# Angus



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Change within...

Regards, Mike

http://www.agweb.com/article/angus_coup_goes_awry_NAA_Greg_Henderson/


----------



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Off topic but my wife tried some Angus cattle for a while but they were just too unpredictable. She wouldn't turn her back on any of them. I've seen them come into the sale barn, blowing, snorting and kicking the walls, even ramming the gates. Needless to say she sent them down the road.


----------



## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

Good article Mike, we have some angus blood in our cattle, they have a lot of good traits but got to agree with Grateful on them being flighty.


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I only know one local who raises registered angus. All my other associates are commercial cattlemen. Since I am not a voting member of the angus association then my voice carries no weight.

My check book however does. The two bulls we added this year are registered Hereford and Brangus. We still have the two angus bulls and they have done well for us and we will keep them.

Our angus cows and bulls are gentle. Temperament plays a huge role in what stays and what gets loaded on the trailer.

I liked the angus breed better before the association tried to become "America's Breed."


----------



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

The closest thing to Angus here is one huge mama cow that's 1/4 Angus, 1/4 Holstein and 1/2 Hereford. She's big and her calves grow off fast and bring really good money.

This her calf at about 2 or 3 days old:


----------



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

I just wonder how many people could tell a difference in a Hereford and Angus steak in a blind test, it wouldn't even have to be a blind test.


----------



## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

Got to give it to the Angus Association they have done a great job of marketing. Got a purebred angus bull right now really good low birthweight bull. Me personally just don't like purebred brood cows. Best calves we have had was Star5 (Hereford x Santa Gertrudis) brood cow crossed with purebred Angus bull. But cattle are like tastes in women some like Blonds, some like brunettes, and some like redheads LOL. Grateful really like the looks of the cow in picture.


----------



## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

Grateful11 said:


> I just wonder how many people could tell a difference in a Hereford and Angus steak in a blind test, it wouldn't even have to be a blind test.


Butcher we use says when you take the tuxedo off of them there is not a lot of difference. I know I can't tell the difference and I consider myself a professional beef eater.


----------



## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

cornshucker said:


> Butcher we use says when you take the tuxedo off of them there is not a lot of difference. I know I can't tell the difference and I consider myself a professional beef eater.


Many people also couldn't tell the difference between a good steak and a grwat one. Or same with burgers. But if it says angus its gotta be good right?


----------



## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

I will guarantee one thing about Angus: they have had the best marketing campaign for some time.


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

deadmoose said:


> I will guarantee one thing about Angus: they have had the best marketing campaign for some time.


The marketing works wonders for the public. When they let go of the employees that were working with people like us, they lost a lot. EPD's and show ribbons are nice but the bottom line is the cows and bulls need to put a calf on the ground that is going to make a farmer the most money.

I remember when I was a kid my grandfather had a registered hereford bull on cross bred cows. Many of those cows were holstein cross we bought from the dairies and bottle raised. Large frames and good milkers can raise some more good calves.

A few years later we began to see Charolais cows making their way into local pastures. Large cows, good milkers and good motherly instincts. Brahman influence also came in about that time.

Almost over night we had the Angus boom. Everything had to be black. Around here that meant putting a black bull on any cow you had.

One farm here consistently produces #1"s with the Charolais cows and a nice black bulls. That cross and the Charolais/ Hereford cross sell as well as anything solid black here.


----------



## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Angus cattle and John Deere are very similar. Do either of them have the best product. Maybe. Maybe not depends on who you ask. BUT. They both have some excellent marketing.


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

hog987 said:


> Angus cattle and John Deere are very similar. Do either of them have the best product. Maybe. Maybe not depends on who you ask. BUT. They both have some excellent marketing.


And resell value.

I was at a local hamburger joint last year and noticed a sign promoting Angus burgers. With a straight face I asked the girl taking my order if the Angus was Black Angus or White Angus? She initially replied, "Black Angus", then said she would have to ask to make sure. She asked the manager, who thought a second and replied, "Regular Angus".

I look dismayed and told her I was allergic to White Angus but could eat Black Angus. Since they were not sure I would just order a regular burger.

My mother-in law was listening and I thought she knew I was spoofing. A few days later she called to tell me she was at another hamburger place and saw a sign that said Black Angus burgers and it was safe for me to eat Angus burgers there. She was genuinely concerned that I might have an allergic reaction.

Once you take the wrapper off all that matters is the marbling.


----------



## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

Grateful11 said:


> I just wonder how many people could tell a difference in a Hereford and Angus steak in a blind test, it wouldn't even have to be a blind test.


Or Angus vs. a well raised Holstein for that matter.


----------



## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

In all honesty about the best beef to eat is a half jersey cross. Does not matter too much what the cross is as long as its a beef cross that will add some size and marbling. Very rarely does one even need a knife to cut the steaks.


----------



## Colby (Mar 5, 2012)

Grateful11 said:


> Off topic but my wife tried some Angus cattle for a while but they were just too unpredictable. She wouldn't turn her back on any of them. I've seen them come into the sale barn, blowing, snorting and kicking the walls, even ramming the gates. Needless to say she sent them down the road.


All registered cattle are being lined bred so bad. Leaving them inbred and other quality defects is why they act goofy. Don't own a single full blood angus cow or bull down here. Only have 2 sure nuff Brangus cows out of 350 momma cows, got a hand full of half blood Brangus f-1s as well. They can't take the heat but that's minor. I just don't like them period. 
Wouldn't mind having a set of red angus cows to put with a Brahman bull though. They're a little different. A lot harder to find too.


----------



## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

My cows are mostly black angus based. I do have some F1 baldy crosses and maybe a little black gelbveigh from some crossbreeding. My cattle are gentle and tame. I have bought some angus cows that were not so tame. They went down the road. I cull pretty hard for disposition. I've seen mean, wild, flighty cattle in about any breed. I've also seen tame gentle cattle in about every breed. A neighbor here has some of the wildest, craziest, flighty Herefords you've ever seen. I helped work them last fall, never again. I've worked buffalo and I'd rather work buffalo again before that group of Herefords. Most Herefords I've been around are pretty gentle, that group not so much. Salers and Chianina are probably some of the worst I've been around. 

I agree the Angus beef thing is just a great advertising by the Angus Association. How an animal is fed has more to do with the quality of its steak than what breed it is. When my Dad milked cows he fed out his Holstein steers on the Doboy feed program. Basically full feed corn with a special pellet and no hay. Made for some of the tastiest steaks I've had. 

I always like to laugh when I see hamburger advertised as certified angus. Just because its Angus it tastes better? lol Don't people realize once its ground up marbling doesn't matter anymore? I've recently seen certified Hereford steaks and such in a flyer from a grocery store here, so the Hereford breed must be jumping on that bandwagon also.


----------



## Colby (Mar 5, 2012)

Honestly, IMO, the angus association should be pushing the red angus so much more. They are way better than the black angus. Better milk production, better carcass weight, more heat tolerance just to name a few things. 
But maybe it's better for the breed that the AA doesn't push it? Could wind up a mess like the black angus now.


----------



## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Colby said:


> Honestly, IMO, the angus association should be pushing the red angus so much more. They are way better than the black angus. Better milk production, better carcass weight, more heat tolerance just to name a few things.
> But maybe it's better for the breed that the AA doesn't push it? Could wind up a mess like the black angus now.


You should come up my way. The red angus are starting to displace the blacks.


----------



## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

My wife is interested in the red angus angle. My daughter is 2 years from 4H showing so we are trying to figure out what breed to get since she needs registered animals to show. Haven't seen many red Angus around. Granted there is usually just one farm of each at the fair except for highlanders which seem to be the Llama/Alpacas of the beef world.

However I perfer the attitude of our Herefords and Hereford/Pinz crosses.

I agree with the marketing angle, Angus is right up there with Deere and Harley. People that don't have a tractor, cow or a bike can still tell you what the "best" one is.


----------



## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

I agree with Colby about the red angus. I've got black angus and dad has red angus. I've always liked red cattle better but when I got into cattle I bought a group of black angus cows and just continued to stay with black. Red angus are just as good as black and reds might even be better for crossbreeding IMO. Some red angus are more prone to foot problems, but by buying bulls from breeders that have culled hard for it has made that less of a problem.

I always liked to tease dad when we sold calves that my blacks always did a little better and weighed a little more. Last year he had a group of red steers that brought a little more than a group of my blacks that weighed the same. I still haven't heard the end of it. haha


----------



## Supa Dexta (May 28, 2014)

Yeah reds and crosses are starting to bring a premium, the brain washing is ending.


----------



## Ray 54 (Aug 2, 2014)

I have to agree a good steak comes from a fat animal,and the Angus marketing people have spread the most bull the furthest.Oh don't put grass feed beef in my wife's kitchen.And most of us here could tell a Holstein from Angus steak because if finished to the same quality the Holstein steak will be much bigger.

As for genital cattle they come in all colors and sizes just like wild cattle. Spend more time around your cattle it helps.But some will never com down,send them to market.There are good cattle in all breeds,but was raised to like Herefords the best.Herefords are out of fashion in California it has got hard to find good bulls so I gave up and joined the masses and us all Angus bulls the last 2 years.

The one thing that needs to be worked on is feed efficiency. The breed that wins that race will be hard to stop.


----------



## 3srcattleco (Apr 24, 2014)

Angus... Because the market pays more for black cattle. Or at least here it's a noticeable difference. Angus has been brought down so much it's not even funny we've bred so much Holstein in them to get this LBW nonsense. There is a place for low birthweight bulls and it only on heifers. Weight is cash in this business. If you have cows that have to have 40 lb calves then you don't have a good cow. Take for example. If two skinny humans have a baby most likely that child will be skinny. Same theory goes for cattle. I get tired of hearing 1407 at bull sales. I like my women skinny and my black girls big. Lol. Angus is a great breed we run a lot of them. We have had to pull one calf in prob 5 yrs. out of 175 mommas yea we have lost some calves but they were all born. We cull the cattle pretty hard and it pays off.


----------

