I own registered Brangus and most of my commercial herd is Brangus influenced. I am therefore not against the breed as you might expect, but I do have an open mind about some of the down side of the breed and the association that supports it.
I consider myself actually an Angus breeder.
Brangus breeders are trying to breed out the sheath and the ear, so the cattle look more like the 5/8ths Angus that contributes to their genetics. There is a reason for this, when we sell our commercials at video sales, the local rep really looks at the amount of ear and the coat, and this is part of the write up about the calves. Why? Because some of the feedlots in the midwest where it gets quite cold in the winter, prefer less Brahman influence which they equate with the slick coat, ear and sheath.
Now for folks in Florida, and I guess Louisiana, they need the Brahman influence because of the intense heat and humidity that I guess is much greater than we have here in Georgia - it really does work for them and I am glad it does. If they can breed out the ear and the sheath and keep the other positive attributes then there will be less discrimination against the breed by some feedlots.
The International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) needs to get their act together and do something to promote their product like the Angus Association has for theirs. The magazine they produce is not very good, and I find very little attention being paid to carcass traits of the breed, such as marbling, ribeye area, etc. Just look at the sale catalogues - some are moving in this direction which is very good for the breed.
The IBBA is finally getting their database spiffed up, so there may be hope for the future? I wished they would quit talking about the tender breed. Here is a quote from their website, "Because only this breed combines all the traits that make for efficient production of the kind of juicy, tender beef for which the United States is noted. " OK prove it, I find data that substantiates this statement lacking, maybe someone else can point me in the right direction? I personally like to eat and sell a product that has nice marbling and great taste, Bragus seems to me to be a bit on the select side of the grading scale, no?
So, there is a downside to every aspect of every breed, even Angus.
