Beefalo is a cross between Bison (buffalo) and domestic or exotic cattle of any breed. The purpose of the species cross was to blend the outstanding qualities of the Bison with outstanding qualities of the bovine breeds of the world.

The cross between the Bison and beef breeds combined the superior hardiness, foraging ability, calving ease, and meat quality of the Bison with the fertility, milking ability, and ease of handling from the bovine.

The development of the Barzona began in 1942 when F.N. Bard, an Arizona rancher, decided to develop a breed that would be adapted to their area which was rugged and rocky, with extreme temperatures, sparse rainfall, and scattered feed. He used Hereford, Angus, Afrikander and Santa Gertirudis in more or less equal parts as the basis of the breed. Production records were maintained and a rigid selection was carried out for fertility, rate of gain and mothering ability. Only the most desirable animals were retained for the breeding program. Selection was made for hardiness traits that include good feet and legs and the ability cover rough ground and graze sparse ranges and survive in simi-desert conditions.

Modern Barzona are a hardy medium size beef animal, distinguished a longish horned or polled head. They are generally medium red, but color may vary from dark to light red.

How to Contact the Breed Association:

Barzona Breeders Assn. of America
Box 631
Prescott, AZ 83602
(602) 445-5150

The Aubrac breed is a moderate-framed, highly maternal breed from southern France that was developed centuries ago for production of forage-based beef.

The Aubrac region supports little grain production, so economic reality has propelled selection for productive and efficient beef cattle. As the U.S. industry moves toward more moderate-framed, deeper-bodied and practical cattle, Aubrac have caught the attention of many cattlemen. Developed in an all-forage environment in a remote area of southern France, the Aubrac breed has placed strong emphasis on cows that calve on a regular basis -- or they leave the herd. Maternal calving ease is exceptional. Cows have sound udders and optimal milk production for our major beef producing areas in the United States.

Aubrac cattle will complement British cattle and add muscle in the resulting crosses. They are not as heavily muscled as extreme continental cattle, and therefore avoid the problems associated with those genetics, including calving difficulty and reduced carcass quality.

Ankole cattle go back many hundreds of years and its ancestry can be traced back to Europe and Asia as early as 15000 BC. Today Ankole cattle are distributed mostly from Lake Mobutu to Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa.

They are very hardy animals and can live in very poor conditions with little water and poor grazing. Ankole cattle have a medium-long head, a short neck with a deep dewlap and a narrow chest. Their horns are extremely long and grow outward on either side of the head. They also have fairly large ears through which they lose heat. Most often the coloration is red but fawn, black or pied are not uncommon.

In Africa the animals are highly prized as status symbols, for ceremonial functions and not for their productivity.

How to Contact the Breed Association:

Ankole Watusi International Registry
22484 W. 239th
Spring Hill, KS 66083-9306
(913)592-4050

ANGUS HYBRIDS are black polled composite cattle based primarily on the genetics of American Angus blended with enough Continental Breed genetics to add lean red meat performance to the widely acknowledged Angus carcass quality and maternal characteristics. Angus hybrids have demonstrated the ability to pass on hybrid vigor performance to a wide range of cattle breeds including pure bred Angus cattle.

Angus hybrids have been developed in a number of different combinations using different continental carcass breed genetics to achieve the desired carcass performance. True Angus hybrids are at least 5/8 American Angus and often have as much as 3/4 Angus blood. Data collected over the past 10 years has suggested superior carcass performance can be expected without sacrifice of the normal Angus genetic traits. Most Angus hybrids have the performance data available and some strains have demonstrated a high instance of tenderness and marbling gene markers.

Cattle Today has the information you are looking for about Angus hybrids cattle.

Angus are solid black cattle, although white may appear on the udder. They are resistant to harsh weather, undemanding, adaptable, good natured, mature extremely early and have a high carcass yield with nicely marbled meat. Angus are renowned as a carcass breed. They are used widely in crossbreeding to improve carcass quality and milking ability. Angus females calve easily and have good calf rearing ability. They are also used as a genetic dehorner as the polled gene is passed on as a dominant characteristic.

The breed arose in north-east Scotland in the counties of Aberdeen and Angus. Excavations have revealed that polled cattle existed there in prehistoric times. Deliberate breeding began at the end of the eighteenth century. The breed was first formally recognized in 1835 with the first herd book published in 1862. The first animals were exported to the USA and other countries in 1878.

The American Aberdeen-Angus Breeders' Association (name shortened in 1950s to American Angus Association) was founded in Chicago, Illinois, on November 21 1883, with 60 members. The growth of the Association has paralleled the success of the Angus breed in America.

In the first century of operation, more than 10 million head were recorded. The American Angus Association records more cattle each year than any other beef breed association, making it the largest beef breed registry association in the world.

How to Contact the Breed Association:

American Angus Association
3201 Frederick Blvd.
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816)383-5100