Cattle breeding through the ages

[Old Tip]

Very interesting article on cattle breeding and the obsession with fashion


https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...gHtS5nHje39ytFRP1H6QW-sJ_iTZ_lOatilXmIM2oqtMA

 

[CharcoalWally]

Many thanks for this fascinating article @Old Tip .

Rarely do we get such an informative, easy to follow guide to how we alter and affect cattle genetics.

 

[Old Tip]

Glad you enjoyed it @CharcoalWally, I found it really interesting especially the last page where the slaughterhouses in America are asking for the same sort of cattle as ours here.

 

[west coast angus]

The Angus bull "The black knight" is as good as any bull you would see today!! Cracking beast

 

[Philip Watkins]

To save the Facebook redirect page here is a direct link to the article along with parts 2 & 3.
http://onpasture.com/2017/07/24/fro...istory-of-cattle-breeding-from-1742-to-today/
http://onpasture.com/2016/07/11/fro...ial-history-of-cattle-changes-over-the-years/
http://onpasture.com/2016/07/18/fro...a-pictorial-history-of-cattle-over-the-years/

 

[Crex]

Thanks for the link @Old Tip. Very interesting. Would be nice to see a British version.

 

[Old Tip]

Thanks for the link @Old Tip. Very interesting. Would be nice to see a British version.

Yeah but don't think there would be a lot of difference apart from the last few years with more of a continental influence here than in the US
Looking at the weights it's not too difficult to convert at 450kg roughly to 1000lbs, just shows the range in cattle sizes from best part of a tonne and a half to less than half a tonne

 

[Woolless]

Really interesting, thank you for posting. Some of those belt buckle cattle are ridiculous!

 

[M-J-G]

Goodness me, some of those AA and Her look like better cattle than most in their respective breeds today.

The breeders sure appear to have made a lot of cock-ups to since then.

 

[gatepost]

Very good read, thanks for posting, same thing can be seen happening now, with different traits in different species, just can't leave them alone can we, always got to go for extremes .

 

[Danllan]

A very interesting post, thanks @Old Tip. I don't know why it should be any surprise to people that our forebears could choose and breed good stock since, just as in any other field e.g. engineering, they were no more or less stupid than us; it's just that we have more 'giants' to stand on the shoulders of than they did. Anyway, some superb looking beasts, and I bet there wasn't a one of them delivered by CS...

 

[CharcoalWally]

Really interesting, thank you for posting. Some of those belt buckle cattle are ridiculous!

As the article itself pretty much points out , they had to go.

I remember the hangover of the belt buckle breeding as a kid in the early 70's. Hopelessly inefficient, ultra light slow do-ers. They took forever to give very little meat yield, and eventually there wasn't a living to be made off them. Also as mentioned, they killed out very fat, and the changes in lifestyle /eating habits hastened their demise.

If however, we went back to wealthy ranchers from the other side of the world coming to the UK and flashing the cash for cattle like this again, then as sure as night follows day, this country's breeders would soon be supplying them with dwarf stock again!

It shows that the Beltex isn't a new idea...

 

[ImLost]

Dexters came to mind when I saw how small some of those cattle got!

 

[Cowgirl]

Very interesting - thank you for the link. Wonder where things are going next? Interesting that he seems to say that the changes were led, in N. America at least, by prize winning steers at fat stock shows. Showing has a lot to answer for.

 

[Whitepeak]

Very interesting. It's amazing to think how much cattle have altered in 150yrs due to market demands etc.
But in the grand scheme of things it doesn't appear that Angus have altered much when you compare Queen Victoria's champion cow with this year's champion cow 130yrs on.

(Photo; MacGregor Photography)

Have we just gone full circle??

 

[Philip Watkins]

...

Have we just gone full circle??

Yes. From big rangy cattle down to small fat things, back up to big (not so rangy), now heading back down to smaller (not fat) animals.

 

[CharcoalWally]

Very interesting. It's amazing to think how much cattle have altered in 150yrs due to market demands etc.
But in the grand scheme of things it doesn't appear that Angus have altered much when you compare Queen Victoria's champion cow with this year's champion cow 130yrs on.
View attachment 556506
View attachment 556508
(Photo; MacGregor Photography)

Have we just gone full circle??

I would suspect in the flesh they would be 2 very different animals.

The top cow looks far more maternal and refined. The modern cow looks much more terminal and strong boned. I doubt if 130 years ago they were breeding "Black Charolais " cattle.

 

[ImLost]

Yes. From big rangy cattle down to small fat things, back up to big (not so rangy), now heading back down to smaller (not fat) animals.

Wonder how long it will take for people to settle for something in between. Breeding for certain characteristics i.e. size seem to be taken to extremes once a few people decide that a certain breed is too big or too small.

 

[Cowgirl]

Been thinking about this. Could it be because in the show ring the average medium animal doesn't win prizes - it has to be extreme to catch the judge's eye, and then everyone wants one like it, so the winner next year has to be even more extreme, and so on... ?

 

[Old Tip]

Been thinking about this. Could it be because in the show ring the average medium animal doesn't win prizes - it has to be extreme to catch the judge's eye, and then everyone wants one like it, so the winner next year has to be even more extreme, and so on... ?

I'm not a hundred percent sure of my history but the belt buckle craze was started as the Americans and Argentines wanted smaller carcasses so they could transport them easier in ships so they hung and matured on route. Same reason the supermarkets have put the weight cap on now so the joints and cuts fit the packaging they want to put it in.

OT