The Brangus is an American hybrid

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

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 ...

derived from

cross-breeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...

American Angus The American Angus is an American breed of beef cattle. It derives from the Scottish Aberdeen Angus population, but may only be black; red-coated individuals may not be registered with the American Angus Association, but can be registered as R ...

and

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

stock. Registered animals have 5/8 Angus and 3/8 Brahman parentage. A similar hybrid breed, the Australian Brangus, was separately developed in Australia from about 1950.

History

Research into

crossbreeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...

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 * ...

and

stock was begun in about 1932 at the Iberia Livestock Experiment Station of the

Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...

of the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

near

Jeanerette, Louisiana Jeanerette () is a city in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States. Known as "Sugar City", it had a population of 5,530 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, a decrease of 467 from the 2000 tabulation of 5,997. ...

, where crossbreeding of Brahman and

Shorthorn The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late eighteenth century. The breed was developed as dual-purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however, certain blood lines within the breed always em ...

cattle had already shown good results. It was hoped that the good adaptation of the Brahman to hot and humid conditions could be combined with the better meat qualities of the Angus, as well as its black coat and polled characteristic. An ideal proportion of 5/8 Angus to 3/8 Brahman was established. By 1949 the cattle were distributed in sixteen American states and in Canada. A

breed society Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members ...

, the American Brangus Breeders' Association, was formed in that year; it later became the International Brangus Breeders' Association. In 2016 the Brangus was present in twenty-six American states. The population reported for the United States in 2010 was ; in 2017 it was . It has been exported to many countries, particularly in South America. It is reported (without distinction from the Australian Brangus) from twenty countries, with large populations in Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.

References

{{Cattle breeds of the United States Cattle breeds originating in the United States Beef cattle breeds