Everything on a farm comes down to choosing the correct breed of cattle. What land will withstand? How do they handle various types of weather? How much feed do they require each year? Will your milk or beef sell for what you want? If you know this before buying cows, you’ll see the tradeoffs all at once on a good cattle breed chart. Then you can find a cow that matches your market, climate, and the level of handling you can provide your animals.
Because most commercial producers begins with beef breeds, they’re laid out first on the chart. You’ll find names of animals such as Angus and Hereford. Note is made about frame size and marbling. That’s important if you sell into a commodity market where premiums pay out for consistently high carcass quality. Also in the beef breed section you’ll find heat tolerant breeds such as Brangus and Brahman. That is for those who run cows in southern states. It saves them from learning the hard way that a northern breed will lose its fertility and condition as soon as summer stays above ninety degrees for weeks on end.
How to Choose the Right Cattle Breed
Next, we look at dairy breeds, which has entirely different demands. If you’re producing cheese on-farm, or selling your milk to a creamery, not only does total poundage count, but butterfat content as well. As you can see on the chart, although a Holstein produces significantly more total pounds of milk, the Jersey and Guernsey offer higher solids. This is what makes all the difference for smaller operations who can’t compete based off solely on volume.
And the chart flags something else: temperament, which will matter far more then most new farmers anticipate. A feisty cow in a stanchion barn mean a daily risk instead of a twice-daily chore. The other three factors. Temperament ratings and climate bars, go in separate columns because they usually trump all others. If your help comes from family members rather than paid workers or if you work alone, a calm animal lowers your chances of getting hurt and cuts down on labor. If you’re looking for heat- and cold-tolerant animals, then those ratings show you who will continue to milk or gain weight during an extreme season.
No one breed is perfect, according to the chart. But it does indicate how each ranks on those two lists so that you can determine what compromise you’re comfortabley making. There’s also a little nook in the chart that holds dual-purpose animals; those who provide you with milk to drink around the house as well as with a calf to raise into meat, all from a single herd. For someone on small acreage, that balance can mean the difference between having a hobby and running a real small business. Look at some of the dual-purpose breeds, such as Normande and Dexter; they’re listed with approximate production figures so you get an idea of if it’s realistic to expect one cow to meet your needs on both fronts.
The bottom pullout contains a comparison grid that summarizes all the important numbers at a glance. You no longer have to flip through pages to see which breeds is hardy in your zone, what their frame score is, or what they weigh when grown out. Once you’ve narrowed down the list to a couple of possibles, that’s where the grid comes in handy. You’ll be able to compare the breed that seems promising on paper with the climate and facilities you really do have.
Since many farms no longer keep purely straightbred cows, they also gets their own little chapter on crossbreeding. The chart shows that even if you do not keep two pure lines yourself, using Brangus and other composites still lets you enjoy hybrid vigor. Now, this isn’t to say everyone needs to raise a composite. It’s just that if it’s what you’re doing, it should of be by choice, not by accident.
If anything, the best charts don’t provide an easy answer; they provide you with enough data to make decisions based off the things that really drive your operation. With a chart like this, when you look at it, you should walk away feeling like you know what breed will still thrive on your farm five years down the road, rather than simply looking pretty in a picture.