Beef Shorthorn Genetics

Crossbreeding with Beef Shorthorn improves your stock, offering increased fertility, excellent mobility and longevity. They also demonstrate great growth ability, the females and bulls pass on the ability for quick and efficient growth.

The Beef Shorthorn offers excellent fertility rates, which according to Iowa State University’s research, for economic viability, reproductive efficiency is 100 times more important than selection for carcass traits. Shorthorn bulls are ideal for low maintenance rotational crossbreeding programs with high conception rates. Shorthorn heifers mature earlier than most cattle breeds and at 359 days reach puberty.

Beef Shorthorn Characteristics

Shorthorn cattle have three colours, white, red and roan. The red can be either a solid red in colour or have markings in white, they also can be polled or horned. The Beef Shorthorn has been bred to be larger than the dairy shorthorn. The white and roan cattle of the breed are used on black cattle to breed blacks and blues, whilst the solid red Shorthorn helps maintain solid colours in crossbreeds.

The Beef Shorthorn was developed in England and Scotland around 1820. The Shorthorn originated as a dual-purpose breed, however, different breeders opted to concentrate on a single purpose and, in 1958, the beef breeders started their own section of the herdbook. Between 1976 and 2001, breeders used Maine Anjou bloodlines to modernise the breed.

The breed has had considerable influence globally and developed over 40 other cattle breeds. Beef Shorthorn are a medium-sized cattle breed, mature males stand around 145 cm and weigh between 900 and 1150kg whilst cows average around 135cm at the withers and weigh 600-700kg.

Breed Statistics

It is commonplace that Shorthorn bulls are used in commercial breeding herds for many years, typically up to eight years, due to their active aggressive breeding.

The Shorthorn cross has the advantage of producing steers with a good feed conversion, excellent gains with the added benefit of increased tenderness and marbling making the breed a fantastic choice for high quality marbled beef production.

Crossbreeding - Due to heterosis increased productivity can be gained and enhanced levels of performance for particular traits. Specifically, crossbreeding with Shorthorn increases calving ease, docility, fertility, growth and carcass quality

Breed benefits:

• Popular as a functional suckler cow
• Early maturing breed of medium size
• Shorthorn beef offers high-quality beef with good marbling and sells for a premium
• Typically of good quiet temperament, good foragers and easy to calve
• Adaptable and able to cope with a variety of farm management systems

Website: http://www.beefshorthorn.org/