Angus cow

Angus cattle are solid black cattle, although white may appear on the udder. They are hardy, undemanding, adaptable, mature extremely early and have a high carcass yield with marbled meat . They are good natured in comparison to several breeds but are more aggressive than the breeds such as the Hereford. Angus are renowned as a carcass breed , They are used widely in crossbreeding to improve carcass quality and milking ability. Angus females calve easily, partly because of the small size of a typical Angus calf, and have good calf rearing ability. They are also used as a genetic dehorner as the polled gene is passed on as a dominant trait.

The breed arose in north-east Scotland in the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus. Deliberate breeding began at the end of the 18th century. The breed was first formally recognised in 1835 with the first herd book published in 1862. Animals were first exported to the USA and other countries in 1878.

Cross breeding has led to the development of Aberdeen-Angus and Red Angus variants.

As of the latter part of 2003 and early 2004, the American fast food industry has produced a public relations campaign to promote the quality of beef produced from Angus cattle (“Angus beef”). This promotion for Angus beef took hold in the consumer public, in spite of complaints that beef suppliers were merely presenting the same quality beef with a fancy name and a higher price ([1] "Mad about Angus," Phillipine Daily Inquirer, February 24, 2005).

See also

• Cattle
• American Angus Association

External links

• History of the Angus cattle - Oklahoma State University
• Official website of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society
• American Angus Association