What Are the Most Popular American Beef Cattle Breeds

xvi Common Cattle Breeds

4/13/2018

250 Recognized Breeds

There are more than 250 recognized breeds of cattle throughout the earth, with more than than lxxx readily available to producers in the United states.
When you lot have crossbred cattle into consideration, the possibilities are endless. Crossbreeding is an efficient fashion to build a herd, but those purebred lines are still important. Quality purebreds make quality crossbreds.
ane. Angus

Black Angus cattle, as well called Aberdeen Angus, are the almost popular breed in the U.S., and cheers to some first-class marketing, their meat is in demand, which means these cattle -- and crossbreds with mostly black markings -- oft bring a premium at the sale barn. This brood comes from northeastern Scotland and was offset brought to the U.S. by a Kansas rancher in 1873. When crossed with Texas longhorn cows, the hornless black calves brought winter hardiness to the mix. Angus are naturally polled (hornless), and have black peel and hair. They are moderately sized, generally good mothers, and are known for early evolution, ease of fleshing, good milk supply, and excellent marbling.
2. Belted Galloway

Commonly called "Oreo cattle" because of their black color (possibly dark-brown or ruby-red) with a white stripe through their middles, this breed started in Scotland as a solid-colour cow, but got their belts through the introduction of Dutch Belted blood. They were first imported to the U.Due south. in 1950. Although Belted Galloways are often purchased for their ornamental qualities, they do produce lean, quality beef. They're a medium-sized breed, simply their carcass dressed weights can exceed 60% of their live weight. Belties have a double coat of hair, which allows them to proceed warm in the winter without developing a layer of backfat like some other breeds.
3. Brahman

Brahman cattle come from India, and are the virtually common cattle breed in the globe. Over the centuries, Brahmans have developed resistance to pests, parasites, and diseases, and the ability to survive inadequate food and harsh conditions. They accept a large hump over their shoulder and neck, upward-curving horns, large ears, and excess pare under their necks and chests, which helps keep them cool. They too are able to sweat ameliorate than most cattle, and secrete an oil which helps repel insects.
4. Charolais

The light-colored Charolais originated in France, where it was used for meat, milk, and drafting. The animals' large size and sturdy frame gave them the power to work in fields and pull wagons. The kickoff Charolais came into the U.Due south. by fashion of Mexico in the 1930s. Because of a disease outbreak in United mexican states, the breed was not allowed to be imported to Due north America until 1965. Therefore, many of today'due south American Charolais accept other breeds in their lineage besides. Charolais do well nether a variety of environmental weather condition. They graze aggressively in warm conditions, withstand the cold, and take heavy calves. For this reason, adding a Charolais bull to a herd can improve the size and ruggedness of calves.
five. Dexter

Dexter cattle originated in southern Ireland, and came to the U.S. in the early 1900s. They are one of the smallest breeds of cattle, with full-grown bulls measuring 38 to 44 inches at the shoulder and weighing less than 1,000 pounds. Some take long legs and some brusque. Because of their size, they require less pasture and feed than larger breeds. They thrive in hot and cold climates, and are known for beingness gentle and easy to handle. Dexters accept a high rate of fertility and are easy calvers. They can exist raised for both milk and meat. They tin produce more milk for their weight than any other breed, and their milk yields upwardly to a quart of cream per gallon. Their beef is slightly darker red than other breeds, and the minor cuts are lean and graded choice.
half-dozen. Gelbvieh

This breed originated in Baravia, in southern Frg, and was originally adult for meat, milk, and piece of work. It was introduced to the U.South. in 1971, through an artificial insemination program. Females are registered as purebred at 7/eight Gelbvieh, and bulls at 15/16. Bulls in Deutschland must undergo extensive tests to go A.I. sires. Gelbviehs are red, with pigmented skin, and were originally horned. Due to convenance with polled foundation females in the U.S., though, many today are naturally polled. They are known for high fertility, ease of calving, being skillful mothers, and having quick-growing calves.
seven. Hereford

The Hereford breed was developed in England in the 1700s to fulfill the expanding nutrient market created by the industrial revolution. The original Herefords were bred for a loftier yield of beef and efficient production, and those characteristics are still important in the brood today. They were brought to the U.Southward. in 1817 and were useful for improving herds in the Southwest. Because of their early maturity and fattening ability, Herefords became very popular in the U.Due south. As tastes changed in the 1950s, Herefords were bred to be leaner, with less fat and more red meat. Both horned and polled Herefords remain common in the U.S. They are known for their longevity, and for being docile, easy calvers, adept milkers, and good mothers.
USDA

eight. Holstein

Holsteins are best known equally dairy cows, but those animals not used for breeding stock or milk product are raised for their value every bit beefiness cattle. Holsteins originated in Holland more than 2,000 years ago, and were brought to America in the 1850s every bit demand for milk grew in this country. The black and white cattle are known for outstanding milk production, simply their normal productive life span is only about six years. Healthy calves weigh 90 pounds or more, and mature cows reach ane,500 pounds.
9. Limousin

Limousin cattle may be as old as Europe itself; cattle in 20,000-year-quondam cave paintings in France are strikingly similar in advent to today's breed. The golden-ruby-red cattle are native to France, and were used as draft animals to help turn rugged, rocky soil into fields for crops. Limousins weren't imported into the U.S. until 1971, by way of Canada. Today, there are more than a 1000000 registered head here. In 2002, Lim-Flex, a pedigreed Limousin-Angus hybrid, was recognized.
10. Piedmontese

This Italian breed is a 25,000-year-old splice of two completely different breeds: the European Auroch and Pakistani Zebu. The breed was brought to Northward America in 1979. Piedmontese are more than muscular, disease resistant, and hardy than most beef cows. Due to a genetic abnormality, they are capable of developing musculus at an unrestricted rate, and with 14% higher muscle mass than most cattle, are considered double muscled. Piedmontese milk is as well a primary ingredient in several Italian cheeses.
xi. Red Angus

This brood was developed in Scotland in the 1700s, when large scarlet English longhorn cattle were bred to native blackness Angus cattle to produce animals heavy plenty to exist used as typhoon animals. One in four resulting calves were reddish. Both blackness and cherry-red offspring were initially considered purebred, but reds were banned from registration in 1917. In the 1940s, American cattle producers started breeding reds cropped from the best Angus herds and formed their own breed, which aside from color, has the same features and benefits as black Angus. Today, ruby-red Angus is the leading U.S. beef brood used in bogus insemination around the world.
12. Scottish Highland

This breed lived for centuries in the harsh, rugged Scottish Highlands, where it developed a resistance to many stress-related and other bovine diseases. Information technology is among the oldest registered breeds. Cold weather and snow accept little event on this brood, which has long hair rather than a layer of fat to keep information technology warm. This also makes for lean beef with piffling outside waste matter fatty. They also exercise well in southern climates, and will consume and thrive on brush and weeds other cattle pass by. Highlands accept long horns, and long eyelashes and forelocks that protect their optics from flying insects. They are considered to be fifty-fifty-tempered and intelligent.
13. Shorthorn

Shorthorns originated on the northeast coast of England and were brought to America in 1783 and called Durham cattle. They were pop with settlers, since they were very adjustable, and could be used for meat and milk, and to power wagons and plows. They can exist either horned or naturally polled. Polled shorthorns were the commencement major beefiness breed to exist developed in the U.South. in the 1880s. Both types of shorthorns are known for adaptability, mothering ability, reproductive performance, good disposition, longevity, and practiced feed conversion.
14. Simmental

This Swiss breed is amongst the oldest and most widely distributed in the world. They have been raised in the U.S. since the tardily 1800s, just their popularity waned until the late 1960s. Most Simmentals are red and white, merely there are no colour restrictions on the breed. They are known for rapid growth development, milk product, and large size. Although primarily used as dairy cattle in Europe, American Simmentals are bred for beef product.
xv. Texas Longhorn

This truly American cattle breed was shaped past a combination of natural pick and adaptation to the environment, stemming from the first cattle brought to Due north America more than 500 years ago. Due to a desire for more quickly maturing cattle, all the same, longhorns were nearly erased by crossbreeding by 1900. The breed was rescued from extinction and has regained popularity. They are difficult and adaptable, and are known for high fertility, like shooting fish in a barrel calving, affliction and parasite resistance, and longevity. Longhorns besides swallow fibroid forage material more efficiently than near other breeds.
16. Watusi

Also known as African Ankole-Watusi, this brood traces its ancestry dorsum more 6,000 years, where long-horned domestic cattle were established in the Nile Valley. They are even pictured in Egyptian pyramid pictographs. Later, this behemothic-horned strain of cattle was owned past Tutsi kings and chiefs. Their horns, which can achieve 12 anxiety in diameter, led them to become popular in European zoos. These medium-sized animals have small calves, which makes Watusi bulls useful for breeding to first-calf heifers or other smaller breeds. They tolerate weather extremes, and practise well in very hot climates. Their big horns actually cool them down by circulating claret, cooling it, and returning it to the body. Watusi cattle also produce depression-fatty, low-cholesterol beef.