Red Poll Cattle

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Vanner

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Looking for advice. Is the beef quality, as in marbling and/or leanness, (for dinner plates), of grass fed Red Poll steers comparable to a Charolais or Black Angus? I understand that the Char's and Angus are leaner meats with less fat, but do the Red Poll's have a higher fat content as far as meat to bone ratio? I hope this makes sense! Also I am curious about what breed of cattle that the super market chains (Wal-Mart, Food Lion, Albertson's, Von's, Kroeger, etc.) use for their beef, as it is usually tough with no flavor. I understand that it just depends on their supplier and at what price, but even their "premium" cuts are horrible! We only buy our meat from Costco because the quality and flavor is superb. But nobody seems to know who their supplier is or what breed of beef they insist on. Henceforth, my interest in raising my own beef but still undecided on which breed to use.
Any thoughts? Thank you for your input.
 
Unless the breed is specified the markets have no idea what breed their beef comes from. Select has the least marbling, prime has the most, choice is between those 2. But there is a lot of variation within choice graded beef.
If you're satisfied with the beef you're buying keep getting it there. As to what breed to raise fro grass fed home raised,, one of the british breeds that mature earlier would be the best option. Then you;re still looking at around 2 years of age before it's finished enough.
 
I can tell you a few things about Red Polls and meat quality based on our experiences.

1. The meat is more tender than most of the other breeds.
2. They will marble just like the other British breeds.
3. Fat content is based on what and how much you feed them
4. Live weight to carcass ratio averages 65%
5. We have a waiting list for people wanting locker beef.
6. Our steers finish on a modified intake low fat ration and grass at 1,100 pounds in 14-15 months and grade choice or higher.
7. We do not finish our steers on just grass but several of our breeders do.

Now for the other quality traits of Red Polls.
1. Very docile as the make a very good family breed
2.Cows excel on just grass
3.Cows are great mothers and produce plenty of rich milk.
4.Cows lay down and have their calves with very few problems
 
Jovid, how do they do in cold weather climates? And what is an average weight of a bull and cow? Thanks.
 
grubbie":3sidsqsq said:
Jovid, how do they do in cold weather climates? And what is an average weight of a bull and cow? Thanks.

They do great as far as I know as there are several breeders in Canada and we have a couple of breeders in Colorado one in Steamboat Springs. Because they are an old British breed like Hereford and Angus I would imagine about the same.

Cows average 1,100 - 1,200 and bulls between 1,800 and 2,000
 
Jovid........ If I understand this correctly, the Red Poll is originally of the British breed? A 65% meat to bone ratio is quite a bit. How many pounds would a steer have to weigh to get that much meat? What would be the ideal weight for slaughter? I just want to utilize 1 freezer, not 2.
Thank you!
 
Vanner":1ne6jpcd said:
Looking for advice. Is the beef quality, as in marbling and/or leanness, (for dinner plates), of grass fed Red Poll steers comparable to a Charolais or Black Angus? I understand that the Char's and Angus are leaner meats with less fat, but do the Red Poll's have a higher fat content as far as meat to bone ratio? I hope this makes sense! Also I am curious about what breed of cattle that the super market chains (Wal-Mart, Food Lion, Albertson's, Von's, Kroeger, etc.) use for their beef, as it is usually tough with no flavor. I understand that it just depends on their supplier and at what price, but even their "premium" cuts are horrible! We only buy our meat from Costco because the quality and flavor is superb. But nobody seems to know who their supplier is or what breed of beef they insist on. Henceforth, my interest in raising my own beef but still undecided on which breed to use.
Any thoughts? Thank you for your input.

Supermarkets don't generally specify a breed of cattle. But most supermarkets carry some sort of "branded beef". Certified Angus Beef, Sterling Silver, Certified Hereford Beef, Nolan Ryan, are some of the USDA-approved branded beef programs. Here's a link to the USDA site that gives the requirements for all the branded beef programs:

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fet ... acct=lsstd
 
Vanner":gbfny6pg said:
Jovid........ If I understand this correctly, the Red Poll is originally of the British breed? A 65% meat to bone ratio is quite a bit. How many pounds would a steer have to weigh to get that much meat? What would be the ideal weight for slaughter? I just want to utilize 1 freezer, not 2.
Thank you!

65 % is the carcass ratio to live weight not the cut up ratio. A 1,200 pound steer should net about 500 + lbs of meat.

Yes...Red Poll is one of the old original British breeds
 
My Red Poll cow/calf herd has done very well with the intensive grazing+grass fed plan. I do feed some grain to finish the locker-meat candidates. Red Poll calves raised on momma's grass diet, with some corn to finish, have produced meat with less marbling than Angus. Depending on frame, steers should grade choice about 1100#, at 65% yield, would be a hanging weight of around 650#.

These cows have done exceptionally well here in the upper midwest, with no shelter except trees. :tiphat:

Good to join the fun!
 
squeak":1o6cc52v said:
steers should grade choice about 1100#, at 65% yield, would be a hanging weight of around 650#.

hmm, i think there is a math problem here...
 
My niece tells me the red poll is more tender, better tasting than angus.............. I've not eaten any of my red polls......... yet. We should have one ready by this fall though.
 
I sent an email to the fella I bought my red polls from and he called me this am.

This is his response: He has been butchering red poll for about 8 years now. They are lean and marbled. He said the marbling isn't thick but more like thick fishing line throughout the meat. He feeds grain for a minimum of 3 months to max of 5 (cattle mix with 10% sunflower and 10% flax seed added) and butchers them between 900 - 1100 lbs. He said the butcher at the meat locker plant has always complemented him on his beef.
He said his customers have said the meat is very tender. The round steak (I believe that was the cut he said) tastes as good as the better cut steaks.

He also told me that the Queen of England is the patron of the breed and that if you were invited to a royal family meal they serve Red poll (this was something I did not know).

I do know they have an excellent disposition, very calm and sensible. The calves are curious and will walk right up to you to sniff. The more hubby and I help work other folks cattle it makes me appreciate ours so much (their disposition and ease to work them). We have purebred and crosses and I get excited about these cattle. I want to get away from selling calves at the salebarn. I would like to sell bred heifers (most people use black angus bulls around here and if I raise an outcross to them our heifers would give hybrid vigor and heterosis when crossed back to angus). I would also like to fatten the steers and sell a side of beef but the hubby keeps saying there isn't any market to that. Perhaps someday he'll change his mind as we have a USDA inspected meat locket plant here in Perryville and a farmers market.
 
MoGal":qgt2tq78 said:
I sent an email to the fella I bought my red polls from and he called me this am.

This is his response: He has been butchering red poll for about 8 years now. They are lean and marbled. He said the marbling isn't thick but more like thick fishing line throughout the meat. He feeds grain for a minimum of 3 months to max of 5 (cattle mix with 10% sunflower and 10% flax seed added) and butchers them between 900 - 1100 lbs. He said the butcher at the meat locker plant has always complemented him on his beef.
He said his customers have said the meat is very tender. The round steak (I believe that was the cut he said) tastes as good as the better cut steaks.

He also told me that the Queen of England is the patron of the breed and that if you were invited to a royal family meal they serve Red poll (this was something I did not know).

I do know they have an excellent disposition, very calm and sensible. The calves are curious and will walk right up to you to sniff. The more hubby and I help work other folks cattle it makes me appreciate ours so much (their disposition and ease to work them). We have purebred and crosses and I get excited about these cattle. I want to get away from selling calves at the salebarn. I would like to sell bred heifers (most people use black angus bulls around here and if I raise an outcross to them our heifers would give hybrid vigor and heterosis when crossed back to angus). I would also like to fatten the steers and sell a side of beef but the hubby keeps saying there isn't any market to that. Perhaps someday he'll change his mind as we have a USDA inspected meat locket plant here in Perryville and a farmers market.

I think you will find there is a great demand for quality locker beef. Once you sell someone locker beef you better have another one ready for them and their friends. We have a waiting list for people wanting beef. I got a call from a Red Poll breeder in Texas last night looking for steers. He has the same problem, more people wanting the tender Red Poll meat. He is looking at increasing his herd just to sell locker beef.
 
:oops:

Dang it-the brain cells are as fresh as they used to be!

Thanks for the catch.

Good info MoGal & Jovid. Yep, the cows & calves always "help" me whenever I'm in the pasture. This time of year they love a little scratchin' to loosen that winter hair.
 
Jovid, I think he's probably wary that I would ask him to go with me to sell the beef (which I would not) because he is not a PR person. I've never met a stranger and the hubby is a man of very few words. If I just wait and bide my time, he'll eventually let me at least try it. It may take a couple more years, but we'll be adding more red polls and red poll x's to the herd and all good things come with time.... After all, I've had to wait 3 years for him to agree to let me use a charolais bull on the commercial cows and we shall get one next year. lol

Vanner: whichever breed you decide to go with, get excited about 'em because you're the one out there feeding and taking care of them and have a plan, work your plan and never be afraid to change direction with your plan.
 

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