What Cattle Breed is Best? Depends

I don’t write about cattle breeds because every rancher has his or her favorite. Try to convince someone who thinks Angus are the best to sell off all their cattle and purchase Herefords? Futile. Why waste the time? I am not saying Herefords are the best, only using this as an example. I have set in on discussions about breeds that turned friend against friend (at least for a short time until they could agree to disagree).

Every major breed has its own breed association. There is a great deal written about each breed and there are volumes of information online. A few agriculture colleges and universities have assembled information on each breed. So, finding something about the breed is not difficult. The question is: in this field, how do you separate the prejudice from the facts.

There is no one perfect breed. Each has superior points and each has weak points. A strong point for one rancher might be an insignificant trait for another. Take horns. I think they are a weakness in cattle, but if you live in Montana and have bear, horns may be a superior trait for your cattle.

Breed associations tout the superior points about their breed but rarely state any weakness. Big time breeders get thousands of dollars for a bull or blue ribbon cow. So, livestock and breed association shows often feature cut throat competition. Some breeders hire professional groomers to prepare the animal before they enter the ring. The difference in first place and others down the line may be hundreds of thousands of dollars in future sales.

These days, Future Farmers of America and 4H kids are taught to judge cattle. They too have competitions where winners get scholarships or go on to become buyers for major cattle companies or feeders. After all, being able to see small differences in an animal can result in thousands of dollars spent to get an animal to feedlot. No one wants to overpay.

Many years ago, I was hired to help a rancher decide what type of herd he should own. At the time, he thought, he might breed his own grass fed, grass finished selection. My late friend, Dave Bamburger did just that. He created his own breed of cattle for the Central Texas Hill Country. But this rancher was interested in something for his land.

So, I looked at all the things he was interested in having in a herd. The traits he wanted were 1. A good grass fed finisher 2. Medium framed animals 3. Cows of 900-1000 pounds 4. Bulls of 1,100- 1,800 pounds 5. Good fertility 6. Good mothering 7. Polled by nature 8. Light colored 9. Heat and humidity tolerant 10. Adaptable to the environment 11. Docile 12. Intermuscular fat 13. Thick hide 14. Fly resistant 15. Milking ability 16. High butterfat 17. Ease of calving 18. Quality meat fat 19. Longevity 20 High weaning weight. These are in no particular order, but I remember that he wanted fly resistance as one of the top traits.

I made a spreadsheet with all of these traits and a few others and began searching all of the breed associations websites for what they pointed out as their animal’s superiority. Then I researched the colleges and universities for their information. Next, I read everything I could find with various comparison charts. After doing all this research, I prepared a report which found its way to the trash can. His choice, not mine. His first choice for a bull was the last choice on my list. This is what I meant about the futility of changing someone’s mind. He had a very detailed chart with objective findings (and very little of my own prejudice) but would not change his bull for a superior animal based on his own desired categories.

One of my favorite books is “How Did We Get It So Wrong” by Chip Hines. He lays out how the cattle industry has moved ranching from a profitable business to one where the rancher pays for the feeder’s profit. In the book he lays out how low profits, high inputs, diminished genetics and other profit losses are paid for by the rancher.

This is probably one of the last articles I will write about breeds. If you call me and ask which breed is best, I will say, “It depends.” It depends on your needs, not mine. I am always looking for ranchers that will swap good bulls instead of having to buy a new bull every few years. If five or more ranchers get together and agree to swap or buy superior bulls, we could all make more money.

David E. Will is local rancher and consultant. He can be reached at 830-6299876 or by email at dwill207@satx.rr.com.