Beef Cattle Breeds and Their History
The breeds that built the world's beef supply, and the people who created and spread them.
32 profiles
United Kingdom
- 1800sAngusA hornless black breed from northeast Scotland that became the biggest name in American beef.United Kingdom
- Welsh BlackWales's only native cattle breed carried the drovers' trade to England, and the cattle were so valuable they were…United Kingdom
- 1800sDevonFrom North Devon pastures to Pilgrim farms and Oregon Trail wagons, the ruby red Devon worked, fed and then nearly…United Kingdom
- South DevonA big red breed from the South Hams of Devon grew from a local draft and dairy animal into a beef breed raised across…United Kingdom
- GallowayNaturally hornless and wrapped in a thick double coat, the Galloway turned wet southwest Scotland into a source of…United Kingdom
- 1700sHerefordThe red-bodied, white-faced breed from western England that built many of the world's range herds.United Kingdom
- HighlandThe long-horned, long-haired Scottish breed turned rough hill ground into beef and became one of the most recognizable…United Kingdom
- 1800sRed PollA blood-red Norfolk beef cow and a polled Suffolk dairy bull produced a hornless red breed that paid in both milk and…United Kingdom
- Lincoln RedLincolnshire farmers blended Dutch draft cattle with Durham Shorthorns, and a wartime polling program later shaped the…United Kingdom
- 1700sShorthornThe red, white and roan breed from the Tees valley that carried improved beef genetics across the Plains.United Kingdom
- 1800sSussexFor centuries Sussex oxen hauled plows and timber through heavy clay. Late in the 19th century breeders turned them to…United Kingdom
Texas
- 1930sBeefmasterA Texas-bred composite of Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman selected on six economic traits.Texas
- 1849 onwardBrahmanFewer than 300 imported animals, mostly bulls, became the foundation of the breed that made beef production workable…Texas
- 1940Santa GertrudisThe deep red Texas breed that the USDA recognized in 1940 as the first beef breed developed in the United States.Texas
- 1500s onwardTexas LonghornThe rangy descendants of Spanish cattle fed the trail drive era, nearly disappeared, and survive today because of a…Texas
South Africa
- 1600sAfrikanerDescended from the herds of the Khoikhoi, the deep red Afrikaner was once South Africa's most numerous cattle breed.South Africa
- 1937 onwardBonsmaraA university experiment that began in 1937 produced a composite breed that became South Africa's most numerous beef…South Africa
- AntiquityNguniKept for generations by Nguni-speaking peoples, these multicolored cattle are among the most loved breeds in southern…South Africa