beef cattle breeds

[steer new]

Hello! I have a friend who is looking to start a herd of about 20 cattle for meat purposes. :cboy: We were looking at angus, brangus, limousin, brahman and gelbvieh. Do any of y'all have any input on which breed would have the best yield or which breed could potentially be the best for meat production in general? (any other breed suggestions or insights appreciated :heart: )
Thank you!

 

[dun]

The breeds you mentioned are like comparing apples, oranges, and carrots.

 

[City Guy]

Work backward; answer these questions

1. Where are you located? what type of cattle are others raising? They are there for a good reason-ask around.
2. What is your end goal? Will you be selling this meat directly to the final consumer? If so, what do they want?
3. Will this be a hobby or a business? If it's a hobby spend some time around each breed (state fair e.g..) and see what one "clicks" then learn as much as you can about it
4. What kind of facilities do you have. Larger breeds can be ill suited to smaller or older equipment and fences and some breeds like longhorns actually need special equipment.
5. What type of cattle do you have experience with? How old are you? How strong (healthy) are you? Do you have physical limitations?
6. The best breed is the breed you like best!!

Then IN THIS ORDER:
1. Decide on YOUR PROGRAM. How will you be raising these animals? Grain fed? Pasture only? Combination? Low input or pampered? Will you be showing them? Write it down, step by step, conception to dinner plate.
2. Pick your class: British, Continental, Zebu, Sanga, etc. that, on paper at least, fits with you program AND DON'T LOOK BACK.
3. Pick your breed (or a 2-3 breed crossing program) AND DON"T LOOK BACK
4. Within your breed(s) select a "type" (this is the difficult part) AND STICK WITH IT. Have the image of the perfect cow in your head at all times and always select towards that ideal.
5. Select a breeder(s) who knows what he is talking about (too many don't). What is his philosophy about cattle? what is his Program? What is his reputation? These breeders should be located as close to you as possible
6. Spend some time learning about correct conformation. Learn what good feet and legs actually look like. What makes a good udder? A correct bone structure. Good hide and hair? Etc.
7. Then and only then: Select your animals.
8. Continue to learn, be ready to alter your program if necessary.

IN GENERAL:
British breeds will provide best overall performance in USA-calving ease, fertility, high quality meat and adaptability.
Continental Breeds will provide growth, heavier muscle, less fat and better carcass yield.
Zebu and Sanga will provide heat tolerance, parasite resistance and adaptability

PS Before you take any of my suggestions look me up in the "Hi, I'm new here" forum.

 

[Anonymous]

look around your area talk to people in cattle biz. see what your neighbors have. just take a good look around your area .get to know your community.you mainly will want to be able to sell what you get ,and you dont need a train wreck to begin with nothing like have a product no one wants.

 

[Son of Butch]

IF you like that shoe leather Texans call beef - Brahman
IF you want the quality that made Kansas City famous for beef - Angus
IF you want to be innovative and attempt to produce the world's best beef - Wagyu

 

[City Guy]

Just my opinion but Wagyu (including Akashi) is not beef- it is beef flavored fat. Over rated and certainly over priced. Just my opinion

 

[Son of Butch]

Even City Guy agrees..... Wagyu is in a class by itself.

 

[UG]

Steer new,

If your friend is not planning on being in the registered business and selling breeding stock, he/she would benefit from a good crossbred program rather than purebred/fullblood cattle. Research has shown the good crossbred cattle excel in calf survivability, growth, fertility, cow longevity, and several other traits. Various research studies have calculated that a crossbred cow on average will return $100/year more than a straight bred cow.

Now, that doesn't mean that any crossbred cow will be better than any straight bred; many crossbreds are just mutts. So, pick breeds of cattle that compliment each other.

Best of luck to your friend!

 

[Jdwest]

It depends where you are and how you'll be raising them. Grass fed and finished or grain fed. If you are in the south a little ear won't hurt. If grass fed the most popular breed around here is the belted galloway. If you are grain finishing i would go char x angus and get the smokey.