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Beef Cattle Breeds

Santa Gertrudis Cattle: The First American Beef Breed, Born at King Ranch

The deep red Texas breed that the USDA recognized in 1940 as the first beef breed developed in the United States.

What Is the Santa Gertrudis Breed?

Santa Gertrudis cattle are a deep red beef breed developed at King Ranch in South Texas. The King Ranch cattle history page says breeders crossed Indian Brahman cattle with British Shorthorns to produce animals that are 5/8 Shorthorn and 3/8 Brahman, and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recognized the result in 1940 as the first beef breed developed in the United States and the first new breed worldwide in more than a century.

The name comes from the ranch itself. According to the Wikipedia article, the King Ranch was established in 1851 in southern Texas and took its name from the Spanish-owned estate Los Cerros de Santa Gertrudis.

Monkey, the Foundation Bull

Every Santa Gertrudis traces back to one bull. King Ranch says that after years of experimentation a deep red bull calf named Monkey was born in 1920 and became the foundation sire. Wikipedia says he was used extensively from 1923 to 1935 to fix the breed's characteristics, and that all Santa Gertrudis stock descends from him.

The sources differ on the early details. Wikipedia says that in 1910 the ranch acquired a part-zebuine bull descended from an Ongole bull imported from India in 1906 and crossed him with Shorthorn cows.

The Klebergs and the King Ranch Program

King Ranch credits Robert Kleberg Jr. and Dick Kleberg Sr. with leading the breed's development in the early twentieth century. The ranch says its aim was to produce the most profitable and efficient range cow.

The cattle history page does not give herd sizes, so this profile does not. It does note that early linebreeding made the breed well suited to crossbreeding, with strong hybrid vigor in its crosses. For a longer magazine account of the ranch, see Texas Monthly's A Lot of Bull.

Recognition in 1940 and the 1951 Association

Wikipedia confirms the 1940 USDA recognition. A breed association was formed in 1951, and the first bulls were sold that year.

Recognition mattered because ranchers in hot, humid parts of the South wanted cattle that tolerated heat and insects better than the British breeds, while still producing a marketable carcass. The sources here do not document performance figures, so none are given.

How Far Did the Breed Spread?

According to Wikipedia, the breed has been exported to many countries, including Australia, Brazil and South Africa. About forty countries report it to FAO's DAD-IS, across all five inhabited continents. King Ranch says it is the most prevalent breed in Australia.

Wikipedia estimates about 72,000 worldwide in 2021, with about 25,000 in South Africa. In the United States, numbers fell from 28,000 in 1975 to about 15,200 in 1990, about 8,500 in 2000 to 2001, and 5,000 in 2013, and the U.S. conservation status was listed as at risk in 2021.

What Made It Work

The King Ranch breed was the product of one landholder with the acreage and patience to run a long breeding project. That is also the limit of the story, since few ranches could copy it.

The Wikipedia numbers also show that being first did not keep the breed from declining in the United States.

  • Crossing zebu-type cattle with Shorthorns gave heat tolerance with beef type.
  • One foundation sire, Monkey, fixed the type through linebreeding.
  • King Ranch set a goal of a profitable, efficient range cow.
  • USDA recognition in 1940 gave the breed official standing.
  • Export to Australia, Brazil and South Africa spread it where heat tolerance mattered.
  • The King Ranch has also developed Santa Cruz and American Red, using Santa Gertrudis crosses.

Learn More

A land-grant university overview is at the Oklahoma State Santa Gertrudis profile. For more ranch history, see the ranching section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about King Ranch.

Timeline

  1. 1851King Ranch established in southern Texas, per Wikipedia
  2. 1906Ongole bull imported from India, ancestor of the 1910 bull, per Wikipedia
  3. 1910Ranch acquires a part-zebuine bull and crosses him with Shorthorn cows
  4. 1920Monkey born, per King Ranch
  5. 1923Monkey used extensively as foundation sire until 1935, per Wikipedia
  6. 1940USDA recognizes Santa Gertrudis
  7. 1951Breed association formed and first bulls sold
  8. 2021About 72,000 worldwide, per Wikipedia

Frequently asked questions

What is a Santa Gertrudis cow?

It is a deep red beef breed developed at King Ranch in Texas from Brahman and Shorthorn cattle. King Ranch gives its makeup as 5/8 Shorthorn and 3/8 Brahman.

Who was Monkey the bull?

Monkey was the foundation sire of the Santa Gertrudis. King Ranch says he was born in 1920, and Wikipedia says all Santa Gertrudis cattle descend from him.

When was Santa Gertrudis recognized by the USDA?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recognized the breed in 1940 as the first beef breed developed in the United States and the first new breed worldwide in more than a century, per King Ranch.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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