Blanco Orejinegro - The Endangered White Criollo Cattle Breed of Colombia

Update July 2012: Semen on J.West's El Presidente and J.West's Elvis is now available for export to Colombia and other South American countries. See the link above for additional information.

Blanco Orejinegro Heifer - Beautifully Feminine

      Some time ago I was fortunate to begin a correspondence with Jorge Elias Angel, a breeder of the endangered Criollo cattle breed, Blanco Orejinegro (BON), in the beautiful country of Colombia. Jorge Elias has provided me a grand collection of photos of this Colombian heritage breed, and most of the photos you find in this blog come from his herd of Colombian BON cattle unless otherwise credited.  All photos can be clicked to a larger more viewable size.

Jorge Elias Angel and his little daughter, Luciana

Jorge Elias Angel is a small producer of the Blanco Orejinegro breed, and working with them has led to a great love and passion for these unique, gentle and hardy cattle.  I hope readers find this exploration of the Blanco Orejinegro breed both enjoyable and informative. 

The BON cattle are white with black ears, which is precisely what their breed name, Blanco Orejinegro, means. And like polled and horned Park cattle, Colombia also has a variety of the breed referred to as Blanco Orejimono, and these cattle are white with red ears.

The ancestral basis of the breed dates back to the introduction of European cattle by Christopher Columbus to various parts of the Americas over the course of several expeditions from Spain beginning in 1493.   "The first documented arrival of livestock into current Colombia dates from 1523 when conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas brought 200 cattle, 300 pigs, and 25 horses from Spain to the Caribbean port of Santa Marta (PINZON MARTINEZ 1984 )". (1)

Blanco Orejinegro Cow - A Fine Looking Female

The BON breed evolved from this imported European cattle stock on the slopes of the Colombian Andes, “. . . where the northern winds that originate in Canada die out as they sweep south across the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to dissipate their moisture against the first solid obstacle of mountains, the north face of the Colombian Andes.” (2, Dr. Jorge de Alba) 

Blanco Orejinegro Bull from Colombia's BOHEMIA herd, established by Felipe Buitrago, and one of largest and most respected BON breeding herds in Colombia - This bull could easily be mistaken for a British White bull here in the USA - and would likely be in high demand as an AI sire.

Dr. Alba further tells us that “. . . these intricately woven mountains were taken over by the very fast expansion of coffee growing in the early 19th century. This brought wealth and purchasing power to a scattered population in the Departments of Antioquia and Caldas. Commerce developed before the coming of the railways . . . mules were scarce, so the Blanco Orejinegro was trained as a beast of burden and its appreciation rose in the eyes of the whole population since other cattle could not carry any loads if their backs, or sides at the rib cage were covered with Nuche sores.”    

Historical Photo of Blanco Orejinegro Oxen, circa 1930

The Nuche is a regional skin-burrowing parasite that thrives in tropical rainforest areas and plagues dark haired cattle breeds, causing damage to the leather as well as the health of the cattle infected.  This parasite is the Dermatobia Hominus, known commonly in the USA as the Botfly, and is highly prevalent in Colombia and Latin America. Studies have documented that the BON cattle breed has significantly less incidence of infestation with the Botfly, and this is directly attributed to the white coat color of BON cattle and perhaps to the thickness of their hide as well, although the focus in the linked study above is coat color providing the Nuche/Botfly resistance.

BON Calf Grazing Colombian Pasture

As for the disposition of BON cattle, most descriptive references you find of the BON breed describe them as docile, and Dr. Alba’s work reflects this as well, as he goes on to tell us in regard to their use as oxen -- “The surefootedness of the Blanco Orejinegro, and docility made them ideal for the purpose.”

I asked Jorge Elias Angel about the disposition of his BON cattle, whether he was able to approach the newborns without fear of their dams, walk among the cow herd without them scattering to the four winds, etc… 

Jorge Elias said, “Yes, that is one of the great things . . . they are extremely docile. You can approach them without risk, even when they have just given birth, the problem is to catch the newborn, because they are very awake (alert) . . . they will stand up and run away a few minutes after they are born, and they also have all their teeth.” Jorge also said, “They are one of the most fertile breeds here in Colombia, they are very maternal, calm and docile.”

This is Estrellita, or 'Little Star',  an early March 2011 Blanco Orejinegro newborn.  British White calves are known to be on their feet and scampering around within an hour or so of their new life - which is quite unlike most calves of registered cattle, or calves born in USA commerical cattle herds -- but it is something else they have in common with the Blanco Orejinegro of Colombia!

And in regard to their hardiness and disease resistance, Jorge Elias tells me: 

“BON cattle had to survive in a very hard environment . . . In all these years they had to deal with high mountains, poor grass, natural enemies, etc…, and those things have made this breed possess a high, natural genetic resistance to several diseases, like brucellosis, foot and mouth disease, IBR and external pests like ticks.”

So we have a hardy, disease resistant, very fertile and maternal, docile white cow with black or red ears that was an historic dual purpose animal -- a giver of milk and meat, and a beast of burden.  Sound familiar? Yes, it is hard to miss the descriptive similarities -- this is the well described and documented ancient historical traits of both the polled and horned Park cattle of the British Isles.

Blanco Orejinegro Yearling Heifer

Besides some differences in general conformation from the polled British White today, which you can observe in these various photos, a very distinguishing difference between the evolved and adapted BON of Colombia and a British White cow in my pastures today is their hide.

The work of Dr. Jorge de Alba tells us that “. . . the Blanco Orejinegro possess the strongest, tightest, toughest and thickest hide known to the author in any bovine.”  Now that is a strong statement, and certainly a valuable trait to be perpetuated and protected from loss in any cross-breeding decisions with other cattle breeds. Dr. Alba goes on to describe the hide as “totally pigmented jet black”, and Jorge Elias Angel says the young calves are actually born with pink skin, and that much of the skin pigment darkens to black by the age of about two years -- the skin darkening seems to be in response to the rays of the sun.

Bull from Felipe Buitrago's BOHEMIA  herd of BON cattle

Within some historic polled Park cattle (British White) herds in Britain, there is a very long tradition of choosing a fully blue/grey skinned bull as herd sire if available, and it was my impression from my visit to various British herds some years ago that it is not as common to have a blue-skinned bull born as it once was in bygone days.

Based on my own breeding experiences, choosing a blue/grey-skinned British White bull seems to ensure very strong black color in all the sun sensitive mucus membrane areas of their offspring -- certainly better assures that desirable 'ink-dipped nose' and heavily mascaraed eyes that generally have as well a dark eyebrow – and can result as well in more black spots or speckling in the torso of their offspring. 

Blanco Orejinegro Female

Clearly the use of the best dark skin pigmented bulls in the BON breed, and those with a healthy amount of black spotting or speckling, results in a higher degree of desirable protective dark skin pigmentation, but evenso there are largely white furred calves born as their offspring -- the colored speckling occurring, but embraced, rather than discounted as undesirable.  As in the olden days in Britain -- the dark skinned bull, which generally will have a higher degree of dark spots or speckles -- gives the better, more hardy, calf crop. 

In Colombia, as opposed to British White purist breeders who do not understand that spots of color and speckling are natural manifestations of the breed's genetics, there are some breeders who much admire the BON cattle that are heavily speckled, as we are told by Dr. Jorge de Alba:

“There is a variety called "Azul Pintado" much favoured by some Colombian breeders which has abundant "flea bitten" small black spots giving the bluish appearance. . .”  

In March of 2008 I wrote another blog about the BON breed, and a review of that blog this morning reminded me that even then I was struck by the possible kinship of the ancient Park cattle of Britain and the BON breed. We all can readily accept the genetic potency of what is known in the scientific community as the White Park color pattern -- but what is not yet identified scientifically is the heritable docility that would appear to pass along with this color pattern. Nonetheless, I have seen its strength myself in crossing my British Whites with high strung black Angus cattle – the offspring were without fail much nicer to be around.

Blanco Orejinegro Calf - Dibujo

A glance back at the many references to white cattle with black or red ears within the ancient Celtic oral and written histories of Europe makes it clear that the unique markings of British White cattle, milk white with red or black ears, were well present and much revered since the beginning of recorded history, and they are clearly quite tame cattle easily milked and herded -- easily led to slaughter.

The color pattern, white with black or red points, is found in an interesting assortment of very old breeds of cattle across the world, many of which are described as docile; and I have often hypothesized to myself that the geographic occurrence of these white, docile, and revered old breeds bore some significance to the migratory patterns of ancient humanity.  

BON Cow with Speckled Red-Eared Calf

It is from the Celtic region and culture of Europe that we find the most ancient recorded references to the milk white cattle. But, when one explores history and the known migration patterns of ancient peoples, and as well the pattern of today’s existing geographic occurrence of heritage white cattle breeds with black/red points – it becomes a worthwhile hypothesis that these ancient revered milk white cattle were part of those migrations and left their imprint throughout their travels with their herds-keepers. 

It has long been known that genetically the color pattern of Park cattle is above the actual color genetics of a cow in the DNA chain; thus, a homozygous black cow bred to a Park bull will be highly likely to have a white calf with black ears, a homozygous red cow a white calf with red ears. So as humans migrated from different points, whether it was Africa or the East, or even the migrations of the indigenous peoples of the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain) (3)  -- the white cattle with black points had ample opportunity to replicate themselves and leave offspring behind in various regions.

Blanco Orejinegro Cow/Calf Pair

Given that the color pattern is so potent genetically, the mixing of the white cow with colored points with other cattle in various regions led to geographically differentiated breeds that are white with colored points. Over thousands of years the unique characteristics of particular white breeds developed their modern breed traits through selection, survival, and environmental adaptation that reflected their geographic location -- the Blanco Orejinegro clearly being an excellent relatively modern day example – the BON’s evolved singularly thick, tough and dark hide being a requisite for survival in the Colombian Andes where the sun is hot most of the time, and the ‘Nuche’ always waiting to burrow into their skin and propagate.

The Blanco Orejinegro is part of a group referred to as Criollo breeds in Latin America, and would be considered a somewhat modern day example of an animal’s ability to adapt to geographic location fairly quickly – a mere 400 years or so being a blip in time. “The term "Criollo" has been used since early colonial times in Latin America in reference to both people and animals born in the newly-discovered land from imported parents. (2) 

Stock Photo of the White Caceres/Cacerena of Spain

As already mentioned, the imported parents of the modern day Blanco Orejinegro, or BON, cattle breed, has been traced to the expeditions to the Americas of Christopher Columbus from the coast of Spain.  A limited search for ancient white cattle breeds in Spain finds the highly endangered White Caceres, also known as the Blanca Guadianese and the Blanca Cacereña.  The White Cáceres was developed in the region surrounding Extremadura in western Spain. In this photo, there is a hint of a reddish nose and possibly red on the ear of this breed, and they retain a lyre shaped horn, which was the original characteristic of the ancient horned Park cattle, now quite varied due to documented cross-breeding with other British horned breeds in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Follow this link for a very old photograph of a Chillingham Park bull -- it looks amazingly like the White Cacerena bull pictured below.

Historically, the city of Caceres in the region of Extremadura, is known to have played a role in the early settlement of the Americas:

"Cáceres flourished during the Reconquista and the Discovery of America, as influential Spanish families and nobles built homes and small palaces there, and many members of families from Extremadura participated in voyages to America where they made their fortunes." (4)

There is a 2010 photo of a white cow at pasture in Extremadura found on elaineintherain.blogspot.com, and the blurb with the photo indicates some relationship with the expeditions of Columbus, as well as this photo of a White Caceres bull found in this conservation article -- both photos reflect very faint reddish coloration to the nose and ears.  No doubt this old Spanish breed sailed with Colombus in the early 16th century, and may well be a component of the parent stock of Blanco Orejinegro.  For a truly spectacular photo of a Caceres cow/calf pair, see soscaballolosino.com.

BON Cow with Newborn Calf - Note the Abundant Milk

Whatever their actual European genetic base, be it a kinship with the ancient Park cattle (which seems absolutely the most likely predominant parent stock) or another unrelated white cattle breed of Spain -- BON cattle evolved and thrived in Colombia from the early 16th century until the latter part of the 19th century, when the riches from coffee production led to the introduction of other cattle breeds presumed superior, and the subsequent usurpation of the BON’s dominant position in the region.

Sadly, it only took about 100 years of introducing other cattle breeds to the area to see the decline of this white Criollo breed that so well adapted itself in the Colombian Andes. The BON cattle are now endangered, and through the efforts of many breeders, such as Jorge Elias Angel, the breed is being revived and its clear superior ability to thrive in Colombia once again in focus.

Blanco Orejinegro Heifer

In the United States, there is much importation of the more volatile white Brahman cattle semen, as well as the white Nelore cattle breed for improvement of the hardiness of American cattle. Given the tough dark hide, the disease resistance, the fertility and the docility of the Blanco Orejinegro – this endangered Colombian heritage breed well deserves the focus and attention of North American cattlemen today!    








Related Links:

A Natural Cascade on the Colombian Farm of Jorge Elias Angel

Columbia Tourist Information

Blanco Orejinegro Cattle for Sale


Criollo Cattle of Latin America, by Jorge de Alba, FAO Corporate Document Repository

Parasitism “nuche” fly (Dermatobia hominis) in Colombia

Black Irish (Spanish heritage)  - Wikipedia






IMPORTANT NOTE:  Any use of these photos by others must be credited to the Colombian BON herds of Jorge Elias Angel or Felipe Buitrago, unless otherwise noted in the captions.

Footnotes:

(1) Abundant mtDNA Diversity and Ancestral Admixture in Colombian criollo Cattle
(2) Criollo Cattle of Latin America, by Dr. Jorge de Alba, FAO of the UN Document Repository
(3) “The primary genetic legacy of Ireland seems to have come from people from Spain and Portugal after the last ice age.” said McEvoy. They seem to have come up along the coast through Western Europe and arrived in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Source: The Irish – more Spanish than Celtic?
(4) Cáceres, Spain - Wikipedia
(5) Genetic characterization of landraces and Romosinuano BON  - New Link Added

Below is a photo of a contented Blanco Orejinegro cow in Jorge Elias Angel's BON herd that is 9 months bred, a few days away from calving. She is the very pretty dam of the March 2011 newborn calf, Estrellita, pictured above in this blog, and she will clearly give much milk to the newly born 'Little Star'.

British White Cattle and Grassfed Beef in Carmine, Texas - An Update

UPDATE 5/15/11:  DOUGHBOY IS SOLD, See 'Bulls for Sale' page above for other British White bull prospects. J.West's Doughboy is now offered for sale due to unforeseen circumstances, please visit the bull sale page for current information on Doughboy. He is a fine herd bull looking for new pastures, he was trich and fertility tested on 4/25/11 and is offered for sale at a very reasonable $1400.  See his May 2011 youtube video for the best look at this very desirable bull. 

Many parts of Texas saw a lot of frozen mornings and snowy days in February, which always makes for an interesting time with a cattle herd. Valerie sent me photos of a few of her British White calves in February, and I thought I would update this blog with her latest pictures. They capture quite well the feel and sense of the cold days in Carmine, Texas in February, and you can almost smell the scent of clean crisp days. 

The thick coats of these calves attest to their ability to adapt to changing weather. It is an odd thing I’ve noticed, many British White calves born in the winter, particularly one that turns out to be rather harsh, seem to have a thicker coat at birth, or put one on in short order to protect themselves against the cold.

Valerie and Patrick are working with the BWCAA breed up program, and this photo on the right is of J.West's Sweetie, hands down the best 50% British White cow I raised. Sweetie is a half sister to Bountiful 04 (see below), both sired by 'Doc' Watson, and her dam was an awesome registered black Angus cow. You would think there would be some black on her calves, but just get a look at this very pretty Doughboy sired 3/4 blood heifer she has raised this winter - absolutely a gorgeous heifer.

This photo is of the same cow and calf pictured in my October blog, J.West's Bountiful 04, with a Doughboy sired calf. This meaty looking youngster appears to be growing off very well under the stewardship of Valerie and his dam, and just may have herd sire in his future - rather than grassfed beef for the supper table!  I am fairly sure that this meaty young bull qualifies as an American Fullblood British White, and I would not be concerned about his overmarked dam causing him to throw too much black.  Bountiful 04's dam was actually about the highest selling bred cow in the big Halliburton auction several years ago, and her sire, 'Doc' Watson,  produced many outstanding bulls still working today.  And to add to that pedigree, I retain one of Bountiful 04's daughters, J.West's McQueenie, who is likewise overmarked, but she has given me nothing but incredibly beautiful standard marked heifer calves. 

Doughboy's calves all look very thick and meaty, just what you want in the beef cattle business. Here are a couple more photos of their calves, and you'll note one of them appears to be ready for spring and some brush mowing of fresh grass!

 

 

 

And here is a February photo of Doughboy, he packs a tremendous volume of muscle on his stocky long frame, and his calf crop attests to the fact that moderate framed bulls are more than capable of breeding standard frame commercial cattle - and improving them.

 
Just click on the blog title link up above to view the October blog and photos referenced here.

Update: May 2011 Video of Doughboy.








For Sale - An Incredibly Spoiled and Docile British White Bull in Texas

UPDATE March 27, 2012:  Colonel Beau sold last Fall 2011.  If you are looking for British White females, please see the current offering of J.West Cattle Company above.  This offering includes the dam of Colonel Beau, J.West's Maude Rae, who is a very well made female in her prime, and she comes from a very fertile and milky line of British White females and would be an asset to any herd of cattle, and sells with a spring born Target sired bull calf at her side.  Target is a son of El Presidente, brother to Colonel Beau featured here in this blog.

UPDATE August 29, 2011:   This good-looking British White bull is for sale.  Weight is 1920 lbs on a hip height of 53.5 inches, making him a very meaty Frame Score 3.5 bull.  Contact Al or Dalene Ross.

Here is a nice photo of J.West's Colonel Beau up on his feet, rather than languishing at rest under the care of Darlene.  Colonel is clearly a very nice son of El Presidente, as well as reflecting his maternal lineage from granddam CRAE 215G, an excellent older dam who both ultrasounded and linear measured many years ago by Gerald Fry as an excellent female.  Keep your eye out for Spring 2011 calves sired by Colonel, his daughters ought to be outstanding fertile and milky heifers that will be an asset to your British White herd.


Here are a couple of photos sent to me recently by Al and Dalene Ross.  This first photo is their terribly gentle and clearly spoiled British White bull, J.West's Colonel Beau, who must be about 30 months old now.  What a life!  What a gentle bull and a great herdswoman.  Dalene actually brushes Colonel Beau regularly, and he adores the attention!  Certainly choosing a breed of cattle, or even choosing a bull within a breed, should not be based solely on whether they are dog gentle - but if you can get a good-looking bull like Colonel Beau and he is as gentle as the day is long to boot -- then why choose anything else........

J.West's Colonel Beau, Sire: J.West's El Presidente, Dam: J.West's Maude Rae, About 30 Months Old

This next photo is of Melody, a very well made heifer at 7 months old, sired by J.West's Tom Sawyer, and her dam is J.West's Colleen, coming from my original old CRae 215G cow (Colleen's granddam) that birthed so many fine calves.  This picture of Melody leaves me just green with envy, but also with a really good feeling of having placed Colleen and this heifer with Al and Dalene Ross, who do adore their British White cattle, and have made them so much a part of their every day life.  Melody seems very aptly named, she looks to be a very nice melody of conformation and British White classic beauty, and clearly will be a deep-bodied, clean lined cow that most anyone would be proud to have at pasture.

Melody, Sire: J.West's Tom Sawyer, Dam:  J.West's Colleen, 7 Months Old

Also, note the last picture of the week I posted some time ago to your right.  That photo is Colonel Beau as well, fat and happy, easy-going and easy-keeping -- just what you should expect from British White Cattle.

A Summer of Army Worms and a Newborn Calf Riding in a Ranger

This summer has been one of lots of ups and downs.  In mid-July our pastures were under attack by huge platoons of Army worms.  The grass was pretty and green and tall and just perfect for the coming hot weeks of the heart of summer - and so was a preferred choice for the moth laying critters that leave their Army brats behind. 

We consolidated most of the herd to the very back pastures and hoped the cows would eat faster than the Army worms back there.  Up top, Mike and Mr. Brown, my neighbor, sprayed all the pastures with a watered down Sevin Dust.  We tried to keep the potency less than recommended, and it worked, those northward trooping worms gasped their last breath with their mouths full of my pretty grass - and no I didn't feel the least bit sorry for them.  I highly doubt even the greenest tree hugger would say the Army worm is a 'sentient' creature. 

Then in a matter of weeks all that grass we worked to save was drying out and flopping over from lack of rain.  So, after two weeks of quarantine in the back pastures, the cows came back to drying grass to munch on.  But eventually we did get more rain, about when I started to wonder if I'd have to begin haying the whole of the herd.  The grass came back pretty and thick and it looked like I'd have plenty until the fall, even enough to stock pile standing grass through to maybe December.  But!  The Army worms thought it looked pretty darn good as well.

So they came back!  About the 20th of September, they hit the thickest lushest grass first and headed northward eating everything in their path.  Fortunately, we caught it pretty quick, sprayed again very lightly, and within about two days they quit wiggling and eating my grass.  The poor cows though had to be quarantined for 2 weeks yet again in the back pastures -- and they were none too happy about that!

We finally had to start feeding them hay along about the second week, as you couldn't walk in the pastures, much less drive, without the cows running along with you and begging to be let out.  We fed some left over last years hay that was in amazingly good shape, so it is always good to have some hay left over for just such an emergency.  We fed the hay in the next pasture over, we call it the Sawmill pasture, as once long ago a local sawmill operated on that land.

As luck would have it, a first calf heifer decided to head back to the very pastures where they'd all begged to leave from (there was still grass, they were just tired of being back there, they are peculiar that way); anyway, Opaltine, an overmarked heifer out of Black Sapphire and Elvis, headed back to those pastures.  For hours that evening we searched for her with zero luck.  I was comforted by knowing that no buzzards were circling atop the thicket of woods that run through and around these pastures, hoping that meant she was fine wherever she was.

The next morning I called all the cows back to the Sawmill pasture (they'd eaten within two days all of 3 very big bales of hay) for freshly replenished hay, and I think Opaltine must have heard my shrill "Hey Girls" calling.  Once the rest of the herd was back on their new hay, I went again in search of Opaltine, and there she was coming out of the woods with her little healthy bull calf trotting along beside her.  I was so relieved.

I followed along behind them until Opaltine hit the woods for a shortcut to the next pasture, she was clearly heading for the Sawmill and the hay.  Decided all was well, and came on back to the house.  I checked back a couple of times for the new calf, but he wasn't around, but Opaltine was, eating like the Elvis daughter she is, non-stop.  The last time I checked she was lying down fat as a tick and content, but still without her calf.

So it was off to the woods to track her path and find her calf, as it was now just over 4 hours since I'd watched them trot off into the woods.  I finally found him when he stood up and stretched and started checking out just where in the heck he was and wondering no doubt about where his Mom was.  I scooted him along, picked him up some, scooted him along some more, until we made it out of the woods to the clearing in the video below.

I had my flip video with me, so thought I'd try to film my handling of him, knowing I'd have to drive him out of there to the next pasture.  As a really good example of the gentleness of this breed, you'll see that I pick him up and put him in my lap and drive him on to his dam, while he sits calmly all the while.  This particular bull calf, while he doesn't look like he's full of great promise, is still a good example of the low birth weights of my Carter bull, as well as the good markings he can throw.  This calf is the son of an overmarked female, out of another overmarked female.  He measured 24.5, which is about 50 lbs, and having handled him so much, I'd say no more than 50 lbs for sure.

This was actually the second time I'd tried carrying a calf out of the back in my lap while driving my Ranger.  It was after the first round of Army worm quarantine, and another calf had been born a few days before it was time to move them back up.  In desperation, and pretty much holding my breath with hope, I'd picked that calf up, and it was a good three days old then, and perched her in my lap and we drove across two pastures, her staying quite calm all the while -- and miracle of miracles, she didn't even poop on me!

While you might think that perhaps Opaltine is not a good mother, keep in mind she was a first calf heifer, and apparently a hungry one, and no doubt she'd have gone back to where she felt she had snugly and safely left her calf.  But, coyotes are so bad here now, and these calves so docile, that it is simply not safe to let them stay in the snug spots their Mom's think they've left them in.  As of this past week, I've lost at least 6 grown cats, beautiful calicoes, and one awesome yellow tom - to coyotes.  Buzzards have multiplied as well, and I lost one calf this summer the morning it was born by swift attack by buzzards, so we keep a close eye on the newborns. 

British White Cattle and Grass Fed Beef in Carmine, Texas

UPDATE 5/5/11:  Doughboy is now offered for sale due to unforeseen circumstances, please visit the bull sale page for current information on Doughboy.  He is a fine herd bull looking for new pastures.

          

It has been much too long since I've written a blog, and have decided to get back in the swing of things with the following photos sent to me from Patrick and Valerie Dietz-Klein, British White breeders in Carmine, Texas.  Just over a year ago, in September of 2009, they purchased J.West's Doughboy, an El Presidente son like none other, born April 2007.  The Dietz-Klein's are pursuing a grass fed cattle operation with the goal of direct selling grass feed beef.  Doughboy seems a very nice fit for accomplishing that goal, packing a lot of meat on a very feed efficient frame as well as genetics. 

He is pictured here at pasture, and I was truly amazed to see the incredible growth of Doughboy.  This photo is from July 2010, so he is just over 3 years old and is now about completed his frame growth, though I expect over the next two years they will see him get even thicker and more muscular.  He has very good length of body and you can see the musculature of his sire very evident.

J.West's Doughboy, Pictured as a Yearling

From the moment he was born and throughout his growing months, he stayed fat and rounded and muscular, hence his naming of Doughboy.  Doughboy's dam is J.West's Elsie Edna, a Huck Finn daughter, and one of the two best Huck Finn daughters I've ever raised.  This photo is of Doughboy in May 2008 at 12 months old, looking very well and definitely showing his potential for a herd sire that will pack lots of easy-keeping muscle - but clearly on a quite moderate frame.

J.West's Adrianna with Doughboy sired Calf



Main-Anjou Cow with Doughboy sired British White Calf

 The Dietz-Klein's had their first calf born this past July, it seems Doughboy went right to work on his new job as herd sire, and clearly had no difficulty breeding cows a couple frame scores taller than himself.  The young calf pictured here at left above is presented with great British White color on his black Maine Anjou/Angus cross dam, so kudos to Doughboy for throwing good color.  And the next photo is a one day old Doughboy calf from J.West's Adrianna (a daughter of King Cole), and what a pretty picture that is.  So far it looks like Doughboy is going to throw nice color and very moderate birthweights.



J.West's Bountiful 04 and  Doughboy Sired Bull Calf



It is now October, and Doughboy has put ten calves on the ground, including their first "grandbaby", so check for more photos and additional information on these new additions to the Dietz-Klein herd of British White cattle. 

Update:  This last photo is J.West's Bountiful 04, an overmarked American Fullblood British White cow, sired by DFTX 'Doc' Watson, and whose dam, HRH Bountiful, is still a working cow in my herd.  Here she has a brand new Doughboy sired bull calf at foot, and clearly Doughboy is throwing very nice standard color on both commercial black females and overmarked British White females, such as Bountiful.
See updated photos of this calf in my March 3, 2011 blog post.

The Wild White Cattle of Cadzow and Chartley - A 1903 New Zealander's Report

What follows is an article from 1903 reporting on the status of  the "wild white cattle" of the United Kingdom.  It should be noted that neither herd,  nor the breed in general, is referred to as being either horned or polled.  It is however well documented that both horned and polled 'wild white cattle' were in these old herds.  In 1918 the Park Cattle Society was formed, and a registry inclusive of both horned and polled Park Cattle was established and maintained until 1946.  And of course the quite 'wild' notion that the wild white cattle were descended from the Urus, a speculative fiction perpetuated by the Chillingham's for hundreds of years, was very much still alive and well -- but clearly found somewhat of an amusing notion.

Wild White Cattle.
Otago Witness , 1903

 "In view of the fact that only a few specimens of the original wild white cattle which at one time roamed the forest solitudes of these countries are now left in the United Kingdom, it is regrettable to learn that the herd of those animal's which has been in existence for many years past at Chartley is threatened, with extinction. Some years ago, owing to an outbreak of rinderpest, the herd of these wild white cattle kept by the Duke of Hamilton at Cadzow (see 1835 print below) was reduced to less than a dozen, but, thanks to the adoption of special measures to facilitate breeding operations among them, tho stock again multiplied steadily until the herd once, more reached its original dimensions. The rapidity with which the Cadzow herd recovered itself in that crisis is rendered specially interesting at the present juncture because of the corresponding position into which the herd at Chartley Castle has fallen.

Some time ago a number of the animals in this herd were found suffering from a destructive disease, and before the progress of the malady could be arrested a good many fatal cases had occurred. According to the latest reports the total number of wild cattle at Chartley at the present time falls short of a dozen; it is therefore to be hoped that, as in the case of the Cadzow Park cattle, such steps will be taken as will prevent the extinction of the herd, and the consequent disappearance of one of the most interesting links between the present and the past of stock-breeding in these countries.

The origin of these and the other wild cattle left in England and Scotland has been much speculated upon, but no very definite conclusion has ever been reached.  They are small in size, and there is little to encourage the belief that they are the descendants of the great Urus that was once plentiful enough in this part of the world. But, whatever their lineage, it would be unfortunate if they were allowed to die out, and with them so many interesting associations.

Apropos of these wild white cattle, it is interesting to learn that in browsing on what may be described as their native wilds, they always keep close together, never scattering or straggling, a peculiarity which does not belong to any domesticated cattle. The wild cows are also remarkable for their systematic manner of feeding. At different periods of the year their tactics are different, but by those acquainted with their habits they are always found about the same part of the forest at the same hour of the day. In the height of summer they always bivouac for the night towards the northern extremity of their confines; from this point they start in the morning and browse to tho southern extremity, and return at sunset to their old rendezvous, always feeding close together."

1835 Elegant engraved image titled, "The White Uru or Hamilton (Cadzow) Breed of Wild Cattle."
NOTE: In this 1835 image you see both a horned example of the Park cattle breed, along with a Polled example of the breed; as well, the young calf is what we consider to be under-marked today.

Growth Pattern of Bulls - When are they 'Fully Matured'? At what age do they express their muscling potential?

          I always enjoy calls that come from folks interested in learning more about the British White breed.  Oftentimes, the questions asked of me leave me pondering the question to myself of how I can better answer those questions next time around.  Recently, the question/observation was posed that full muscle expression in bulls wouldn't generally show itself until they were further on the road to maturity.  I was hesitant in that regard, as my first thought was that by yearling age the muscling attributes of a bull should be well visible.  I found myself looking back through photos of various bulls, particularly the ones that I've seen grow to maturity myself or via photographs, which really amounts to just a handful of bulls.

After looking through those photos, I came to the conclusion that the muscling potential really ought to be clear by yearling age under optimal nutrition for the frame score of the animal in question.  And even during the bull's months as a calf at his dam's side, the muscling potential is apparent.  Most often, if the animal is expressing more muscle definition than its peers, it's noticeable; if much less definition than the others, that's fairly noticeable as well.  Pictured to the left is an Elvis sired bull calf that did receive his sires muscling in the rump; he grew up to be J.West's Big Mac, and was the most like his sire, Elvis, of any of Elvis' sons to date, including his good-natured disposition.

That said, without a doubt as the bull matures that muscle expressed in youth continues to increase tremendously as the years pass -- but the basic structure, the basic muscle expression remains the same.  What follows are some photos of my senior herd bull, J.West's Elvis.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate calf photos of him, I didn't take as many pictures back then and didn't have the benefit of a digital camera.  Nonetheless, from the time he was born, he was quite a distinctively made and handsome youngster; thus the name Elvis that was given him. 

I've also included the different weights taken on Elvis over the years, which illustrate quite well for me the transformation of my good-natured, short and chunky, handsome bull calf  into the mature and hefty Frame Score 2/3 herd bull he is today.  Elvis' hip height measure was taken by Gerald Fry when Elvis was just over 48 months of age and he stood 51" over his hook bones.  This puts Elvis at somewhere between a Frame Score 2 and Frame Score 3, depending on charting sources. 

J.West's Elvis was born March 10, 2003, with a recorded birth weight of 76 lbs. using a taped chest measure.  It's possible it was lower, as I didn't hold the tape snugly back then as is recommended for the best weight estimate.  Elvis was weaned in fall of 2003 with an actual wean weight of 438 lbs on the 28th of November.  His dam, Halliburton Adios, a Popeye daughter, weighed 846 lbs on that same day and she was almost exactly 3 years old.   Elvis was her second calf. 

The next weight I can locate on Elvis is from November 12, 2004, and this photo of Elvis' Rump is from November of 2004 -- at 20 months of age.  His weight was 856 lbs., practically a doubling in size over the prior 12 months.  Unfortunately, I can't locate any other photos of him from this group, it predates my switch to a digital camera.  Hopefully, I'll locate the Kodak disc one of these days that the photo came from.

My next actual weight on Elvis was Feb. 16, 2005, at 23 months old, and he had reached 980 lbs., a gain of about 40 lbs. a month, and not bad with  zero grain concentrates that winter.  The photos below were taken in May of 2005 when Elvis was about 26 months old.  He was fully expressing his  muscling - but still had much, much growing ahead of him.

Unfortunately, I don't have another recorded weight on Elvis until May 15, 2008.  At 5 years of age he had reached a weight of 1715 lbs.  The next weight recorded was on December 18, 2009, at what I'm sure is his peak mature weight of  1785 lbs.  He is pictured below at about this same time.  And if you compare the photo below and the one above, the muscle expression is very much the same, just extraordinarily increased.

The growth of Elvis from a 2 year old to his 6th year can  better seen in this March 2009 video of Elvis below.  He does seem to have expressed more muscling with age, he is almost twice as heavy, but he has also laid on a lot of fat at this stage, which can add to perceived muscling in most mature bulls.  In Elvis's case, there is definitely muscle defining him in every way, with the fat cover adding to his natural gifts, although he has lost that bloom of youth and the sharpness of his muscling - I think he perhaps should have to work a bit harder!  Elvis is a 100% grassfed bull, he has high genetic Feed Efficiency, and there's never been a day when he was not well fit.

A British White Breeder in Texas Breaking New Ground in Grassfed Beef

     The Gold Standard in grass fed beef these days is acquiring certification from both the American Grassfed Association and Animal Welfare Approved.  Here in Texas we have a British White breeder who has achieved both certifications -- the Lazy A Ranch in Bellville, Texas, owned and operated by Margot and Bill Heard.  The Lazy A Ranch was established by the Allen (Buddy) and Ethel Carruth family, and was almost 1000 acres at one time. A herd of Santa Gertrudis cows remains with the original brand.

     Margot Heard has a vision, and she has the steadfastness to work toward that vision of providing excellence in healthy grassfed beef for the Houston market.  The Lazy A Ranch  in Bellville has had Santa Gertrudis cattle running on its grasslands for many years, Buddy Carruth began showing Santa Gertrudis cattle in 1953 at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  The descendants of Buddy Carruth's fine cattle still graze the pastures of the Lazy A in Bellville.  But along with this King Ranch developed breed, Santa Gertrudis, that have a healthy dose of old Shorthorn genetics running through their veins -- the Lazy A is now home to a growing herd of British White cattle.

     Margot has her first crop of Santa Gertrudis/British White cross calves on the ground this spring, and a growthier, healthier bunch of calves you can hardly find for many long Texas miles distant.  The Heard's chose to use British White bulls on the Santa Gertrudis herd that they obligingly purchased along with the ranch that the cows have for many generations called home.  Their breed of choice for the long term is British White, the ancient polled Park Cattle of the British Isles; but in the meantime, they are working with their Santa Gertrudis females within the BWCAA breed-up program, along with running a good sized starter herd of British White cows.

     The photos you see here are from a visit to the Lazy A this past May.  Were it not for my elderly dog having a really bad day, I would have much more and no doubt better shots of Margot's spring calves!  But Fred was a real needy old guy that afternoon, and it is quite a trick to take video, much less still shots, clutching a shrillingly whiny old fart like my Fred can be.  But I digress!  It was a beautiful herd of healthy and fit cattle with many cross bred calves at foot, and the photos here were pulled as stills from my flip video camera.

     What has intrigued Margot, and most certainly myself as well, is the very large percentage of British White cross calves that bear quite classic British White markings.  Having crossed with black Angus many years ago, I'd say that about 60% of all my cross bred calves were typical milk white with black point calves, and the remainder were line-backed.

    In Margot's herd, there is a predominance, approaching likely 90%, that are classic British White marked calves, as well as some with red points, despite using British White bulls with black points.  Margot is interested in exploring the genetic relationship of her Gert/BW cross calves via their Shorthorn history, given the large numbers of cross-bred calves exhibiting British White color and markings.  It is a clearly accepted fact in historical documents that the Shorthorn was developed long ago from the polled Park Cattle of the time, or what is known today as British White.

     Margot was running a young British White bull, Aries (pictured left), with the Gerts for several weeks, not really anticipating that he was in any way big enough to really take care of the job, and anxiously looking about for a respectable British White bull of maturity.  Well, she was instead surprised to find this Spring that her young, and even today quite moderately short of frame, Aries, had done his darnedest, and his darnedest was pretty good. (See photo above right for an Aries sired calf.) She has several calves sired by Aries, and they are very thick growthy calves that catch one's eye.  If I weren't juggling too many herd bulls right now, I'd have packed Aries home with me in the blink of time it takes for a determined bull to lay down a fence and proceed!  Aries is now offered for sale by the Lazy A, so give Margot a call for more details on this quite fine young bull.

     The next set of calves Margot had this spring were sired by Tyson, pictured left, a British White bull with excellence in Tenderness genes quite hard to find, having 5 of the 6 known genetic markers for Tenderness.  Tyson is about a Frame Score 5 British White bull, and that's just a guess, not having actually measured him in a while, and he of course settled the remainder of the Gerts in short order.  The calves from Tyson were younger than Aries, but certainly exhibited very good confirmation and color, and they are all the napping younger ones in the photos included here.  I'll look forward to hearing from Margot how all the calves grow off between now and weaning time in the fall.  The photo below is one of the very few Tyson sired bull calves that have been born.  This bull, Tag #40, is out of a Popeye daughter, and has shown outstanding growth this spring.  Tyson, like his sire, J.West's King Cole, has a tendency to throw mostly heifers.

     Tyson is a maternal half brother to my original herd bull, DFTX Watson, always fondly called just 'Doc' by myself and his original owner, Bob Stanley, a very fine and honest man who passed away a few years back.  Tyson has much of Doc's incredibly gentle nature, but at the same time he has more stature than Doc, coming from his paternal grandsire Halliburton Colonel and paternal granddam HRH Arlene. Three of  Arlene's daughters are foundation females in my herd today.  Look for Margot to have some very nice British White females sired by Tyson and perpetuating his clean confirmation and Tenderness genes.

     The Lazy A Ranch in Bellville has laid the ground work for producing and marketing grass fed beef.  As a fellow British White breeder, I am gladdened by her efforts and hopeful for the future of our very gentle, beautiful, and immortalized breed.  The carcass qualities of the British White breed have been enjoyed by the select few for many centuries, being for long periods of history the purview only of wealthy landed gentry in the United Kingdom.  As well, old legend has it that the coining of the word sirloin resulted from King Henry enjoying the loin (or surlonge, the French word meaning 'over the loin') of the ancient Park Cattle of the British Isles -- and dubbing it Sir Loin.

     The Lazy A Ranch is now working in Texas to see the sirloin and more of the British White breed on the dinner tables of many who choose to serve their families a healthy, safe, and environmentally friendly beef product.  Visit the Lazy A Ranch web site for contact information and availability of authentic grass fed beef.

    As well, the Lazy A Ranch has British White bulls and females periodically available for purchase.  You can be sure that the British White cattle available from the Lazy A are in excellent health and are from the best British White genetics available.  To see the cattle available from the Lazy A, visit this link, or visit the web site of the Lazy A Ranch for contact information.  Pictured below is a very fine Santa Gertrudis mama cow peering under the Huisache tree, and it is her young red-eared heifer calf pictured above that she is sternly protecting.

What Role did the U.S. Government Play in the Financial Crisis of 2008?

There is so much transparency in the air the past several days, I do believe the American people have just choked on it -- our minds are surely clogged up with the transparent sophistry of politics, both red and blue; and we are fast becoming color blind and would rather walk around in barefoot bliss rather than bother to figure out what socks match.

Those fortunate enough to breath in transparent methane from a herd of contented cows in their own pasture; those fortunate enough to feel the pleasure of going for a weekend drive with the window down along winding country roads, breathing deeply of the transparent methane of grazing cows in scattered pastures, breathing deeply of the transparent and lovely scent of sweet clover mixed with cow manure........ would much rather be in a perpetual state of barefoot bliss, sockless until the end of time.

Unfortunately, in time the squish of fresh manure between your barefoot toes becomes tiresome, the continued slap of stinging weed day after day barely fades before your ankles are slapped again, and eventually one's attention turns back to just what color socks it might be time to wear -- perhaps a new color entirely. Click the blog title link above for my colorless review of critical factors that led to the Financial Crisis of 2008 that has left so many of us sockless.

Grassfed Beef - The Preference of Alexander Hyde in the 19th Century

In regard to Grass, Alexander Hyde tells us, “. . . we do not think it has yet generally attained the relative position and attention it deserves among the products of the earth. It is like the air we breathe, so common and so cheap, that we undervalue it. We avoid treading upon the blades of corn, but walk upon the velvety turf without compunction, but the grass “crushed to the earth” rises again, and is found, like truth, to prevail over all its foes.”

What a beautiful quote from the past, what a reverent feeling it invokes for the vast grasslands of America, and how appalled Mr. Hyde would be at the current direction of the United Nations and our Nation in regard to legislating less grass for a cow’s diet and more grain. Mr. Hyde also tells us:

•“We should be sorry to confine our cattle to dry hay alone for the six long months of our winter, but if we can not have both hay and roots, we speak for the hay. It is for the animal what bread is for man, the staff of his life.”

•“Let the cattle graze in pastures luxuriant with white clover, redtop, June and orchard grass, and the beef will be fit to set before an English king or a New York alderman.”

•“We have seen cattle luxuriating in rich pastures, whose flanks and sirloins fairly rolled with fat; and we have no doubt that beef thus made is more healthy than where the animal is confined in a dark stall, condemned to breathe impure air, fed with oil cake, and deprived of all exercise.”

•“It is not because we like corn and roots less that we thus speak, but because we like hay more. . . As there can be no question but that we can raise a hundred pounds of hay at less expense than a bushel of corn or five bushels of carrots, it follows that hay should be the leading crop where crops are raised to be fed out to stock.”

Mr. Hyde sounds like a modern day breeder of grass-fed beef cattle! The term ‘grass-fed’ in regard to beef seems to most a modern term, a new term applied to an old and natural approach to raising cattle. However, Mr. Hyde uses the term himself in the following:

“The quality of the manure depends much on the quality of the food the animal consumes. Grain-fed animals give a much richer manure than grass-fed, and those that ruminate digest their food more thoroughly and extract more nourishment from it than those furnished with only one stomach. A pig may live on the excrement of a horse, but would starve on the excrement of a cow.”

Source:  Agriculture: Twelve Lectures on Agricultural Topics: delivered before the Lowell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, 1871, Alexander Hyde

Two Black, or Mostly Black, Calves born to Chartley and Vaynol horned white Park Cattle at the London Zoo

The fine specimens of ancient horned white Park Cattle gifted to the London Zoo had at least two calves born that were 'abnormally colored' or mostly black.  Imagine that...........

The Park cattle at the London Zoo were considered to be "pure wild cattle" and they all sprang from a "Chartley bull and a Vaynol Park cow". (Farm Livestock of Great Britain; 1907; Loudon, Wallace, et al)

We know from the accounts of many dispassionate observers of the 19th century that it was not at all uncommon for non-standard calves to be born to 'wild white cattle' herds and swiftly destroyed.   Storer's 1887 work, "The Wild White Cattle of Great Britain", provides one source -- ". . . and in some (herds) black or black and white calves now and then appeared, but these  were always destroyed when young in order to preserve the original characteristics of the herd." 

I wonder if those two black calves born at the London Zoo (see article below) were destroyed as well. And one thing that always nags at me, is just how did they get those unwanted linebacked or black babies swiftly out of the pasture?  After all, they were supposed to be wild and mean cows, so it would surely have been risky human business.  Ah, they probably picked them off with a rifle shot, now that's the logical human way.

Pictured to the left are Chartley Park Cattle in 1898, with the following caption:

Description: White Park cattle are one of the oldest breeds of British cattle.
In the thirteenth century several herds were enclosed in parks. Today four of these herds remain - Chartley, Chillingham, Dynevor and Cadzow.Chartley cattle remained in Chartley Park until 1904, when only 8 or 9 remained. The herd was sold to the Duke of Bedford at Woburn and crossed with Longhorns to enable the herd's survival.


"A NOTE in the London Times says that the fine herd of Indian cattle presented to the London Zoological Society by the president, the Duke of Bedford, has been a considerable attraction, and now that two of the cows -- of the Mysore and Hussar breeds -- have produced calves, the interest of visitors in these animals has increased.  In the same house is a black calf of the Chartley X Vaynol blood, two abnormally colored calves having been thrown in succession by the same cow."

Source: Science, Volume 28, October 16, 1908; By American Association for the Advancement of Science

Finally, the UN admits the Hoax of their Indictment of the Livestock Industry as the Greatest Contributor to Climate Change

Just when you think the scientific community is deaf, dumb, and blind to the fallacy of the UN's 2006 report, Livestock's Long Shadow, a voice makes its way through the liberal media and exposes the UN's unconscionable and deliberate attempt to indict the production of livestock the world over. 

Dr Frank Mitloehner, from the University of California at Davis (UCD), said meat and milk production generates less greenhouse gas than most environmentalists claim and that the emissions figures were calculated differently to the transport figures, resulting in an “apples-and-oranges analogy that truly confused the issue”. (UK Telegraph, 3/24/10)

On the surface, this appears to be new news -- but it is not.  Dr. Mitloehner stated his views on cows and climate change and the UN's flawed approach to livestock in a December 2009 UC Davis press release.

"UC Davis Associate Professor and Air Quality Specialist Frank Mitloehner says that McCartney and the chair of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ignored science last week when they launched a European campaign called "Less Meat = Less Heat." The launch came on the eve of a major international climate summit, which runs today through Dec. 18 in Copenhagen." (UC Davis, 12/7/09)

The newsy part of this UK Telegraph story is that one of the UN scientists finally admitted that their approach to slamming the production of livestock with every conceivable basket of greenhouse gas emissions might not have been exactly good science.

 ". . .one of the authors (of the FAO's Livestock's Long Shadow) of the report has admitted an American scientist has identified a flaw in its comparison with the impact of transport emissions."  And we are further told,  "Pierre Gerber, a policy officer with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, told the BBC he accepted Dr Mitloehner's criticism.  "I must say honestly that he has a point – we factored in everything for meat emissions, and we didn't do the same thing with transport," he said."But on the rest of the report, I don't think it was really challenged." (UK Telegrah, 2010)

Mr. Gerber does not think the "rest of the report was really challenged"?  Odd.  What Dr. Mitloehner has done is question the veracity of the entire report, and if Mr. Gerber concedes Mitloehner "has a point", then the entire premise and intended result of the report is called in to question -- it is challenged.

The United Nations' clear pro-vegetarian attitude has materially influenced their approach and their conclusions, as well as their own biased press releases, in regard to assessing and then slandering livestock production's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.

Unfortunately, Dr. Mitloehner seems to be of the opinion that a more intensive style of livestock production as recommended by the United Nations, is the best route for guiding developing countries toward more efficient and less damaging production of livestock.

"In developing countries, we should adopt more efficient, Western-style farming practices, to make more food with less greenhouse gas production," Mitloehner continued. In this he agrees with the conclusion of "Livestock’s Long Shadow," which calls for “replacing current suboptimal production with advanced production methods — at every step from feed production, through livestock production and processing, to distribution and marketing.” (UC Davis, 2009)

However, it is not clear from Dr. Mitloehner's quoted statements above that he is actually in favor of modifying the diet of livestock with primarily added grain.  Certainly improving grazing lands and building fences and rotating pastures as we do here in the USA would be a vast improvement of the "current suboptimal production" of livestock in developing countries.  And in terms of climate change, improving grasslands through animal rotation would result in greater carbon sequestration by those pastures.

Of course, the United Nations knows that -- they just don't wish to recommend this as a recommended mitigating policy as it does not fit with their long term goals of controlling the great land mass devoted to livestock the world over.  The UN wants the belching cow off that land.

UN admits flaw in report on meat and climate change

The UN has admitted a report linking livestock to global warming exaggerated the impact of eating meat on climate change.   By Alastair Jamieson  - UK Telegraph
Published: 7:16AM GMT 24 Mar 2010

A 2006 study, Livestock’s Long Shadow, claimed meat production was responsible for 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions – more than transport.  Its conclusions were heralded by campaigners urging consumers to eat less meat to save the planet.

However, one of the authors of the report has admitted an American scientist has identified a flaw in its comparison with the impact of transport emissions. Dr Frank Mitloehner, from the University of California at Davis (UCD), said meat and milk production generates less greenhouse gas than most environmentalists claim and that the emissions figures were calculated differently to the transport figures, resulting in an “apples-and-oranges analogy that truly confused the issue”. 

          . . . . more

A Day in the Life of a Cow-Calf Farmer -- Don't Let the FAO and the EPA Put the Cow in A Feedlot or a Zoo for your Grandchildren to Visit

UPDATE 4/26/10:  Video of Arlene and Elvis' young bull calf at a few weeks old...






Global Warming and Cows -- this has become the focus of so much of my time and energy for several weeks now.  Today, my time was more occupied with my actual real cows, one cow in particular.  She's a cow I nicknamed Donna long ago, in honor of an elementary school classmate who was quite the dominating child -- enough so that I actually remember her taking charge of the classroom when I was in the 3rd grade.  She might have been full of honey do this and that in the first and second grade as well, but I was quite occupied in those years with standing in corners and defending my right to 'talk too much', which my teachers heartily disagreed with. Did you ever have to stand in a corner and keep your nose precisely within a small circle? 

That's pretty much what the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations would have the Cow-Calf farmer in the United States, Canada, Sub-Saharan Africa, China, India, and certainly Central and South America -- that is precisely what the FAO would have us all do -- stand in a corner with our nose in a circle and try not to move, try not to squirm, because to do so might bring down the wrath of our individual governmental authorities directly on us.

It has been interesting to note that when I first began blogging and writing hubpage articles regarding the bogus indictment of livestock in the big Global Warming picture -- that a new visitor to my blog and to my hubs is none other than..........the FAO. What should I think about that? What should YOU think about that? Let your Congressman and Senators know that you heartily OBJECT to the Cap and Trade legislation waiting to come back to the forefront of American legislators and the American media.

If you would like to know just what happened with my day in the life of cow-calf farming, and really my day in the life of Donna, my British White cow, then visit my hub about Donna, it was a very good day in my life as a cow-calf herdswoman.

Socialism - It will Trickle into our Lives - and the Obama Administration's EPA is Helping it Along

The Obama Administration is already gearing up for the next critical component of Barrack's grand plan to redistribute the wealth of America - and that wealth includes the very ground itself upon which crops and cattle are raised.

The health care bill, the so-called stimulus bill, and all the fat salaries of this bloated administration have to be paid for. How? Clearly taxes will be raised, that was surely a given. But, the backdoor attack on the wealth of America is being accomplished through the EPA.

The President is already making moves to legitimize the EPA's regulatory control of greenhouse gases. The EPA's "Endangerment Finding" on GHG emissions opens the door to a vast revenue stream for the use of liberal Democratic salaries and social programs, and will effectively set the stage for the redistribution of American farm lands.

Recognition, or legitimization, of Greenhouse Gases as hazardous to human health is just the first step.  Many, many more recommended "mitigating policies" of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will follow.  The end result will be the transfer of pasture and farm land in to the hands of the federal government, friendly large industrial players, or into the hands of some individual who qualifies for a loan under some federal "redistribution" program -- that you can't touch.  How?  Through the burden of new taxation that forces the small holder out the door and his children and grandchildren into "alternative livelihoods" and leaves them forever distanced from the roots of the rural lifestyle of their ancestors.

Will Brazilian and Australian Cattlemen Actually 'Believe' BioDiesel By-Products will Improve the Nutritional Quality of their Beef?

Here we go again, another 'authority' claims that methane emissions by grazing animals makes up one-third of this planet's greenhouse gas emissions.  Our own EPA provides us a handy chart that makes the respected Dr. Alex Chaves of the University of Sidney look like a student rather than a member of the faculty.  Per the EPA, CH4, or methane, accounts for 14.3% of Global GHG emissions, and that includes other sources beyond cattle, like Coal production.

Dr. Chaves' answer to solving this exaggerated statement in regard to beef cattle methane emissions is.....drum roll please....feeding Australia and Brazil's livestock more by-products to make their belches and their dung more environmentally friendly.  He really caught me off-guard on that position, really, I would have never thought either Australia or Brazil would buy in to this FAO generated bunk of modifying the grass diet of grazing cattle...  and Dr. Chaves actually has the temerity to claim his bio-diesel byproducts will improve the grazing cows nutrition and the quality of beef and milk?

Figure 1: Global Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2004

Greener grazing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

3 March 2010

Gases such as methane expelled by grazing animals make up roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.Dr Alex Chaves, Senior Lecturer of Animal Nutrition in the Faculty of Veterinary Science, is working on ways to reduce these livestock emissions, which contribute to global warming.
Working in collaboration with the CNPGL-EMBRAPA (Dairy Research Centre) and the Federal University of São João del-Rei in his native Brazil, Dr Chaves plans to supplement ruminant feed in Brazil and Australia with biodiesel by-products, such as press-oil seeds and glycerol.
"Brazil has a massive biodiesel industry," he explains. "By using biodiesel by-products in animal feeding, we can hopefully improve animal nutrition and performance, and reduce methane emissions per unit of production."
While Brazil has the second-largest number of livestock animals in the world (170 million head), the quality of its grasses is lower (tropical grasses, or "C4") than those in temperate areas (temperate grasses, or "C3"). This means its animals develop at a slower pace, and therefore emit more methane over their lifespan.
Essentially, Dr Chaves' project aims to improve the quality of Brazil's grasses from C4 to C3, to improve the performance and sustainability of the agricultural sector.
"The better the nutrition, the better the efficiency," he explains. "And the better the efficiency, the less animals you need to produce to feed human beings. This means lower emissions."

"We are trying to kill two birds with one stone," he continues. "We are trying to reduce methane emissions while simultaneously improving animal performance as well as the nutritional quality of the meat and milk."

If the project is as successful as Dr Chaves anticipates it will be, it will help producers to maximise livestock productivity, improve the income of thousands of farmers in marginal regions including outback Australia and lower greenhouse gas emissions, mitigating anthropogenic climate change.

Contact: Michelle Wood
Phone: 02 9351 3191
Email: michelle.wood@sydney.edu.au