Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle). The meat of cattle is known as beef. When raised in a feedlot a [cow, calf, heifer, bull, steer] are known as feeder cattle, and are larger than other cattle. While the principal use of beef cattle is meat production, other uses include leather, and products used in shampoo and cosmetics. The plural beeves, when referring to such meat-animals (of either sex), is well known in the American cattle industry, but is often restricted to steers.
Beef Cattle breeds
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| Breed | Location of Origin | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adaptaur | Australia | A tropically-adapted Bos taurus breed, developed from crosses between Herefords and Shorthorns. |
| Afrikaner cattle | South Africa | |
| Angus | Scotland | Pure black, sometimes with white at udder. Polled. |
| Australian Braford | Australia | Developed for resistance to ticks and for heat tolerance by crossing Brahmans and Herefords. |
| Australian Brangus | Australia | Polled breed developed by crossing Angus and Brahman |
| Australian Charbray | Australia | Developed by crossing Charolais and Brahman and selected for resistance to heat, humidity, parasites and diseases. |
| Beefmaster | Southern Texas | Developed by breeding the Brahman, Shorthorn, and Hereford. |
| Belted Galloway | Scotland | Black with white band around middle, stocky, fairly long hair, polled. Very hardy and thrifty. |
| Beef Shorthorn | Northern England | Red, red with white back and belly, or white. |
| Belgian Blue | Belgium | Grey roan, or white with grey on head. Extremely muscular. Fast-growing if well-fed. |
| Belmont Red | Australia | A composite breed using Africander (African Sanga) and Hereford-Shorthorn |
| Bonsmara | South Africa | Developed from 5/8 Afrikaner, 3/16 Hereford and 3/16 Shorthorn animals. |
| Boran | Eastern Africa | |
| Black Hereford | Great Britain. | Black, white head. A hybrid produced by crossing a Hereford bull with Holstein or Friesian cows; used to obtain beef offspring from dairy cows. Not maintained as a separate breed, although females may be used for further breeding with other beef bulls. |
| Blonde d'Aquitaine | Aquitaine region of south-west France. | Pale brown, paler round eyes and nose. Muscular. Fast-growing if well-fed. |
| Brahman | India | Large, pendulous ears and dewlaps, hump over the shoulders |
| Brangus | United States | Developed by crossing Angus and Brahman |
| British White | Great Britain | White, with black (or sometimes red) ears, nose and feet; polled. Hardy and thrifty. |
| Charolais | Charolais France | Wholly white or cream, lyre-shaped pale horns, or polled. Fast-growing if well-fed. |
| Chianina | Italy | Dual purpose, originally large draft breed, later selected for beef. |
| Dexter | Southern Ireland | Very small, black or dun, dark horns. Hardy and thrifty. |
| Droughtmaster | Australia | Developed by crossing Brahman cattle with taurine breeds, especially Beef Shorthorn. Tolerant of heat and ticks. |
| Galloway | Galloway region of Scotland | Black, stocky, fairly long hair, polled. Very hardy and thrifty. |
| Gascon cattle | French Pyrenees | Grey, hardy, maternal breed. Good growth and conformation of calves. Suitable for all farming systems, bred pure or crossed with a terminal sire |
| Gelbvieh | Germany | Red, strong skin pigmentation, polled. Superior fertility, calving ease, mothering ability, and growth rate of calves.[1] |
| Hereford | Herefordshire, England | Red, white head, white finching on neck and white switch. |
| Highland | Scotland. | Small, stocky, black, red, dun or white. Very long coat and very long upswept pale horns. Very hardy and thrifty. |
| Irish Moiled | Northern Ireland. | Red with white back and belly, or white with red ears, nose and feet. Polled. Hardy and thrifty. |
| Limousin | Limousin and Marche regions of France. | Mid-brown, paler round eyes and nose. Fast-growing if well-fed. |
| Longhorn | Midlands of England. | Red or brindle, with white back and belly. Very long cylindrical horns, often curving and even eventually making a circle. Medium size, hardy. |
| Luing | The isle of Luing (pronounced /liŋ/, "Ling") and surrounding islands in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. | Rough coat, red-brown, polled. Bred by crossing Beef Shorthorn with Highland. Hardy and thrifty. |
| Maine-Anjou | Anjou region in West France. | Red-and-white pied. |
| Murray Grey | South Eastern Australia | Grey or silver polled cattle developed from a roan Shorthorn cow and an Angus bull. Easy-care versatile cattle that have been exported to many countries. |
| Nelore | India | Exported to Brazil, where it has become a dominant breed |
| North Devon | Devon, Cornwall and Somerset: the West Country in the south-west of England. | Ruby-red, white tail switch, white horns. |
| Red Angus | Scotland | Colour variety of Angus: pure red. Polled. |
| Red Poll | East Anglia in England | Red, hornless, dual purpose. |
| Santa Gertrudis | Southern Texas | Developed by crossing red Shorthorn and Brahma |
| Simmental | Western Switzerland | Yellowish-brown, white head. Fast-growing if well-fed. Dual purpose (beef, dairy). |
| Square Meater | New South Wales, Australia | Small, grey or silver, polled; similar to Murray Grey. |
| Sussex | South-east England | Rich chestnut red with white tail switch and white horns. Also used for draught until early 20th century. Hardy and thrifty. |
| Texas Longhorn | Texas | Various colours, with very long, tapering, upswept horns – extending as much as 120 inches (3.0 m) tip to tip. Very hardy in dry climates. Light muscled, so bulls often used for first-calf heifers. |
| Wagyu | Japan | Black, horned, and noted for heavy marbling (intramuscular fat deposition). |
| Welsh Black | Wales | Black, white horns with black tips. Hardy. |
| White Park | Great Britain, Ireland. | White, with black (or sometimes red) ears, nose and feet; white horns with dark tips. Hardy and thrifty. |
Breeds known as dual purpose breeds are also used for beef production. These breeds have been selected for two purposes at once, such as for both beef and dairy production, or both beef and draught. Dual-purpose breeds include the Brown Swiss and many of the Zebu breeds of India such as Tharparkar and Ongole.
A steer that weighs 1,000 lb (450 kg) when alive will make a carcase weighing about 615 lb (280 kg), once the blood, head, feet, skin, offal and guts have been removed. The carcase will then be hung in a cold room for between one and four weeks, during which time it loses some weight as water dries from the meat. When boned and cut by a butcher or packing house this carcase would then make about 430 lb (200 kg) of beef.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Breeds of Livestock". Gelbvieh. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/gelbvieh/. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
See also
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