New Bloodline in Beef Herd
- John Deck
- 14 minutes ago
- 2 min read
This week we added a new bull to our beef enterprise. He is a five-year-old Charolais bull who we plan to use for 2 years. After two years we will rotate in a new bull in order to keep the herd genetically diverse.
He joins our other bulls who are Angus and Galloway.
The Charlolais breed comes from France and is white and very well muscled, as you can see on our new bull. They were first introduced the Americas in Mexico in 1930, and then that herd spread to the U.S. in 1936. They have had a great impact on the beef industry in our country, frequently being used to strengthen other breeds, and they thrive in the range land practices of the west, according to Oklahoma State University.
Despite the fact that this bull is a Charolais, the most important breed we rely on is the Galloway. We've chosen traditional Galloways because they are exceptional mothers, efficient grazers, and remarkably well suited to life on pasture. They thrive in Oregon's climate, convert grass into high-quality beef, and have the calm temperament and longevity we value in a regenerative farming system.
To keep these qualities strong, we retain Galloway daughters to become the next generation of breeding cows.
Some of our Galloway cows, however, are bred to an Angus or Charolais bull. Those calves are raised entirely for beef, combining the maternal strengths and forage efficiency of the Galloway with the growth and muscling of these well-known beef breeds. We don't keep these crossbred calves as breeding stock—we simply enjoy the excellent beef they produce.
By matching each breeding to its purpose, we're able to preserve the genetics that make our Galloway herd so special while continually producing outstanding pasture-raised beef for our community.
Healthy pastures. Healthy cattle. Great beef. That's the goal.
