The beef industry in the USA is enormous. Supplying it with meat is beyond the ability of local farmers and some American beef is imported from elsewhere. However, the breed of cattle with the most impressive reputation is none other than the locally developed Irish black and Irish red variety. Irish red cattle are a homegrown example of superior breeding performance and meat quality.
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.
Most of these cattle are born with sable hides, but a few of them are red. The quality of their hides is high. One possible explanation for the sporadic appearance of a red individual is that, about 300 years ago in Scotland, Aberdeen Angus cattle were interbred with English Longhorns, in order to produce larger, more powerful specimens.
The Irish red hide is caused by a recessive gene, so it may be present in many individuals but not expressed in hide color. This is how it may have arrived from the UK. Mammals have two genes for each characteristic, so if a gene is recessive it won't be expressed in the phenotype (the physical animal) unless it constitutes both genes.
The meat of Irish black and red cattle has a pleasant taste and marbling. It is graded 80 to 90% Choice or higher. Carcasses receive similar ratings. The meat is thus saleable to any industry sector and can be used in any processing activity.
Farmers are also interested in the breeding performance of the animals. The females have broader hips, so there are seldom birthing complications. The gestation period is a relatively short 277 days, so the average female calves more times in her life than other breeds. Fertility among females is high, and so is the ability of their udders, enabling a high yield of milk. Males have a long lifespan and sire calves with a low birth weight.
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.
Most of these cattle are born with sable hides, but a few of them are red. The quality of their hides is high. One possible explanation for the sporadic appearance of a red individual is that, about 300 years ago in Scotland, Aberdeen Angus cattle were interbred with English Longhorns, in order to produce larger, more powerful specimens.
The Irish red hide is caused by a recessive gene, so it may be present in many individuals but not expressed in hide color. This is how it may have arrived from the UK. Mammals have two genes for each characteristic, so if a gene is recessive it won't be expressed in the phenotype (the physical animal) unless it constitutes both genes.
The meat of Irish black and red cattle has a pleasant taste and marbling. It is graded 80 to 90% Choice or higher. Carcasses receive similar ratings. The meat is thus saleable to any industry sector and can be used in any processing activity.
Farmers are also interested in the breeding performance of the animals. The females have broader hips, so there are seldom birthing complications. The gestation period is a relatively short 277 days, so the average female calves more times in her life than other breeds. Fertility among females is high, and so is the ability of their udders, enabling a high yield of milk. Males have a long lifespan and sire calves with a low birth weight.
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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