Livestock farming | Definition, Methods, Breeds, & Facts (2024)

Beef cattle breeds

The British Isles led the world in the development of the principal beef breeds; Herefords, Angus, beef Shorthorns, and Galloways all originated in either England or Scotland. Other breeds of greatest prominence today originated in India (Brahman), France (Charolais; Limousin; Normandy), Switzerland (Simmental), and Africa (Africander). The Hereford breed, considered to be the first to be developed in England, probably descended from white-faced, red-bodied cattle of Holland crossed with the smaller black Celtics that were native to England and especially to Herefordshire. By the middle of the 18th century the slow process of selective breeding that resulted in the smooth, meaty, and prolific Herefords had begun. The United States statesman Henry Clay of Kentucky imported the first purebred Herefords to America in 1817.

The Hereford, which became the most popular beef breed of the United States, is distinguished by its white face, white flanks and underline, white stockings and tail, and white crest on the neck. Its body colour ranges from cherry to mahogany red. It is of medium size, with present-day breeders making successful efforts to increase both its rate of weight gain and mature size, in keeping with the demand for cheaper, leaner beef.

The Polled Hereford is a separate breed of cattle originating from hornless mutations in 1901. It has the same general characteristics as the horned Hereford and has gained substantial favour because of its hornlessness and often faster rate of weight gain.

The Aberdeen Angus breed originated in Scotland from naturally hornless aboriginal cattle native to the counties of Aberdeen and Angus. Solid black, occasionally with a spot of white underneath the rear flanks, the breed is noted for its smoothness, freedom from waste, and high quality of meat.

Although the native home of the Galloway breed is the ancient region of Galloway in southwestern Scotland, it probably had a common origin with the Angus. The Galloway is distinguished by its coat of curly black hair. Though the breed has never attained the prominence of other beef breeds, it has been used extensively in producing blue-gray crossbred cattle, obtained by breeding white Shorthorn bulls to Galloway cows.

The beef, or Scotch, Shorthorn breed developed from early cattle of England and northern Europe, selected for heavy milk production and generally known as Durham cattle. These were later selected for the compact, beefy type by the Scottish breeders. Emphasis on leaner, highquality carcasses in the second half of the 20th century has diminished the popularity of this breed. The Polled Shorthorn originated in 1888 from purebred, hornless mutations of the Shorthorn breed. The milking, or dual-purpose, Shorthorn, representing another segment of the parent Shorthorn breed, also was developed in England to produce an excellent flow of milk as well as an acceptable carcass, therefore resembling the original English type of Shorthorn. Shorthorns range in colour from red through roan, to white- or red-and-white-spotted.

The Brahman breed originated in India, where 30 or more separate varieties exist. Preference is given to the Guzerat, Nellore, Gir, and Krishna Valley strains, which are characterized by a pronounced hump over the shoulders and neck; excessive skin on the dewlap and underline; large, droopy ears; and horns that tend to curve upward and rearward. Their colour ranges from near white through brown and brownish red to near black. Their popularity in other areas such as South America and Europe, into which they have been imported, is attributable mainly to their heat tolerance, drought resistance, and resistance to fever ticks and other insects. The Santa Gertrudis was developed by the King Ranch of Texas by crossing Brahman and Shorthorn cattle to obtain large, hearty, tick-resistant, red cattle that have proved to be popular not only in Texas but in many regions along the semitropical Gulf Coast. Until the tick was eradicated in the southern and southwestern United States, Brahman crosses were raised almost exclusively there.

Several lesser breeds have been developed from crosses of the Brahman on other beef breeds such as: the Charbray (Charolais), Braford (Hereford), Brangus (Angus), Brahorn (Shorthorn), and Beefmaster (Brahman-Shorthorn-Hereford).

The Charolais breed, which originated in the Charolais region of France, has become quite popular in the United States for crossing on the British breeds for production of market cattle. The superior size, rate of gain, and heavy muscling of the pure French Charolais and the hybrid vigour accruing from the crossing of nonrelated breeds promise an increased popularity of this breed. Many American Charolais, however, carry significant amounts of Brahman blood, with a corresponding reduction in size, rate of gain, and muscling. Important in France, the Charolais is the foremost meat-cattle breed in Europe.

The Limousin breed, which originated in west central France, is second in importance to the Charolais as a European meat breed. Limousin cattle, often longer, finer boned, and slightly smaller than the Charolais, are also heavily muscled and relatively free from excessive deposits of fat.

The most prevalent breed of France, the Normandy, is smaller than the Charolais or Limousin and has been developed as a dual-purpose breed useful for both milk and meat production. A fourth important breed is the Maine–Anjou, which is the largest of the French breeds.

The Simmental accounts for nearly half of the cattle of Switzerland, Austria, and the western areas of Germany. Smaller than the Charolais and Limousin, the Simmental was developed for milk, meat, and draft. It is yellowish brown or red with characteristic white markings.