How to Select Beef Cattle

Beef cattle come in many different varieties, and each has something special to offer the prospective farmer. Depending on your location and experience, selecting a good herd of beef cattle for your farm is a detailed, but relatively straightforward process. The following are some characteristics of cattle you should consider when searching for the perfect stock.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Look for breeds of cattle that historically produce a high carcass yield. This is one of the best indicators of financial value in cattle. The yield is determined to an extent by the animal's environment (food and exercise), but it's mostly attributable to the breed.

2. Choose cattle that have an easy time giving birth to their calves. This is called "low calving difficulty" and decreases the chance that you'll lose either the mother or the calf during birth. A low calf weight usually corresponds with low calving difficulty.

3. Pick a breed that's suited to your environment. For example, if your winters are long and hard, look for a breed like the Beefalo that can thrive in cold temperatures and can forage for food.

4. Consider purchasing cattle like the Belgian Blue that are bred to produce enormous amounts of lean meat. These double-muscled breeds often have difficulties calving, but they can offer good value and are visually quite impressive.

5. Look for a polled breed if you like your cattle to come without horns. Breeds like the Black Angus can even be used to de-horn other animals via hybridization, since the polled gene is dominant.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you have enough feed on your farm to meet the appetite of your chosen breed. A calf won't grow as well if it and its mother are underfed.
• Make sure whichever breed you choose will yield enough profit to meet your expenses. This is common sense, but you should make it a priority when making such a large investment as beef cattle.