> Dear sirs .
> We have imported some Brangus
> lately in our country (Surinam)
> south America where we have a very
> high humidity and hot climate and
> many insects plaques We can see
> that the brangus suffer alot from
> the insects and the heath .
> We've been advised latelely to go
> for Murray Grey or Beefalo .Also
> Senegus was another choice .Which
> one of the aboves you advise .
> Will the Senegus have the same
> effect as the brangus ?
> Regards
> Rick
I don't want to knock the Murray Grey, as I'm sure they are fine animals and they sure have a lot of supporters and proponants on this board. But it is hard for me to imagine that Murrey Grey's will fare even as well as Brangus in your climate and insect situation. Remember that Murray Grey is essentially a 100% "British" animal, resulting from a Black Angus/Shorthorn cross. I believe that a 100% British animal would not normally be expected to handle heat, humidity and insects any better than an animal with substantial Brahman blood. I don't doubt that the "eating qualities" of the Murrey Grey could generally be expected to be somewhat better than Brangus, though there are plenty of Brangus calves that grade Choice.
But you have to raise animals that do best for you under your conditions. I know Brangus can take all the heat and humidity you can throw at them. If insects are the main problem affecting your cattle's performance it may be that you need to move to a higher percentage Brahman animal, say 50/50 or higher. The skin twitching and flexing abilities of the Brahman breed (employed to ward off some insects) may be bred out in an animal that is only 3/8 Brahman (such as Brangus).
You may want to consider looking into a beefier version of American Brahman as offered by the J. D. Hudgins ranch of Hungerford, Texas. That ranch has been exporting an "improved" variety of grey Brahmans to Central and South America for decades, which should tell you something. The cattle they produce are substantially better than the standard Zebu, Gyr, Guzaret and Indo-Brasil animals you may have seen in South America. I believe their web site is: <A HREF="http://www.jdhudgins.com" TARGET="_blank">www.jdhudgins.com</A>
Lastly, your climate and insect situation just may be so overwhelming that any breed of cattle will need help in the form of supplemental feeding, a good mineral program, spraying & dipping for insects, etc. Good luck to you.
