Does Breed Matter?

We understandably get a lot of questions about what breed our cattle are. Specifically, whether we have black angus.

Let’s get into it.

According to the American Angus Association, Angus cattle originated in the highlands of Scotland, in the county of Angus. There, they were bred for meat quality, docility and, of course, their famous black color. In the late 1800s, a man named George Grant brought four of these creatures to Kansas with an attempt to begin a new British colony there. And since then, they have been marketed heavily for their consistent marbling and meat quality.

Today, over 80% of the cattle in America have some Angus genetics according to the American Angus Association. They were initially thought of as goofy looking in a world full of horned cattle. But with time, they proved themselves to grow fast, have reliable marbling, and are in fact easy for ranchers to work with. But do they really deserve to be the gold standard you should seek out at the grocery store?

We do in fact raise Angus cattle on our ranch. But we also have Herefords, white parks & Red Devons.

Simply buying a beef that is labeled ‘Angus’ doesn’t inherently mean anything about how it was raised or what it will taste like. What matters when buying beef is its marbeling, nutritional profile, and flavor.

The the Certified Angus Beef organization does set a series of 10 specifications, verified by the USDA, in order to get their special Certified Angus Beef® label. This label ensures marbling quantity and quality, size of the steaks, black Angus genetics, among other things. While this certification does verify these standards of meat quality, the Angus breed alone can’t say the same.

In fact, according to the Angus Journal, well under half of all Angus cattle meet the specifications to be Certified Angus Beef®.

For us, we choose our breeds based on the quality of their meat, but also their ability to finish on grass. Since we are a 100% grass fed and grass finished farm, we need to select for genetics of cattle that grow well on pasture and utilize nutrition from grass alone.

This means that we are selecting for breeds that are shorter but rounder, and can handle our northern winters in stride. And also breeds that we can source locally from farmers we trust.

Herefords are also from Britain and are know for their marbling, hardiness across many climates, and ability to finish well on grass. They tend to be a bit leaner than Angus in general.

White parks, according to the Livestock Conservancy, are known to be hardy and adaptable, with excellent meat quality. They tend to have high intramuscular fat, or marbling, with lower external fat. And they finish amazingly well on pasture.

So yes, we do raise and love our Angus cattle. But we equally love our white parks, Herefords, Red Devons, and the wide variety of genetics we care for on our farm.

If raised well on diversified and well managed pasture, beef of many breeds can produce the delicious, well marbled, nutritious steaks you are looking for.