Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?

"simy1" > wrote in news:1157335225.370578.27190@
74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com:

> Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
>
>


In the US, Longhorn and Red Devon.

--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

'Enjoy today, it was paid for by a veteran'

In article >,
PeterL > wrote:

> "simy1" > wrote in news:1157335225.370578.27190@
> 74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com:
>
> > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
> >
> >
>
>
> In the US, Longhorn and Red Devon.

And Brahma or Angus, or a cross between the two.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

Nancy2 wrote:
> simy1 wrote:
>> Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
>
> Black Angus is good.

Here in the Shenandoah Valley, we see Charolais, Hereford,
Angus, Limousin, Simmental, Holstein and Wagyu.

The Wagyu get different treatment so they can be sold as
"American Kobe."

Pastorio

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> In article >,
> PeterL > wrote:
>
> > "simy1" > wrote in news:1157335225.370578.27190@
> > 74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com:
> >
> > > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > In the US, Longhorn and Red Devon.
>
> And Brahma or Angus, or a cross between the two.
> --

such as the Beefmaster breed, developed in Colorado? I know it has
Brahma blood, and it may have Angus.

In article .com>,
"simy1" > wrote:

> OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> > In article >,
> > PeterL > wrote:
> >
> > > "simy1" > wrote in news:1157335225.370578.27190@
> > > 74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com:
> > >
> > > > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > In the US, Longhorn and Red Devon.
> >
> > And Brahma or Angus, or a cross between the two.
> > --
>
> such as the Beefmaster breed, developed in Colorado? I know it has
> Brahma blood, and it may have Angus.

They just call them "Brangus" around here. :-)

http://cattle-today.com/Brangus.htm
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> In article .com>,
> "simy1" > wrote:
>
> > OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> > > In article >,
> > > PeterL > wrote:
> > >
> > > > "simy1" > wrote in news:1157335225.370578.27190@
> > > > 74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com:
> > > >
> > > > > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > In the US, Longhorn and Red Devon.
> > >
> > > And Brahma or Angus, or a cross between the two.
> > > --
> >
> > such as the Beefmaster breed, developed in Colorado? I know it has
> > Brahma blood, and it may have Angus.
>
> They just call them "Brangus" around here. :-)
>
> http://cattle-today.com/Brangus.htm
> --
> Peace!
> Om

thanks to both of you.

>
> "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
> -- Jack Nicholson

simy1 > wrote:

> Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?

Don't know about the "grass-fed business" and will therefore concentrate
on taste.

In Britain, the experts hold that the Angus/Scots blue-grey cross is the
best. Otherwise, Hereford is considered very good. Aberdeen Angus is
also considered good.

In France, Aubrac, as well as the better known but inferiour to it
Charolais or a Charolais cross, and also Limousin breeds are thought of
as very good.

In Italy, Chianina, a relatively rare breed even there, reigns supreme.

In Spain, never particularly known for its beef, there are at least two
superb, but rare breeds, the Cantabrian Tudanca and the Castilian
Avileña negra ibérica.

Victor

"simy1" > wrote in
ps.com:

> Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?

from what standpoint? hardiness? weight gain on forage? ease
of handling? eye appeal? taste?
lee
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

enigma wrote:
> "simy1" > wrote in
> ps.com:
>
> > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
>
> from what standpoint? hardiness? weight gain on forage? ease
> of handling? eye appeal? taste?
> lee

taste. Indeed I should have said "the best for the consumer of grassfed
beef".
and to be specific, the northern consumer (Michigan). I suppose
different breeds will do different at different latitudes.

simy1 wrote:
>
> Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?

Allegedly, the mini-Hereford is more efficient
in converting feed to beef. Being only 2/3 the
size of a regular Hereford, it'll be easier to
handle too.

http://www.bryanhillfarm.com/amh.html

Mark Thorson > wrote:
>simy1 wrote:
>>
>> Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
>
>Allegedly, the mini-Hereford is more efficient
>in converting feed to beef. Being only 2/3 the
>size of a regular Hereford, it'll be easier to
>handle too.

Coming to a Wal-Mart near you:

Cornish Game Cows
Grass-fed, pocket-sized, and injected with a solution
containing 15% potassium suckeride.

--Blair

Blair P. Houghton, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 05
Sep 2006, typed out:

> Cornish Game Cows
> Grass-fed, pocket-sized, and injected with a solution
> containing 15% potassium suckeride.


LOL!

"Bred for Brine"

Andy

Victor Sack wrote:

> In France, Aubrac, as well as the better known but inferiour to it
> Charolais or a Charolais cross, and also Limousin breeds are thought
> of as very good.

Limuosin can be spectacularly tender, wonderful for lightly cooked dishes.

> In Italy, Chianina, a relatively rare breed even there, reigns
> supreme.

It used to, now we have to buy Chianina from Spain, where the majority of
the bulls went for sale in the past decades. The so called "poet of the
steak-a-la-Florence" (fiorentina) Dario Cecchini buys much of his first
choice Chianina from Spain.
Now the two italian breeds who rule the tables are Fassona from Piedmont and
Marchigiana from Marche (the eastern coastal region including Ancona,
Ascoli-Piceno and Pesaro-Urbino).

> In Spain, never particularly known for its beef, there are at least
> two superb, but rare breeds, the Cantabrian Tudanca and the Castilian
> Avileña negra ibérica.

Thanks for the insigth.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'

simy1 wrote:
> Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?

Black Angus is good.

N.

Vilco > wrote:

> Now the two italian breeds who rule the tables are Fassona from Piedmont and
> Marchigiana from Marche (the eastern coastal region including Ancona,
> Ascoli-Piceno and Pesaro-Urbino).

Are they comparable in quality to Chianina? Would one want to use them
for a bistecca alla fiorentina?

Victor

"simy1" > wrote in
oups.com:

>
> enigma wrote:
>> "simy1" > wrote in
>> ps.com:
>>
>> > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed
>> > business?
>>
>> from what standpoint? hardiness? weight gain on forage?
>> ease
>> of handling? eye appeal? taste?
>> lee
>
> taste. Indeed I should have said "the best for the consumer
> of grassfed beef".
> and to be specific, the northern consumer (Michigan). I
> suppose different breeds will do different at different
> latitudes.

yes, there are breeds that do well in heat & humidity
(Brahma) & others that are bred for long cold winters
(Scottish Highlands).
American marketers have done such an excellent consumer
brainwashing job that cattle buyers will pay premium price for
any black steer. i can sell a black Highlander & a dun
Highlander, of the same age & from the same pasture, & i'll
get at *least* 25 cents/pound more for the black one... pretty
stupid, really.
as far as taste, that has some to do with breed, & some to do
with how they're slaughtered. cattle that are herded onto
trucks, pushed around, stuck in little pens at the
slaughterhouse & frightened, tend to be tough. if you treat
them well, you get more tender beef.

lee
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

On Tue, 5 Sep 2006 23:57:40 +0000 (UTC), enigma >
wrote:

>"simy1" > wrote in
roups.com:
>
>>
>> enigma wrote:
>>> "simy1" > wrote in
>>> ps.com:
>>>
>>> > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed
>>> > business?
>>>
>>> from what standpoint? hardiness? weight gain on forage?
>>> ease
>>> of handling? eye appeal? taste?
>>> lee
>>
>> taste. Indeed I should have said "the best for the consumer
>> of grassfed beef".
>> and to be specific, the northern consumer (Michigan). I
>> suppose different breeds will do different at different
>> latitudes.
>
> yes, there are breeds that do well in heat & humidity
>(Brahma) & others that are bred for long cold winters
>(Scottish Highlands).
> American marketers have done such an excellent consumer
>brainwashing job that cattle buyers will pay premium price for
>any black steer. i can sell a black Highlander & a dun
>Highlander, of the same age & from the same pasture, & i'll
>get at *least* 25 cents/pound more for the black one... pretty
>stupid, really.
> as far as taste, that has some to do with breed, & some to do
>with how they're slaughtered. cattle that are herded onto
>trucks, pushed around, stuck in little pens at the
>slaughterhouse & frightened, tend to be tough. if you treat
>them well, you get more tender beef.
>
>lee



As mentioned by others, the breed will dictate the fat distribution
and ratio of meat to bone in the carcass. For example, much of the
Japanese market prefers a meat with a significant amount of
marbling(very thin lines of fat) through the meat. Other markets
prefer other characteristics in the meat. Local demand for particular
styles (or cuts) of meat will influence the choice of preferred breed.
We find the pasture type the animal was grazing on, as well as the
stress it endured prior to slaughter contributes a lot to the flavour
and tenderness of the meat. We slaughtered a young brahman steer in
the paddock end of June, and the meat was so tender and a fabulous
flavour to boot.

Well-being of the beast will dictate how much fat on the carcass,
although breed does contribute to this as well to some degree.
Well-being will be influenced by availability of food & water, stress
levels on the beast, pests, and suitability to local climate (as
mentioned by previous posters).

We have often found that sheep grazing on our local pasture and killed
locally, taste far better than the same sheep that have been trucked
away, fed on different pasture (to what they are used to), and
stressed prior to kill(as a result of the trucking and change of food,
etc).

In our part of the world, we see a large percentage of drought
conditions. Brahman cattle do well in this country (Northern
Australia), as do a number of other drought-tolerant breeds.
Cross-breeding the Brahman with some of the heavier breeds usually
results in animals that are nearly as drought-tolerant as pure
Brahman, but carry heavier carcass weights as well. Charolais x
Brahamn seems to work well in our location, but there are many
variations on the theme.

Have a look at what are popular locally, and try to figure out why
they are popular. I know of breeds here in Australia that are more
popular for their weight gain characterisitcs in feedlots, but dont do
as well in the paddock (unless the conditions are very good). I
wonder if Angus cattle mightnt be one that does well in your part of
the world? I'm not sure how they cope when the weather gets really
cold. They do well in Tasmania, but you might be looking for
something with a bit more hair on it. They (angus) certainly produce
some nice meat in the right conditions

My thoughts and opinions; hope they help.




Cheers,

Rod.....Out Back

enigma wrote:
> "simy1" > wrote in
> oups.com:
> >
> > taste. Indeed I should have said "the best for the consumer
> > of grassfed beef".
> > and to be specific, the northern consumer (Michigan). I
> > suppose different breeds will do different at different
> > latitudes.
>
> yes, there are breeds that do well in heat & humidity
> (Brahma) & others that are bred for long cold winters
> (Scottish Highlands).

what do you think of Beefmasters in Michigan? I would buy it soon. It
is 50% Brahma.

"simy1" > wrote in
oups.com:

> what do you think of Beefmasters in Michigan? I would buy
> it soon. It is 50% Brahma.

i wouldn't. i don't think it would do well in Michigan
winters. i especially wouldn't get one now, going into winter.
brahmas are hot weather cattle. while herefords & shorthorns
would be ok in your climate, that 50% Brahma and the obvious
selection for a breed that does well in the south in the
Beefmaster breeding program leads me to think it would do
poorly in your area.
lee
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

Mark Thorson wrote:
> simy1 wrote:
> >
> > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
>
> Allegedly, the mini-Hereford is more efficient
> in converting feed to beef. Being only 2/3 the
> size of a regular Hereford, it'll be easier to
> handle too.
>
> http://www.bryanhillfarm.com/amh.html

Look at Dexters also. A fully mature bull will only go to about
1000-1100 pounds, 44 inches at the shoulder. It's a deriviative of the
Irish Kerry cattle. They are dual use also - the cows are decent milk
producers.

http://cattle-today.com/Dexter.htm

SD

-SD- wrote:

> Look at Dexters also. A fully mature bull will only go to about
> 1000-1100 pounds, 44 inches at the shoulder. It's a deriviative of the
> Irish Kerry cattle. They are dual use also - the cows are decent milk
> producers.

Yes, but they look silly.

--
Craig

Craig Welch wrote:

> -SD- wrote:
>
> > Look at Dexters also. A fully mature bull will only go to about
> > 1000-1100 pounds, 44 inches at the shoulder. It's a deriviative of the
> > Irish Kerry cattle. They are dual use also - the cows are decent milk
> > producers.
>
> Yes, but they look silly.


"Ministry Of Silly Cows"...???

--
Best
Greg

enigma wrote:
> "simy1" > wrote in
> oups.com:
>
> > what do you think of Beefmasters in Michigan? I would buy
> > it soon. It is 50% Brahma.
>
> i wouldn't. i don't think it would do well in Michigan
> winters. i especially wouldn't get one now, going into winter.
> brahmas are hot weather cattle. while herefords & shorthorns
> would be ok in your climate, that 50% Brahma and the obvious
> selection for a breed that does well in the south in the
> Beefmaster breeding program leads me to think it would do
> poorly in your area.
> lee

Thanks for the info, but I am getting it all cut up and wrapped in wax
paper. It spent
the last six months on a pasture about 100 miles from here.

In article .com>,
"-SD-" > wrote:

> Mark Thorson wrote:
> > simy1 wrote:
> > >
> > > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
> >
> > Allegedly, the mini-Hereford is more efficient
> > in converting feed to beef. Being only 2/3 the
> > size of a regular Hereford, it'll be easier to
> > handle too.
> >
> > http://www.bryanhillfarm.com/amh.html
>
> Look at Dexters also. A fully mature bull will only go to about
> 1000-1100 pounds, 44 inches at the shoulder. It's a deriviative of the
> Irish Kerry cattle. They are dual use also - the cows are decent milk
> producers.
>
> http://cattle-today.com/Dexter.htm

And http://www.dextercattle.org/

They are lovely cows, docile, friendly, easy birthers and good
mothers. We are looking for some, polled, long legged for meat, dairy
and draft. They used to be considered a poor man's cow, smaller, could
live on much less pasture and only enough meat and milk for a family.
We'd like two cows for year round milk, a bull for breeding and we'd eat
most of the offspring, keeping a steer or two for draft. You can keep
three of these cattle in a 12 X 12 horse pen in a barn and they only
need about half an acre of pasture a head.

Regards,
Ranee

Remove do not & spam to e-mail me.

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/
http://talesfromthekitchen.blogspot.com/

Ranee Mueller > wrote in

m:

> They are lovely cows, docile, friendly, easy birthers
> and good
> mothers. We are looking for some, polled, long legged for
> meat, dairy and draft. They used to be considered a poor
> man's cow, smaller, could live on much less pasture and
> only enough meat and milk for a family. We'd like two cows
> for year round milk, a bull for breeding and we'd eat most
> of the offspring, keeping a steer or two for draft. You
> can keep three of these cattle in a 12 X 12 horse pen in a
> barn and they only need about half an acre of pasture a
> head.

i wouldn't keep a bull, especially not with kids around. no
matter how docile the breed, you *cannot* trust a bull. you
can have the cows AI impregnated, which allows you a much
wider range of bloodlines (a good thing if you sell spare
heifers or bull calves).
you may remember my saga of oxen training? my steer calf
turned out not to have been properly neutered, & at 6 months
(& maybe 350 pounds)when the testosterone kicked in he took to
throwing me across the paddock. i'm 5'9" & 140 pounds, but i
fly real well.
i had my vet castrate him, but once he took to flinging
people, he didn't want to stop...
we had part of him in soup last night... he was yummy.

i'm breeding my milking does this fall, but i won't keep a
buck on the place either. makes the milk taste nasty, even if
the buck is kept in a different barn & pasture.
lee <congrats on the new addition, BTW. he's beautiful>
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

Craig Welch wrote:
> -SD- wrote:
>
> > Look at Dexters also. A fully mature bull will only go to about
> > 1000-1100 pounds, 44 inches at the shoulder. It's a deriviative of the
> > Irish Kerry cattle. They are dual use also - the cows are decent milk
> > producers.
>
> Yes, but they look silly.
>
> --
> Craig

So what?

Sd

enigma wrote:
> Ranee Mueller > wrote in
>
> m:
>
> > They are lovely cows, docile, friendly, easy birthers
> > and good
> > mothers. We are looking for some, polled, long legged for
> > meat, dairy and draft. They used to be considered a poor
> > man's cow, smaller, could live on much less pasture and
> > only enough meat and milk for a family. We'd like two cows
> > for year round milk, a bull for breeding and we'd eat most
> > of the offspring, keeping a steer or two for draft. You
> > can keep three of these cattle in a 12 X 12 horse pen in a
> > barn and they only need about half an acre of pasture a
> > head.
>
> i wouldn't keep a bull, especially not with kids around. no
> matter how docile the breed, you *cannot* trust a bull. you
> can have the cows AI impregnated, which allows you a much
> wider range of bloodlines (a good thing if you sell spare
> heifers or bull calves).


Ranch and farm kids must be terribly abused kids then - being placed in
mortal danger on a daily basis because their partents have bulls on the
property. People who know animals, know how to handle animals, and
raise and train their children on how properly behave with animals have
no problem with bulls. The SO, his siblings, and all of their kids have
all grown up around dairy cattle - both cows and bulls - with never a
problem. But then they were educated in how to behave around animals.

SD

SD

Ranee Mueller wrote:
> In article .com>,
> "-SD-" > wrote:
>
> > Mark Thorson wrote:
> > > simy1 wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Which breeds are considered best for the grass fed business?
> > >
> > > Allegedly, the mini-Hereford is more efficient
> > > in converting feed to beef. Being only 2/3 the
> > > size of a regular Hereford, it'll be easier to
> > > handle too.
> > >
> > > http://www.bryanhillfarm.com/amh.html
> >
> > Look at Dexters also. A fully mature bull will only go to about
> > 1000-1100 pounds, 44 inches at the shoulder. It's a deriviative of the
> > Irish Kerry cattle. They are dual use also - the cows are decent milk
> > producers.
> >
> > http://cattle-today.com/Dexter.htm
>
> And http://www.dextercattle.org/
>
> They are lovely cows, docile, friendly, easy birthers and good
> mothers. We are looking for some, polled, long legged for meat, dairy
> and draft. They used to be considered a poor man's cow, smaller, could
> live on much less pasture and only enough meat and milk for a family.
> We'd like two cows for year round milk, a bull for breeding and we'd eat
> most of the offspring, keeping a steer or two for draft. You can keep
> three of these cattle in a 12 X 12 horse pen in a barn and they only
> need about half an acre of pasture a head.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee


I know...had we stayed in WA state over on the peninsula, we were
looking at that breed. The breeder we talked to over on the peninsula
told us thjey liked to browse the blackberries at his place also. We
had an acre of land that was suitable for pasturing them.

SD

"-SD-" > wrote in
ups.com:

>
> enigma wrote:
>> Ranee Mueller > wrote in
>>
>> .co m:
>>
>> > They are lovely cows, docile, friendly, easy birthers
>> > and good
>> > mothers. We are looking for some, polled, long legged
>> > for meat, dairy and draft. They used to be considered a
>> > poor man's cow, smaller, could live on much less pasture
>> > and only enough meat and milk for a family. We'd like
>> > two cows for year round milk, a bull for breeding and
>> > we'd eat most of the offspring, keeping a steer or two
>> > for draft. You can keep three of these cattle in a 12 X
>> > 12 horse pen in a barn and they only need about half an
>> > acre of pasture a head.
>>
>> i wouldn't keep a bull, especially not with kids around.
>> no
>> matter how docile the breed, you *cannot* trust a bull.
>> you can have the cows AI impregnated, which allows you a
>> much wider range of bloodlines (a good thing if you sell
>> spare heifers or bull calves).
>
>
> Ranch and farm kids must be terribly abused kids then -
> being placed in mortal danger on a daily basis because
> their partents have bulls on the property. People who know
> animals, know how to handle animals, and raise and train
> their children on how properly behave with animals have no
> problem with bulls. The SO, his siblings, and all of their
> kids have all grown up around dairy cattle - both cows and
> bulls - with never a problem. But then they were educated
> in how to behave around animals.

yeah, & most people now are NOT brought up around livestock,
and don't know livestock and i'm pointing out that just
because the breeder hype says the cattle are docile, it DOES
NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD EVER TRUST A BULL. ok?
hobby farmers tend to buy young stock, especially males (bred
heifers are likely for the females). a young bull that hasn't
had the testosterone kick in is easy to make a "pet" of... and
then you have a problem animal when it matures.
and lots of new hobby farmers don't know you don't need to
keep a bull. i'm just pointing out that AI is a good
alternative for a small farm. you can choose different
bloodlines for each of your cows. you don't have to sell your
bull every 3-4 years & get a new one to avoid line breeding.
you don't have to feed & clean up after a half ton of
hamburger with a bad attitude
if Ranee is getting 2 cows & a bull to keep on an half acre
pasture, then the bull is running with the cows. in that
scenario, the cattle chores should be off limits to the kids,
at least until they hit double digits in age. if she just has
the cows, & the kids are taught to pay attention to cow moods
(new mommas can be protective), then it's a great thing to
learn feeding, grooming & even showing them.
lee
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson