Grass Finished Bull Breed

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ALACOWMAN":2n4ez4hy said:
I was wondering that myself.
Click to expand...
a tell tell sign... http://dwave.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/inbred.png[/quote]
It ain't nice to put up real pics of CT members. I'm sure CB willnot be happy with you posting his pic for all to see.[/quote]
no wonder he's partial to eared cattle.... :lol2:[/quote]
Thanks guys - had a great bellie laugh!!!! you crack me up!
 
Some breeds marble sufficiently on grass and most don't.
Availability of a breeding stock is important. Color is not.

I would suggest three breeds: Belted Galloway, Murray Gray and SM.
All may be a bit hard to find in your area, although the BG are probably the most popular of the three.
MG and SM cattle are rarely found. Have seen a few MG and never a SM.
All will help with marbling on grass.
I have no background with the regular Galloway cattle so can't make any advice there. I do know they are pretty rare in most of the country.

Angus and RA cattle excell in the feedlot, but may not produce a choice carcass on a grass-only diet.

Dairy and other Britsih and Continental breeds will allow for good growth, but won't often let you get into the choice grade.

Do a Google search on grass feeding and you'll find out more than you want to know about it.

Good luck to you!
 
You need to visit Australia. A vast majority of our cattle are finished prime on grass. We along with New Zealand are experts at grazing management and intensive paddock raring.
 
Rahe Family Belties":1oxzvf2y said:
Some breeds marble sufficiently on grass and most don't.
Availability of a breeding stock is important. Color is not.

I would suggest three breeds: Belted Galloway, Murray Gray and SM.
All may be a bit hard to find in your area, although the BG are probably the most popular of the three.
MG and SM cattle are rarely found. Have seen a few MG and never a SM.
All will help with marbling on grass.
I have no background with the regular Galloway cattle so can't make any advice there. I do know they are pretty rare in most of the country.

Angus and RA cattle excell in the feedlot, but may not produce a choice carcass on a grass-only diet.

Dairy and other Britsih and Continental breeds will allow for good growth, but won't often let you get into the choice grade.

Do a Google search on grass feeding and you'll find out more than you want to know about it.

Good luck to you!
Click to expand...

The thing not being mentioned is that, just like cattle breeds, all grass is not equal.
We get a good amount of marbeling with our predominantly Red Angus cattle on the grass we provide which is a mixed grass pasture with a high % of clover , rotationally grazed and carefully managed.
 
goddy":25frnyyl said:
Rahe Family Belties":25frnyyl said:
Some breeds marble sufficiently on grass and most don't.
Availability of a breeding stock is important. Color is not.

I would suggest three breeds: Belted Galloway, Murray Gray and SM.
All may be a bit hard to find in your area, although the BG are probably the most popular of the three.
MG and SM cattle are rarely found. Have seen a few MG and never a SM.
All will help with marbling on grass.
I have no background with the regular Galloway cattle so can't make any advice there. I do know they are pretty rare in most of the country.

Angus and RA cattle excell in the feedlot, but may not produce a choice carcass on a grass-only diet.

Dairy and other Britsih and Continental breeds will allow for good growth, but won't often let you get into the choice grade.

Do a Google search on grass feeding and you'll find out more than you want to know about it.

Good luck to you!
Click to expand...

The thing not being mentioned is that, just like cattle breeds, all grass is not equal.
We get a good amount of marbeling with our predominantly Red Angus cattle on the grass we provide which is a mixed grass pasture with a high % of clover , rotationally grazed and carefully managed.
Click to expand...


That would make you one of those "Grazing Management Experts"
 
Nothing wrong with sticking to angus with moderate frame for an early maturing & well marbled product. If you were thinking of a using a different breed then check out Devon. I think the breed association website has a producer listing. If I were breeding for grassfed beef I would go with a blend of Red Angus, Devon and Senepol. However, I agree that type matters more than breed or color. (BTW, I buy GF Angus beef and its great, much more tender & marbled than the continental/terminal sired GFB I've bought elsewhere).
 
That would make you one of those "Grazing Management Experts"[/quote]

If by "expert" you mean I manage to get cattle finished on grass by 18 months of age and, most importantly, have very happy repeat customers enjoying our beef then sure I'll take the title - why not ? :D

But seriously, I'm no expert. Just threw in my 2 cents worth as it just seems some folk think a breed change or a particular breed will make it all come together when there are a myriad of variables on top of that.
 
Red Bull Breeder":3c5gvl43 said:
Don't think 3way was aiming at you Goddy. But if you want to jump in go ahead.
Click to expand...

yep you got that right...i was lookin a little farther south
 
razephroot":16op9l3t said:
Looking for some advice. We have 50 black cows that have some Angus and some Brahma influence. We just bought these and new bulls are clearly needed as a few show some signs of inbreeding. I am leaning towards looking for a medium frame Black Angus bull, but would like to hear other's opinions. Other ideas we have are Brangus, Red Angus, South Poll, and Limousin. Our goals are to save heifers for breeding and market the steers right off the grass as finished animals. Thanks for the thoughts. We're in Middle Georgia...Twiggs County. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Go buy a decent Horned Hereford bull and put him out there - you will not be sorry.

Merry Christmas

Bez
 
Grass Fed opinions:

1. Ya gotta get rid of the Brahman influenced cows for this project -- they are a carcass merit killers.
2. Early maturing breeds only / moderate to small frames / excellent Carcass merits (*IMF, *BF, REA *SHr) - this excludes all Limmis and most Simmis esp Flecks
3. You gotta learn to be a better forage manager (e.g. have a positive increase of nutrition over time with *No Gaps*)
4. Genetics : 1/4 SM 1/2 AN 1/4 Mystery breed --good luck

JS
 
Thanks for all the replies folks. The retired vet that I bought the cows from recommends finding a couple of Limousin bulls. Most of the cows have calves by their side, and are likely rebred. Therefore the bull choice will be mostly to sire for terminal calves. In our area, we have BA, Limi, Char, Here, etc., but don't see any square meters, Devon, galloway, or murray greys. These cows are on Bahai from Mar - Nov, and Rye/Clover from Dec - Feb. The finishers, I'll put on ryegrass/clover in the winter/spring, and Millet/grazing corn in the summer/fall. I have a slow rotation setup with 17 paddocks, and have been grass finishing for a few years. Again, appreciate all the advice!
 
I would recommend using a murray grey bull. We have three murray grey/ angus cross cows and they look pretty and their calves look even better. They all had bull calves last year and they were weaned at 604, 616, and 620 pounds. Here is a photo of one of the 5 month old bull calves.
3a0b3e7e.jpg

Below is a photo of a grass-finished murray grey ribeye steak. It was 9.5 inches in length.
IMG_2065_zpsb192df74.jpg
 

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