Australian Brangus are a polled breed of

beef cattle Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk (production)). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf opera ...

, developed in the tropical coastal areas of

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by crossbreeding Brahman and

Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

cattle during the 1950s.

History

Brangus were first developed in the

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and later developed independently in Australia as the Australian Brangus. The breed was produced to establish higher

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and

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than that of other cattle breeds. They are a widely used source of meat throughout Australia and exported to countries such as

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and

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Benefits

The Australian Brangus cattle are about Brahman and Angus in their genetic makeup, however, the Brahman content can range from 25% to 75%. This allows beef producers to select cattle suitable for their local environment. The cattle are predominantly a sleek black in colour, but red Brangus are also bred. They have a very low rate of eye cancer, which can be a problem in many white faced breeds. Their head is of a medium length with a broad muzzle and forehead. Australian Brangus are also good walkers and foragers and "do well" in a wide variety of situations. The Australian Brangus Cattle Association Ltd. performance records the herd using the internationally recognized Breedplan for monitoring fertility, growth, milk and carcase quality. Delbridge, Arthur, The Macquarie Dictionary, 2nd ed., Macquarie Library, North Ryde, 1991

References

*Stephens, M (''et al.''), ''Handbook of Australian Livestock'', Australian Meat & Livestock Export Corporation, 2000 (4th ed), "The Land Stock Types"

External links

Australian Brangus Cattle Association
Cattle breeds Cattle breeds originating in Australia {{cattle-stub