Black Angus

From Wikipedia: “Aberdeen Angus is the original name of the breed, which was developed in Scotland from aboriginal cattle native to the counties Aberdeenshire and Angus, and the term is still in use in the United Kingdom, Europe, and other parts of the world, but no longer widely in the United States.

“On May 17, 1873, George Grant brought four Angus bulls to Victoria, Kansas. He took the bulls to the fair in Kansas City where they were the topic of much conversation at a time when Shorthorns and Longhorns were the norm. The black hornless animals were often called “freaks” by those who saw them. The bulls were used only in crossbreeding and have no registered progeny today. However, their offspring left a favorable impression on the cattlemen of the time and soon more Angus cattle were imported from Scotland to form purebred herds.”

From the original Angus cows imported in the US different breeders favored either the black or red colors and soon they were regarded as different breeds although closely related. I’ve written about the Red Angus previously. The Black Angus in the US are now commonly referred to as simply Angus. As of 2007 there were 348,000 head of Black Angus cattle registered with the breed association and most of those are in Montana, Texas, and Nebraska.

The two main selling points for Black Angus are that mature cows crossed with Angus bulls have virtually no calving problems, regardless of their Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs). And calves sired by purebred Angus bulls are polled (no horns). Breeders save time and expense by eliminating having to take horns off their calves. The breed association also states that “Angus and Angus-influenced feeder cattle are in demand with cattle buyers. They are efficient in the feedlot and have been proven to grade Choice with fewer days on feed than other breeds.”

The American Angus Association is the nation’s largest beef registry association with over 30,000 adult and junior members. Their website states “Our goal is to serve the beef cattle industry, and increase the production of consistent, high quality beef that will better satisfy consumers throughout the world.” Jay King is President and Bryce Schumann is CEO of the St. Joseph, Missouri based association.

You can get to the American Angus Association website by clicking HERE.