I did not want to interfere on the previous post regarding grass fed so I figured I would start a new one. With all the talk of the potential of the industry moving towards animals that are more efficient at finishing out on grass what 3 or 4 breeds would you folks recommend?
GrassFed
- Thread starter KANSAS
- Start date
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I hate to brag, but if you are looking for the best cattle for your grass-fed program, you need to check into British Whites. They are rare, but check out our association web page and learn why these are the total package. They are docile, easy calving, superb marbling (Choice to Prime meat!) and more. Besides everything else, they are beautiful!
OK then . . . here is good info for ya about British White Cattle . . .
Fertility & Ease in Calving.
The single most important economic trait in the cattle industry is that of fertility. That ability of a cow to give birth to a live calf each year of her productive life. The first calf should arrive at the cow’s second birthday and a subsequent calf every 12 months.
An infertile cow is like a piece of machinery that produces nothing, yet requires space, maintenance and labor â€" and costs money. Fertility is a genetic fact that can be transmitted. The BRITISH WHITE may be the most fertile of all beef breeds. Those that own them swear by them.
BRITISH WHITES are noted for their calving ease! A small polled head and average birth weight between 70-75 lbs. is normal. Calving difficulties with heifers are rare and unheard of with mature cows! BRITISH WHITE bulls provide that rare quality of throwing a medium to small calf that grows well.
Efficient & Trouble Free.
Sometimes known as "easy keeper", meaning that an animal efficiently converts feed into pounds of gain or maintenance. Most people can easily understand the importance of this trait but the economic implications sometimes escape them. A BRITISH WHITE bull that was placed on a 140 day test at the University of Missouri gained at the rate of 4.04 pounds per day with a feed efficiency ratio of 5.5 pounds of feed consumed per one pound of gain.
Excellent Milking Ability.
If it’s a beef cow, why worry about milking ability? Good question, and there is a logical answer. The baby calf will grow and add weight based upon its mama’s ability to produce ample quantities of rich milk. Anyone who has ever seen a herd of BRITISH WHITES knows that an abundance of rich milk is available for the baby calves. She is an excellent mother and even a heifer with her first calf produces much rich milk.
The cows have well set udders with a minimum of fatty tissue and teats that hold their shape. It is not uncommon to see 14 and 15 year old BRITISH WHITE cows with udders tightly set and well shaped teats.
Lean & Tender.
Today’s consumer does not want fat or tough meat for a variety of reasons. One of these being weight consciousness and the movement toward low cholesterol content. At the same time they do not want to sacrifice taste and tenderness. The BRITISH WHITE meets all of these requirements.
Purebred or crossbred steers will finish out at 1100 to 1200 pounds and grade choice. A 63%-66% carcass to live weight is not uncommon.
Superior Maternal Instinct.
BRITISH WHITE cows have maternal instincts superior to the average cow. First calf heifers claim their calves, get them up and started faster than any other breed. Cows that do not claim their calves are unheard of in this breed. BRITISH WHITE cattle are easy calving and very rarely need assistance and have an enormously high percentage of live calf drops.
BRITISH WHITES also incorporate the nursery system of protecting groups of calves by a guard cow while the remainder of the herd grazes.
Growth & Hardiness.
BRITISH WHITE cattle have a hardiness that enables them to forage, graze, survive and do well on very poor pasture. They have the ability to stay in good condition and breed back regularly where some breeds would have a tough time surviving.
They thrive in either extreme heat or cold. BRITISH WHITES have proved themselves in all kinds of weather extremes, see our membership list to get an idea of the geography covered.
BRITISH WHITE bulls are perfect for cross breeding.
They transmit the superior qualities of the breed to their offspring. Breeders have discovered that they have less calving problems with cows and heifers of all breeds when crossed with a BRITISH WHITE BULL. Yet the good growth is still there. It is very common for a 1,000 LB cow to wean a BRITISH WHITE calf at well above 500 lbs. strictly on grass.
Fertility & Ease in Calving.
The single most important economic trait in the cattle industry is that of fertility. That ability of a cow to give birth to a live calf each year of her productive life. The first calf should arrive at the cow’s second birthday and a subsequent calf every 12 months.
An infertile cow is like a piece of machinery that produces nothing, yet requires space, maintenance and labor â€" and costs money. Fertility is a genetic fact that can be transmitted. The BRITISH WHITE may be the most fertile of all beef breeds. Those that own them swear by them.
BRITISH WHITES are noted for their calving ease! A small polled head and average birth weight between 70-75 lbs. is normal. Calving difficulties with heifers are rare and unheard of with mature cows! BRITISH WHITE bulls provide that rare quality of throwing a medium to small calf that grows well.
Efficient & Trouble Free.
Sometimes known as "easy keeper", meaning that an animal efficiently converts feed into pounds of gain or maintenance. Most people can easily understand the importance of this trait but the economic implications sometimes escape them. A BRITISH WHITE bull that was placed on a 140 day test at the University of Missouri gained at the rate of 4.04 pounds per day with a feed efficiency ratio of 5.5 pounds of feed consumed per one pound of gain.
Excellent Milking Ability.
If it’s a beef cow, why worry about milking ability? Good question, and there is a logical answer. The baby calf will grow and add weight based upon its mama’s ability to produce ample quantities of rich milk. Anyone who has ever seen a herd of BRITISH WHITES knows that an abundance of rich milk is available for the baby calves. She is an excellent mother and even a heifer with her first calf produces much rich milk.
The cows have well set udders with a minimum of fatty tissue and teats that hold their shape. It is not uncommon to see 14 and 15 year old BRITISH WHITE cows with udders tightly set and well shaped teats.
Lean & Tender.
Today’s consumer does not want fat or tough meat for a variety of reasons. One of these being weight consciousness and the movement toward low cholesterol content. At the same time they do not want to sacrifice taste and tenderness. The BRITISH WHITE meets all of these requirements.
Purebred or crossbred steers will finish out at 1100 to 1200 pounds and grade choice. A 63%-66% carcass to live weight is not uncommon.
Superior Maternal Instinct.
BRITISH WHITE cows have maternal instincts superior to the average cow. First calf heifers claim their calves, get them up and started faster than any other breed. Cows that do not claim their calves are unheard of in this breed. BRITISH WHITE cattle are easy calving and very rarely need assistance and have an enormously high percentage of live calf drops.
BRITISH WHITES also incorporate the nursery system of protecting groups of calves by a guard cow while the remainder of the herd grazes.
Growth & Hardiness.
BRITISH WHITE cattle have a hardiness that enables them to forage, graze, survive and do well on very poor pasture. They have the ability to stay in good condition and breed back regularly where some breeds would have a tough time surviving.
They thrive in either extreme heat or cold. BRITISH WHITES have proved themselves in all kinds of weather extremes, see our membership list to get an idea of the geography covered.
BRITISH WHITE bulls are perfect for cross breeding.
They transmit the superior qualities of the breed to their offspring. Breeders have discovered that they have less calving problems with cows and heifers of all breeds when crossed with a BRITISH WHITE BULL. Yet the good growth is still there. It is very common for a 1,000 LB cow to wean a BRITISH WHITE calf at well above 500 lbs. strictly on grass.
novatech
Well-known member
KANSAS":2magk3v7 said:
So far all the reports I have read state that if an animal is efficient on one type of feed it will be efficient on the other type of feed. Grass Vs. Grain
You could not go wrong with Murray Greys. Most bloodlines
in this breed have a genetic predisposition for tenderness
according to the GeneStar DNA tenderness tests; so you
are more likely to have terrific beef even finished out on
forage instead of grain.
Take a look at the assoc website for full info:
http://www.murraygrey.org
There are breeders in Kansas---give them a call or better
yet, arrange a visit. We got our first Murray Grey heifers
in the fall of 1995 from a Kansas farm and it was the best decision we've made in our cattle-beef sales program.
(and the silver ones shine in the moonlight if you are
inclined to take a summer pasture walk when the
moon is full!!)
in this breed have a genetic predisposition for tenderness
according to the GeneStar DNA tenderness tests; so you
are more likely to have terrific beef even finished out on
forage instead of grain.
Take a look at the assoc website for full info:
http://www.murraygrey.org
There are breeders in Kansas---give them a call or better
yet, arrange a visit. We got our first Murray Grey heifers
in the fall of 1995 from a Kansas farm and it was the best decision we've made in our cattle-beef sales program.
(and the silver ones shine in the moonlight if you are
inclined to take a summer pasture walk when the
moon is full!!)
skidboots
Active member
I was interested in these British Whites, so I went to the website for their Assoc. to get a look at one. My concern was that here in south Texas, the sun is so strong that eye cancer developes in horses and cattle with pink skin. I couldn't see a photo on their site, there logo pictures a white cow with black eyes,nose,and ear. That would explain why they work well in strong sunlight. Good choice. (oops, after writing this, I now see your Avatar !! Well Duh.)
KANSAS":1up6en0s said:
If there is a need for changing from grain fattening too grass fattening, the large breeds with a lot of genetic diversity are the breeds with the biggest advantage. Hereford, Angus, and Red Angus would be the breeds who could do it the easiest; though MOST of the top cow families in those breeds today would have to be left in the dust or substantially changed typewise. I would not be shocked too see Limousin or Char survive the transition. For all the hand wringing about excessive cow size and frame scores, it would not be hard at all for an established breed too sort out some frame score 4 heifers (that might be CULLS in some operations today) and turn them into donors. Those big 1600 +++lbs momas many breeders have will make good recips. Obviously large breeders with the numbers too produce (or $$$ too buy) calves with 2 or 3 standard deviations from today's norm will have the early advantage.
houstoncutter
Well-known member
For the folks that think that grassfed is were we are headed in the cattle industry, I have a few questions..... The one thing that you need for grass feeding is a lot of quality grass. Something that most of us, no matter where we are located, have for only about 3 to 4 months a year... Hard to finnish a animal on grass in that short of a time. Also, you need land, something that is disappearing from the market at an alarming rate. There are more questions, but I am curious to your answers on those two.
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
houstoncutter":14f7j58w said:
You are in a milder Texas climate than I am if you are in South East Texas. I don't have forage "3 or 4 months a year". 8 to 9 months there is something green (when it rains). Right now they are on rye and wheat with some clover in there too. Heifers at the house are on hay but the rest are on green forage. The coastal will start greening up here in about a month. If it rains this year, they have forage through September. If not, I will irrigate. How can you only have grass for that short of a time frame?
I think the key is "quality" forage. In good years, we have standing grass for 8-9 months a year, but it's not high quality. By August much of it is starting to loose nutrients. Bermuda grass loses it's nutritional value in the fall quickly, especially if it rains.
purecountry
Well-known member
I believe the key factor to finishing on grass is time 1st, grass 2nd. Of course you need the grass, but you make it sound like it's a system of having them fattened on summer pasture at 13-14 months of age. That is not the case at all. To grass finish in an economically viable manner, it needs to be done over a longer period. In short, you need to look at finishing them at 22-30 months of age. If you calve in April, May or June, that means you'll finish anywhere from March-October, depending on conditions, forage and the animals themselves. There are alot of factors that go into the desired result of this system, and I don't think it hinges on being in a black-soil zone full of lush alfalfa pastures. Just the same as being a grain farmer, you can have all the fertile land you want, and management will be what separates the men from the boys.(Or girls)
I think we are going too have REAL problems if we have too find fields for last year's calf crop, this year's calf crop (nursing on the cow), and the year before last's calf crop which is still NOT finished. At 28 months the weight per day of age of a 1200 steer would be a ridiculously low 1.34 lbs a day. A simple 100 cow farm would be tending ~370 head of animals. That is simply not going too work on an industry wide basis.
I think many of you are getting the wider picture of the
future: people are going to be eating less protein, and
a lot more "local" than at present. Now the entire
food industry is propped up by fossil fuels, i.e. "from oil
to fork" and that's not the way it will be in the future....
JMO
future: people are going to be eating less protein, and
a lot more "local" than at present. Now the entire
food industry is propped up by fossil fuels, i.e. "from oil
to fork" and that's not the way it will be in the future....
JMO
IL Rancher
Well-known member
British Whites are White colored but I think their hide tends to be black.. Look at the inside of their ears and their nose.. BLACK..... I don't think you would have to worry about the eye problems associated with pink skin, but I could be wrong.
Rhodie
Member
The Tuli was selected from cattle that could do well on forage uder extreme conditions, polled, docile,producing a small calf, 70-75 lbs. Most of the reearch on their marbling and tenderness has been done n the USA by independent researchers. Information and various links can be found on this website; http://www.tuli.co.za.
The publications link has some research results amongst other information, and due to their unique genetic identity, they cross well with all the popular breeds available in the USA.
The publications link has some research results amongst other information, and due to their unique genetic identity, they cross well with all the popular breeds available in the USA.
movin' on
Well-known member
Brandon, you are exactly right. It's a wonderful thought but very, very impractical. I don't think it will ever take hold on an industry-wide level. The amount of grass needed would double and there are fools now that are actually thinking of turning centuries old pasture into farmground. We are losing acres every year when we would have to be gaining acres for the whole thing to work.
houstoncutter
Well-known member
backhoeboogie":2yglzmip said:
Boogie, I think if you are going to produce a grassfed product, that will match up to grainfed you are going to have to quality grass. Down here were on the coastline that I am in, the only quality pasture I will have will be in the winter. Of course if it rains like it has this winter I dont even have that. You cant put cattle on ryegrass and clover when its standing in water. So when I say quality grass, in my area I am speaking of the sping flush and fall. The quality of pasture here in my area really craters in the summer. I think the only way that grassfed will fly would be for calves to be fed in different locations in the country to match the flush of there quality pastures....That is the only way you can produce a quality steer in an acceptable time frame, somewhere around 16 to 18 months. Otherwise as Dun pointed out you can kiss the export market goodbye
