Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The Amazing Variety Of Beef Cattle Genetics Across The Globe

By Marci Glover


Cattle is a collective term for a diverse group of large mammals with cloven hooves and, often, with horns. Toward the end of the first decade of the 21st century, beef cattle genetics signaled the first mapping of a livestock genome. These animals are as much at home on the farm pulling plows as they are lounging on the range to provide meet and dairy products for a hungry public.

The first domesticated cattle have been traced back to southeast Turkey roughly about 10,500 years ago, when there were an estimated 80 progenitors. Today, the world accommodates approximately 1.3 billion of these tasty beasts, useful beasts. Other products derived from this group of mammals include dung (used for fuel) and leather, used for clothing and other items.

One popular breed is the Angus, which originated from Aberdeenshire and Angus counties in the north of Scotland. Animals in this breed do not have horns on the head; another word for this is "polled." They are typically either solid black or red with matching udders. The most common Angus breed in the United States are the Black Angus. This is a particularly versatile breed, used for dairy, meat and as working animals.

From France come the Limousin, heavily muscular beasts raised initially for their usefulness on the farm pulling wheeled vehicles. Comparatively recently (200 years ago), someone discovered they also provided lean, tender beef of outstanding quality. This meat attracted equally outstanding prices.

Japan gave us the Wagyu breeds. This meat is heavily marbled with highly desirable unsaturated fat. The feed of these cattle are sometimes flavored with beer or sake in an effort to aid digestion and to boost appetite during the hot, humid period of the year. In case you are wondering, these additives are not detectable in the final product.

The beefalo were engineered from the American bison, or buffalo, and plain old garden variety domestic animals. The intention was to cross breed them to yield an animal that would comfortably withstand cold, hard winters. The down side to this was a reduction in the numbers of the rapidly dwindling American buffalo. There are now only four herds left, only one of which has not been tainted with the disease, brucellosis. These animals live in South Dakota.

Belgian Blue beasts actually have a mottled sort of blue hair, tinged with grey. They can vary along a spectrum from white to black. Heavily muscled, they readily convert their feed to lean muscle tissue that is desired for its reduced fat content.

Lowline cattle were bred in Australia from the Aberdeen breed. Naturally small, they are good as pets or for children to show them in exhibitions. Shorthorns, from the East of England, are used for both dairy and meat. Hereford cows originated in England and now reside in more than 50 countries across the world. Brangus is a hardy cross between a Brahman and an Angus. These are only a few examples of the diverse breeds of livestock used for dairy, beef and as working animals.




About the Author:



0 comments :

Dí lo que piensas...

 
twitter facebook google plus linkedin rss feed email