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Douglas Price Pyburn


Mr. Handran
English 112
24 October 2012
Benefits of Selective Breeding in Beef Cattle
According to Dictionary.com selective breeding is defined as the intentional mating of
two animals in an attempt to produce offspring with desirable characteristics or for the
elimination of a trait. Selective breeding in beef cattle can be used to our advantage. Through
selective breeding we can develop new breeds of cattle that are better suited for different
climates and diseases, we can also produce certain traits that are wanted on todays market,
selective breeding also allows us to breed away from disease and deformities.
Beefmaster Cattle
New breeds of cattle are developed by cross breeding two or more already established
breeds of cattle. One example of a relatively new breed called Beefmaster. This Breed contains
three different breeds in its lineage. The breeds in the Beefmaster lineage include Brahman with
makes up fifty percent of the equation; the other fifty percent is half Shorthorn, and half
Hereford. This is known as a composite breed. A composite breed according to thecattlesite.
Com is a breed that originates from three or more already established purebreds. The Beefmaster
breed is a composite breed that was produced to make cattle that are insect, drought, and heat

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resistant but maintaining a good carcass features to produce the maximum amounts of beef
possible for the breed.
Santa Gertrudis Cattle

The king ranch created a new breed of cattle, horses, and even a new breed of grass.
According to the Santa Getrudis Breeders International website The Santa Gertrudis breed of
cattle, named for the Spanish land grant where Captain Richard King first established the King
Ranch, were developed to thrive, prosper and gain weight on the native grasses of the South
Texas brush country. The first and perhaps the most enduring efforts to produce the rugged breed
began in 1910 when the King Ranch decided to systematically crossbreed its Shorthorn and
Hereford cattle with Brahman. After a few crosses, the Brahman X Shorthorn cross showed the
most promise, and the ranch headed toward a cross of 3/8 Brahman and 5/8 Shorthorn as the
optimum blend of the two breeds. In 1940 his breed was recognized by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture as being the first breed created in the United States. This is a perfect example of
how the king ranch took the cattle that they had and improved their herd by making the cattle
more suited to their environment. They produced a breed of cattle that could stand up to the
south Texas heat and thrive off of the sparse grass in the south Texas brush country. One of the
great things about the cross between 3/8 Brahman and 5/8 short horn is the fact that the cattle
that were produced was that they did not have very much sheath. Brahman cattle are known for
having a very low hanging underline and sheath. The Southern area of Texas where the Santa
Gertrudis was produced is covered in thick mesquite, cactus, cat claw and many other plants that
would irritate, and then infect the underline, and sheath of Brahman cattle. This creates many

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problems when it came to reproduction purposes. Because the Santa Gertrudis was produced
before adequate medicine to treat such problems was available; it was essential that the new
cattle being produced needed to have a higher underline and sheath. This just goes to show that
wanted characteristics can be achieved through selective breeding.

Brangus Cattle

The Brangus breed was created to make a breed that is tougher than just Angus cattle, but
has better cuts of meat than Brahman cattle. According to thecattlesite. Com Brangus cattle are
3/8 Brahman, and 5/8 Angus. This combination has led to a breed that is more heartier and has
better beef cuts than either of its two predecessors.

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Works Cited
"Selective Breeding." Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon. Dictionary.com, LLC. 24 Oct.
2012. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/selective breeding>.
Cattle breeds- Beefmater.The cattle Site, 5m publishing, n.d. web.24 Oct.
2012.<thecattlesite.comhttp://www.thecattlesite.com/breeds/beef/46/beefmaster/overview
"Santa Gertrudis Breeders International Home." Santa Gertrudis Breeders International Home.
N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012.
"News." The Cattle Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012.

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