Last month I wrote about the dairy breeds commonly seen around Niagara County. This month, I thought I’d give equal time to the beef breeds. Beef cattle tend to be stockier in build. Given that they are bred to provide meat, it makes sense that more of their bodies are devoted to muscle.
The breed most people are familiar with is Black Angus. Often, grocery stores even advertise their products as being from Black Angus. Like the name says, they are generally all black. There are times when this breed is cross bred with another. However, the offspring generally retain a black or almost all-black appearance. The breed was brought from Scotland in 1873. One of the features of this breed is that they are naturally polled or hornless.
Herefords tend to be brownish-red and white in color. Originally from England, they were bred for leaner beef. These cattle tend to mature faster, which gets the meat to market sooner. They were brought to the United States in 1817. An active breeding program in the 1950s led to the leaner, stronger animals we see today. Depending on the genetics, Herefords are both polled and horned.
France has given us the Charolais breed. Being larger in size than both the Angus and Hereford, some of them were used for drafting. Their size and strength gave them the ability to pull wagons and other farm equipment. They tend to be lighter in color, think about coffee with milk in it to almost white. This breed is also very rugged and copes with colder weather well. They are a later addition to the beef market, having come to the US in the 1930s.
Simmentals are often red and white, but the markings vary. Originally from Switzerland, they came to the US in the late 1800s. Like the Hereford, they mature rapidly. They also are a larger size breed, although not quite the size of a Charolais.
This summer, as you take a drive in the more rural areas of Niagara County, you’ll have an idea of which cow you’re seeing out the window. If you have more questions about the breeds, the perfect place to visit is the Niagara County Fair. The young people can share their experiences raising the different breeds.