Beefmaster Cattle Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Beefmaster cattle breed is one of the first American composite cattle breeds and was specifically bred as a dual-purpose breed. It is a composite breed that is made up from three different cattle namely 50% Brahman, 25% Hereford and 25% Shorthorn cattle. When the program was started in the early 1900s there were one or two other breeds used such as that of the Gir and Nelore breed and in 1952 Ed C. Lasater introduced Guzerat blood into the herd.
The result has been the Beefmaster which is a beautiful deep reddish brown or sometimes lighter color well-muscled breed of cattle.

BEEFMASTER BREED OF CATTLE QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
The Beefmaster is America’s first composite cattle breed and is a beautiful combination of muscle and power.
Country of Origin:	United States of America
Other Names:	None
Main Purpose:	Meat
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Can be used for	Breed, Meat, Skin
Ideal Climate:	Heat, Cold, Most Climates
Conservation Status:	Not Listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Common
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Cattle?	Novice to intermediate Cattle farmer/keeper level
Cattle Associations:	Beefmaster Breeders United, Western States Beefmaster Breeders Association, The Beefmaster Cowman and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Cattle Clubs:	Please refer to the Beefmaster Breeders United, Western States Beefmaster Breeders Association, The Beefmaster Cowman and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association for more information on the Beefmaster Cattle breed.
Where to buy them?	Please refer to the Beefmaster Breeders United, Western States Beefmaster Breeders Association, The Beefmaster Cowman and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association for more information on the Beefmaster Cattle breed.
Child Friendly?	Livestock should not be left unattended around unsupervised children
General Information:	The Beefmaster is a great range cattle breed that can handle adverse environments and climates. They are very hardy, fertile and strong breed of cattle with a good quality of beef and milk. They meet six essential qualities which are namely, fertility, milking ability, conformation, hardiness, disposition and weight. They are known as “The Profit Breed” due to their essential six traits. They withstand extreme heat and cold in fact when you find other cattle seeking shade or standing in puddles Beefmaster cattle will just carrying on crazing unfazed by the temperatures. They are quite disease resistant to most common infections including that of pink eye. Due to their hardiness and extreme weather tolerance Beefmaster cattle can be found throughout the United States of America, Brazil and South Afrca.
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

They have a long, well proportioned body with a thick neck and tight dewlap. Their legs are also thick and strong of medium length in proportion to their bodies. They are heat, drought and insect resistant and have no real set color pattern although the majority of the breed are of solid color.

Size:

Medium to large

CATTLE ⇒	COW	BULL
Breed Color:	Light to dark red with some having a light mottle on their faces	Light to dark red with some having a light mottle on their faces
Breed Weight:	800 kgs	1200 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear	Unclear
Horns:	No horns	No horns
Temperament:	Easy to manage and docile	Easy to manage and docile. Never turn your back on a bull be cautious of them at all times.
Matures at age:	6 to 8 months or 9 + months	6 to 8 months or 9 + months
Puberty Age:	6 to 15 months	9 to 1o months
Breeding Age:	13 to 15 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Cow breeding & Milking Info	Cover 25 to 30 Cows in 1 season

COW BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION
Most Cattle produce milk but not all of them are used in the dairy Cattle capacity for their milk. Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. The cows are extremely fertile have calves with good birthweights and weaning weights. They tend not to have birthing problems thus they have easy calving. They produce a fair amount of good quality milk, have excellent maternal instincts and make really good caring mothers.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 6 to 24 hours Most ave. 12 to 16 hours Cows usually come on heat every 21 days.
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days to 24 days Heifer – usually ave. 20 days Cows – usually ave. 21 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 279 to 287 days but most gestation is 283 days. Cows that are carrying bull calf’s their gestation period is usually a little longer than cows that are carrying heifer calves.
No. Calves/Litter:	1 calf at a time. Cows rarely have twins or triplets, but it can happen
Lactation Period:	Cows lactation period can last for up to about 10 months (305) days.
Milking From:	1 to 6 weeks after Calving
Drying off Period:	The cow should have a 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. Drying off period for around 60 days before she can calve again.
Milk Quality:	Good, Quantity: 1 to 1.5 gallons per Day
Milk Ideal for:	Calves, drinking, cheese, butter and various other dairy products.
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CATTLE MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

The Beefmaster cattle breed were specifically designed and selected to create cattle with superior beef quality. Good marbling makes for a tender, succulent and very tasty cut of meat that holds its quality throughout the carcass. The cattle have a good dressing percentage and bone to meat ratio with little waste.

Meat Production?

Yes, Quality: Good

CATTLE ⇒	VEAL	BEEF
Ave. Maturity Age:	6 to 8 months	9 months up to 4 years

CATTLE SKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Most meat Cattle will have a skin by-product, and these are usually used in some form or just as a hide. The Beefmaster has a strong durable hide that is much sought after and does get used in the leather industry as a by-product of the breeds meat production.

Skin Production?

Yes, Quality: Good

Skin is used to Produce:

Calf/cow skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, handbags, belts, furniture, rugs, etc.

CATTLE ⇒	CALF	ADULT
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months for Calf skin	1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

HISTORY

The Beefmaster is a relatively new purpose bred breed that has been predominantly bred and designed in the United States of America.
Its roots are quite easy to trace back as its lineage comes from that of the Brahman, Hereford and Shorthorn cattle. Mainly 50% Brahman, 25%Hereford and 25% Shorthorn cattle.

Tom Lasater was the founder of the breed and he believed that a breed should not be selected for its, horns or color but rather for its genes that depicted how good a milk producer or meat producers was.
He believed that the cattle should conform to six essentials criteria. These being Fertility, Weight, Milk production, Hardiness, conformation and disposition.

Thus in the 1930s the Beefmaster cattle was developed by Tom Lasater over the years since the breed has been improved and can now withstand diverse temperatures from the heat to the coldest of winters.