Angus cattle

Mixed herd of Black and Red Angus

Angus cattle is a term that refers to two Scottish breeds of cattle, which are naturally polled; that is, they don't have horns. Angus is one of the preferred breeds for beef, especially in the United States. The two breeds of Angus cattle are:

• Black Angus, which refers to the predominant colouring amongst the original Scottish Aberdeen Angus population. If a colour is not specified when referring to Angus cattle, it's presumed to be black.
• Red Angus, a breed resulting from the selection of red individuals from the Angus population, which has always had both red and black individuals.^[1]

Aberdeen Angus is the original name of the breed, which was developed in Scotland from cattle native to the counties Aberdeenshire and Angus ^[2]. The original name is still in use in the United Kingdom, Europe and South America.

Angus cattle are naturally polled and solid black or red, although the udder may be white. Black Angus is the most popular beef breed of cattle in the United States, with 324,266 animals registered in 2005.^[3][4]

History

Angus calf with its mother

Scotland

For some time before the 1800's, the hornless cattle in Aberdeenshire and Angus were called Angus doddies. Hugh Watson can be considered the founder of the breed; he was instrumental in selecting the best black, polled animals for his herd. His favorite bull was Old Jock [126], who was born 1842 and sired by Grey-Breasted Jock. Old Jock was given the number "1" in the Scottish Herd Book when it was founded. Another of Watson's notable animals was a cow, Old Granny [125], which was born in 1824 and said to have lived to 35 years of age and to have produced 29 calves. The pedigrees of the vast majority of Angus cattle alive today can be traced back to these two animals.^[5]

United States

A black Angus cow bellowing on a farm in central Florida

On May 17, 1873, George Grant brought four Angus bulls to Victoria, Kansas. He took the bulls to the fair in Kansas City where they were the topic of much conversation at a time when Shorthorns and Longhorns were the norm. The black hornless animals were often called "freaks" by those who saw them. The bulls were used only in crossbreeding and have no registered progeny today. However, their offspring left a favorable impression on the cattlemen of the time and soon more Angus cattle were imported from Scotland to form purebred herds.^[6]

On November 21, 1883, the American Aberdeen Angus Association was founded in Chicago, Illinois ^[7], but the organization's name was shortened in the 1950s to the American Angus Association. The Association's first herd book was published on March 1, 1885.^[6] At this time both red and black animals were registered without distinction. However, in 1917 the Association barred the registering of red and other colored animals in an effort to promote a solid black breed.^[8] Red Angus cattle occur as the result of a recessive gene. Breeders collecting red cattle from black herds began the Red Angus Association of America in 1954. Other countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada still register both colors in the same herd book.

Genetic disorders

The Angus breed is known to be prone to several possible genetic disorders.

Arthrogry-posis Multiplex (AM) (curly calf), which has been identified in certain Angus cattle genetics, is a recessive lethal disorder, meaning that a calf has to inherit the genetic defect from both of its parents to be affected. Another Angus genetic disorder that may be encountered is Neuropathic Hydrocephalus (NH), sometimes known as water head. DNA testing is now being developed for both AM and NH.^[9][10]

Uses

Angus cattle grazing.

Angus cattle are widely used in crossbreeding to reduce the likelihood of dystocia (difficult calving). They are also used as a genetic dehorner as the polled gene is passed on as a dominant trait.^[11]

During the latter part of 2003 and the early part of 2004, the American fast food industry assisted in a public relations campaign to promote the supposedly superior quality of beef produced from Angus cattle (“Angus beef”). Back Yard Burger was the first such large scale product sold in the US, dating back to 2002.^[12]Angus burgers are also menu items for chains such as Hardee's and Canadian-based Harvey's. Beginning in 2006, McDonalds began testing hamburgers made with Angus beef at a number of its restaurants in several regions in the US; the company said that customer response to the burgers was positive^[13] and began selling the burger at all US locations in July 2009.^[14]. At the same time, McDonald's Australia also began selling two variants of the burger, the Grand Angus and the Mighty Angus, using Australian-bred Angus, in their outlets.^[15].

The American Angus Association set up the "Certified Angus Beef" brand in 1978. The goal of this brand was to promote the idea that Angus beef was of higher quality than beef from other breeds of cattle. Cattle are eligible for "Certified Angus Beef" evaluation if they are at least 51% black and exhibit Angus influence, which include Black Simmental beef and crossbreds. However, they must meet all 10 of the following criteria, which were refined in January 2007 to further enhance product consistency, to be labeled "Certified Angus Beef" by USDA Graders:^[16]

• Modest or higher degree of marbling
• Medium or fine marbling texture
• "A" maturity
• 10 to 16-square-inch ribeye area
• Less than 1,000-pound hot carcase weight
• Less than 1-inch fat thickness
• Moderately thick or thicker muscling
• No hump on the neck exceeding 5 cm (2 inches)
• Practically free of capillary rupture
• No dark cutting characteristics

See also

• List of cattle breeds
• Red Angus Association of America
• American Angus Association
• Kobe beef

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Angus (cattle)

• History of the Angus cattle - Oklahoma State University
• Angus Breed Information - Cattle.com
• Factors Affecting the Selling Price of Purebred Angus Bulls

Breed associations

Unless otherwise stated, the associations below register both red and black animals.

USA:

• American Angus Association - responsible for black Angus registrations, but does not register red Angus cattle.
• Red Angus Association - responsible for red Angus registrations, and will also register black Angus cattle.
• A*L*O*T Angus Association (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas) -- represents the owners of black Angus cattle in four states.
• Iowa Angus Association -- represents the owners of black Angus cattle.
• Miami Valley Angus Association -- represents the owners of black Angus cattle.
• Texas Angus Association -- represents the owners of black Angus cattle in the State of Texas.

Rest of the world:

• Official website of the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society
• The Angus Society of Australia
• Canadian Aberdeen Angus Association
• Ontario Angus Association (Canada)
• Danish Aberdeen Angus Association
• New Zealand Angus Association
• Angus Portugal