy • Easy calvers • Docile • Courageous
Gelbvieh • Origin – Germany • Color – red/red spotted • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Strong skin pigmentation • Superior fertility, calving ease, mothering ability
Hays Converter • Origin – Canada by Senator Hays • Color – Black w/ white face & underline • P/H – Horned • Characteristics • Hardiness –cold winters • Fast fleshing ability • Calving ease • Large milk production • Hardiness – cold climates • Excellent carcass • Sound feet & legs
Hereford • Origin: Hereford, England • Color: Red w/ white head, legs, and underline • P/H: Horned • Characteristics: • Early maturing • “Mothering” breed • Meat: trimmer, less fat, more red meat
Limousin • Origin – France • Color – golden red • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Larger • Rough coat • Hardy
Lincoln Red • Origin – United Kingdom • Color – deep red • P/H – either • Characteristics • Early maturing • Easy calvers • Not prone to eye cancer or sunburn • Large frame or rapid growth
Longhorn (Texas) • Origin – North America – survival of the fittest • Color – • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Developed entirely by nature in North America • High fertility • Hardy, aggressive, adaptable • Easy calving
Maine Anjou • Origin: France • Color: Dark red with white markings or black • P/H: Horned • Characteristics: • Cross: Mancelle & Shorthorn • Well muscled • Easy fattening
Marchigiana • Origin: Italy • Color: white to steel gray • P/H: horned • Characteristics • Large, muscular • Mature early • High feed efficiency
Murray Grey • Origin: Australia • Color: silver – grey, grey • P/H: polled • Characteristics: • Mothering ability • Low birth weight • Efficient growth rate • Meat: high cutability
Normande • Origin – France • Color – mahogany & white or black & white • P/H – ? • Characteristics • Rings around eyes • Dual purpose breeds • Clean fronted, strong topline
Norwegian Red • Origin: Norway • Color: rust red and white • P/H: horned • Characteristics: • Abundant milk production • Excellent feed conversion • Good carcass
Piedmontese • Origin – Italy • Color – white to pale grey • P/H – ? • Characteristics • Most popular breed in Italy • Tender, lean beef • 80% double muscled • Calving ease • Good milk yield • Docile
Pinzgauer • Origin: Austria • Color: chestnut red w/ white markings • P/H: either • Characteristics: • Pigmented skin • Maternal instinct • High fertility
Polled Hereford • Origin: Iowa by Warren Gammon • Color: Red with white face, legs and underline • P/H: polled • Characteristics • Mutation of Hereford • Similar traits to Hereford
Red Angus • Origin – US • Color – Red • P/H – Polled • Characteristics • Similar to Angus • Deep fronted
Red Poll • Origin – England • Color – red • P/H – polled • Characteristics • Dual purposes • Well muscled
Salers • Origin – France • Color – deep cherry, white switch • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Fastest growing breed in the United States • Most genetically pure of European breeds
Santa Gertrudis • Origin – King Ranch - TX • Color – • P/H – • Characteristics • descendants of the bull, Monkey • Cross: 5/8 shorthorn cows and 3/8 Brahman bulls
Shorthorn • Origin: England • Color: Red, white, roan • P/H: Horned • Characteristics: • Originally used as a dual purpose breed for meat and milk (Milking Shorthorn) • Short & refined • Inward curving horns
Simmental • Origin – Switzerland • Color – Orange/Yellow and white to black • P/H – • Characteristics • Oldest breed of cattle in the world • Large, powerful breed
South Devon • Origin – England • Color – light brown to red • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Largest of British breeds • Heavy milkers
Tarentaise • Origin – France • Color – cherry to dark blonde • P/H – horned • Characteristics • Larger breed • Thick neck
White Park • Origin – England • Color – white, black/red pigmentation; black ears, eyes, nose, feet, tail • P/H – horned • Characteristics • excellent milking ability
