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Beef Cattle Breeds

Shorthorn Cattle: The English Breed That Improved Herds Across America

The red, white and roan breed from the Tees valley that carried improved beef genetics across the Plains.

Where Do Shorthorn Cattle Come From?

The American Shorthorn Association history page says the breed originated on England's northeastern coast, in Northumberland, Durham, York and Lincoln. Its first real development took place in the Tees River valley around 1600, where large-framed cattle became known as Teeswater cattle. The breed later spread to Scotland.

Early settlers in America prized the cattle for meat, milk and draft work, which is why Shorthorns are often remembered as a dual-purpose breed before the beef and milking types separated.

The Coates Herd Book of 1822

In 1822 Shorthorn breeders established the Coates Herd Book, which the association calls the first herd book record. A herd book fixes pedigrees in print, so buyers could pay for ancestry they could check. That idea later shaped nearly every beef breed.

For deeper English history, the Heritage Shorthorn history page and the Oklahoma State Shorthorn profile are good places to start.

How Did Shorthorns Reach America?

The association dates the breed's arrival in America to 1783. In Virginia it was called Durham, and it was the first improved breed imported to the New World. By 1854, Midwestern farmers were importing directly from Scotland and breeding for beef production.

Shorthorns followed pioneer wagons across the Great Plains and into the far West. The association adds that they could be crossbred with the Spanish Longhorns that conquistadors had brought earlier, an early example of improving range cattle by crossing.

American Herd Books and the 1872 Association

American breeders did their own record keeping. In 1846 the American Shorthorn Herd Book, published by Lewis F. Allen in Buffalo, New York, became the first herd book published in the country for any breed. The American Shorthorn Record followed in Kentucky in 1869, and the Ohio Shorthorn Record in 1878.

The American Shorthorn Association was founded in Chicago in 1872 by breeders from nine states. In 1883 it took control of all the herd books, buying the American Shorthorn Herd Book copyrights for $25,000, the Kentucky record for $10,000 and the Ohio record for $1,000.

Polled Shorthorns and the Split Into Beef and Milking

In the 1870s breeders found naturally hornless calves in horned herds. Polled Shorthorns originated in Minnesota in 1881 and, according to the association, were the first major beef breed developed in the United States. The American Polled Durham Association formed in 1889 and merged with the main association in 1923.

In 1948 the herd book split into Beef Shorthorn and Milking Shorthorn, and the American Milking Shorthorn Association was established. The two types have since followed separate paths.

What Made It Work

Shorthorn's reach came from a combination of usefulness and paperwork. The sources show a breed that was good for several jobs and carefully recorded.

The decline of Shorthorn numbers after the mid twentieth century is not covered by the association page, so this profile does not give figures for it.

  • Large, versatile cattle gave settlers meat, milk and draft power.
  • Herd books from 1822 in England and 1846 in the United States documented pedigrees.
  • Direct importation from Scotland by 1854 brought fresh genetics to the Midwest.
  • Consolidating records in 1883 gave the American breed a single registry.
  • Polled genetics, found in the 1870s, produced a hornless line by 1881.

Shorthorn Dates in Order

The association's account gives a clear sequence. The Tees valley type developed around 1600, the breed reached Virginia in 1783, and the Coates Herd Book appeared in 1822. Lewis F. Allen's American Shorthorn Herd Book followed in 1846, and farmers in the Midwest were importing straight from Scotland by 1854. In 1869 the American Shorthorn Record began in Kentucky, and in 1872 breeders from nine states met in Chicago to found the national association.

The 1883 purchases are worth noticing. Paying $25,000 for the Allen herd book copyrights, $10,000 for the Kentucky record and $1,000 for the Ohio record put every registry under one roof, which is how a patchwork of private herd books became a single breed registry.

Modern Shorthorn Programs

The American Junior Shorthorn Association began in 1968. Data collection for the first Shorthorn genetic evaluation started in 1973, when the Appendix Registry program began, and in 1982 the first genetic evaluation provided Expected Progeny Differences, or EPDs.

For stories about breeds on working ranches, see the ranching section of farm.FM and one farm.FM story about Shorthorn cattle.

Timeline

  1. 1600Teeswater cattle develop in the Tees valley, per the association
  2. 1783Breed reaches America, called Durham in Virginia
  3. 1822Coates Herd Book established
  4. 1846American Shorthorn Herd Book published in Buffalo
  5. 1872American Shorthorn Association founded in Chicago
  6. 1881Polled Shorthorns originate in Minnesota
  7. 1883Association takes control of all herd books
  8. 1948Herd book splits into Beef and Milking Shorthorn
  9. 1982First genetic evaluation with EPDs

Frequently asked questions

Where did Shorthorn cattle originate?

Shorthorns originated on England's northeastern coast, in Northumberland, Durham, York and Lincoln, with early development in the Tees River valley around 1600 as Teeswater cattle.

When did Shorthorns come to America?

The American Shorthorn Association says the breed reached America in 1783. In Virginia it was called Durham, and it was the first improved breed imported to the New World.

What is the Coates Herd Book?

The Coates Herd Book, established by Shorthorn breeders in 1822, is described by the American Shorthorn Association as the first herd book record, a printed register of pedigrees.

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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