The market for beef in the United States of America is substantial. Meeting this demand exceeds the capacity of local suppliers and some beef that is sold in America is imported. However, the country's most renowned beef breed is a local variety, namely Irish black and Irish red cattle. This breed has been developed at home in the USA, and these animals have an established reputation for superlative breeding and standard of carcasses.
The breed originated during the 1960s when a breeder in Iowa, Maurice Boney, started developing it by concentrating mainly on Friesian cattle with a minor presence of Aberdeen Angus ancestry. Some of the Friesian sires came from Ireland, which is the history behind the name. It has taken about 50 years for the breed to reach its present industry status in terms of its superior breeding potential and quality of meat.
Boney's priority in his breeding program was to keep the genetics as pure as possible. He tried to maintain homozygous traits (where both parents have the same characteristic) rather than involve heterozygous possibilities. As he explained, his approach ensured that the breed's gene pool remained more consistent than that of others. This ensures predictable results in breeding.
Most of the individuals belonging to this breed have black coloring, while occasionally a red one appears. The standard of the hides is relatively high. About three centuries ago in Scotland, Scottish farmers crossbred English Longhorn cattle with their Aberdeen Angus herds to produce animals which were physically stronger and larger. This is a possible reason why some examples of Boney's breed have red hides.
In these breeds, a red hide is associated with a recessive gene, so many members of a herd might have carried it but not had red hides. This is how it may have been transported across the Atlantic. A mammal has two sets of genes for each characteristic, so a recessive gene is one which only manifests in the phenotype (physical offspring) if it is the gene for hide color in both gene sets of the animal.
The meat is tasty and well-marbled. Irish red carcasses receive high industry ratings, at about 90% Choice grade or higher. The meat is therefore suitable for sale and use in any area of the beef industry.
Cattle farmers pay attention to the breeding potential of the animals. The female Irish black or red cattle have relatively wider pelvises, so they do not usually present problems in giving birth. They exhibit significant fertility and their gestation period is also short, at about 280 days. This means that they can produce more offspring during their lifespan. Their udders are exceptional and produce much milk. The sires breed calves with a low weight at birth.
Individuals reach an impressive size. Calves reach between 1000 and 1500lb. The feed-to-gain ratio is about 5lb of feed to 1lb of gain. This ratio is an important consideration for industry operators since herds are mass raised to supply an immense market.
The success of Irish black and red cattle illustrates what is possible using natural methods of deliberate breeding. At a time when genetic modification is establishing an increasing presence in agriculture, people may still learn from the example of Maurice Boney. The question is as to how genetic modification can improve an already superior piece of steak.
The breed originated during the 1960s when a breeder in Iowa, Maurice Boney, started developing it by concentrating mainly on Friesian cattle with a minor presence of Aberdeen Angus ancestry. Some of the Friesian sires came from Ireland, which is the history behind the name. It has taken about 50 years for the breed to reach its present industry status in terms of its superior breeding potential and quality of meat.
Boney's priority in his breeding program was to keep the genetics as pure as possible. He tried to maintain homozygous traits (where both parents have the same characteristic) rather than involve heterozygous possibilities. As he explained, his approach ensured that the breed's gene pool remained more consistent than that of others. This ensures predictable results in breeding.
Most of the individuals belonging to this breed have black coloring, while occasionally a red one appears. The standard of the hides is relatively high. About three centuries ago in Scotland, Scottish farmers crossbred English Longhorn cattle with their Aberdeen Angus herds to produce animals which were physically stronger and larger. This is a possible reason why some examples of Boney's breed have red hides.
In these breeds, a red hide is associated with a recessive gene, so many members of a herd might have carried it but not had red hides. This is how it may have been transported across the Atlantic. A mammal has two sets of genes for each characteristic, so a recessive gene is one which only manifests in the phenotype (physical offspring) if it is the gene for hide color in both gene sets of the animal.
The meat is tasty and well-marbled. Irish red carcasses receive high industry ratings, at about 90% Choice grade or higher. The meat is therefore suitable for sale and use in any area of the beef industry.
Cattle farmers pay attention to the breeding potential of the animals. The female Irish black or red cattle have relatively wider pelvises, so they do not usually present problems in giving birth. They exhibit significant fertility and their gestation period is also short, at about 280 days. This means that they can produce more offspring during their lifespan. Their udders are exceptional and produce much milk. The sires breed calves with a low weight at birth.
Individuals reach an impressive size. Calves reach between 1000 and 1500lb. The feed-to-gain ratio is about 5lb of feed to 1lb of gain. This ratio is an important consideration for industry operators since herds are mass raised to supply an immense market.
The success of Irish black and red cattle illustrates what is possible using natural methods of deliberate breeding. At a time when genetic modification is establishing an increasing presence in agriculture, people may still learn from the example of Maurice Boney. The question is as to how genetic modification can improve an already superior piece of steak.
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