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.
In the 1960s, Iowa cattle breeder Maurice Boney started to develop the breed by using Friesian and a small proportion of Aberdeen Angus lines. Some of the Friesian bulls were from Ireland, hence the Irish part of the name. After a process of approximately 50 years, the Irish Reds of today are renowned in the industry for their breeding prowess and standard of meat.
Boney's approach was to try to maintain the purest possible genetic material in his herd. He did this by preserving homozygous traits. A homozygous trait is one which stems from both parents having the same genes for a specific characteristic of their offspring, instead of the heterozygous possibility, which is the opposite. His stated intention was to maintain a uniform gene pool. This in turn leads to more predictable outcomes in breeding.
The majority of these animals have black hides, although some are red. The hides are of a high standard. A possible reason for the occasional red animal is the importation of cattle from the UK. In the 1700s, Scottish Angus herds were intermixed with English Longhorn cattle to achieve bigger, stronger animals. The red coloring was transmitted too.
The red coloring is linked to a recessive gene. This means that individuals may carry the gene but still have black hides. Any characteristic of the animal is associated with two genes. A recessive gene will only be noticeable if it is both genes for that specific phenotype trait. This is possibly how the gene for red hides was imported to the USA.
The meat of has a distinctive taste and is generously marbled with fat. The carcasses are rated higher, too. The meat is 80-90% Choice grade or better. It can therefore be sold to any sector of the industry, and be used for any purpose.
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.
This breed grows to a considerable size, with the calves reaching 1300-1400lb. They gain about 1lb for every 5lb of grain fed to them. This is an important statistic in an industry that mass produces meat for a large market.
The reputation and quality of Irish black and Irish red animals shows what the traditional methods of selective breeding can accomplish, and people should take note of Boney's achievement. This is in light of the recent emergence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their subsequent cultivation in agriculture. It remains to be seen how genetic modification can enhance the primest fillet in the USA.
In the 1960s, Iowa cattle breeder Maurice Boney started to develop the breed by using Friesian and a small proportion of Aberdeen Angus lines. Some of the Friesian bulls were from Ireland, hence the Irish part of the name. After a process of approximately 50 years, the Irish Reds of today are renowned in the industry for their breeding prowess and standard of meat.
Boney's approach was to try to maintain the purest possible genetic material in his herd. He did this by preserving homozygous traits. A homozygous trait is one which stems from both parents having the same genes for a specific characteristic of their offspring, instead of the heterozygous possibility, which is the opposite. His stated intention was to maintain a uniform gene pool. This in turn leads to more predictable outcomes in breeding.
The majority of these animals have black hides, although some are red. The hides are of a high standard. A possible reason for the occasional red animal is the importation of cattle from the UK. In the 1700s, Scottish Angus herds were intermixed with English Longhorn cattle to achieve bigger, stronger animals. The red coloring was transmitted too.
The red coloring is linked to a recessive gene. This means that individuals may carry the gene but still have black hides. Any characteristic of the animal is associated with two genes. A recessive gene will only be noticeable if it is both genes for that specific phenotype trait. This is possibly how the gene for red hides was imported to the USA.
The meat of has a distinctive taste and is generously marbled with fat. The carcasses are rated higher, too. The meat is 80-90% Choice grade or better. It can therefore be sold to any sector of the industry, and be used for any purpose.
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.
This breed grows to a considerable size, with the calves reaching 1300-1400lb. They gain about 1lb for every 5lb of grain fed to them. This is an important statistic in an industry that mass produces meat for a large market.
The reputation and quality of Irish black and Irish red animals shows what the traditional methods of selective breeding can accomplish, and people should take note of Boney's achievement. This is in light of the recent emergence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their subsequent cultivation in agriculture. It remains to be seen how genetic modification can enhance the primest fillet in the USA.
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