Farm Update:

So far our winter has been what we would call normal for us. A lot of rain, fog, wind and temperatures close to or below freezing. Fortunately we have enough barn space so that our cows can stay inside if necessary. Their feed bunkers are also inside so we avoid most of the winter mud issues. We have already had several rare Heritage Shorthorn calves born that we feel quite positive about and look forward to several more.

Quarterly Topic: Are Heritage Shorthorns A Separate Breed Of Cattle?

Back Story:

Some of what I will include in this Shorthorn Bulletin has been presented in past SB issues. Hopefully I can integrate it to achieve clarity on the question of whether Heritage Shorthorns should be considered a separate breed of cattle. Several recent developments in Shorthorn registries around the world have brought lucidity to that question.

What is a Cattle Breed?:

To be a cattle breed certain prerequisites must be met. The cattle in question must be a closed group, similar in origin, traceable by related descent, and must have a group of distinguishable characteristics. An example of a group of cattle that would not be a breed are black cattle. Similarity may end at color and they may have a whole range of other characteristics that are a smorgasbord with no relationship in origin or type. Almost all cattle breeds today are not true to the definition of a cattle breed as they have incorporated genes from other breeds to expedite change and are essentially upgraded to purebreds as defined by their breed association/society. This has resulted in both confusion and the loss of important DNA that made a particular cattle breed valuable to the whole genetic pool of cattle genes. Using the black cattle analogy many individuals would assume if they saw black cattle they are black Angus but in today’s rush to black they might be part Simmental, part Limousine, part Gelbvieh, part Shorthorn, or some other mixture of cattle genetics with the only related overt characteristic being black color. In other words a crossbred.

Formation Of The Shorthorn Breed:

When the progenitors of the Shorthorn breed were being amalgamated from 1780-1820 certain distinctive cattle traits were part of the incorporation process. The void in transferable traits which existed in cattle during that time frame needed to be addressed. I would refer anyone interested in the early history of Shorthorn cattle to the Heritage Shorthorn Society website: www.heritageshorthorn.org. What emerged from the process of building the Shorthorn breed was a group of cattle that possessed many reproducible, desirable traits that were needed to improve all cattle at the time. Thus, Shorthorns became known as the “mother of all cattle breeds”. Approximately 40 breeds used Shorthorn genetics as part of their genetic base. Maine Anjous would be a classic example.

Variation Within The Shorthorn Breed:

Shorthorns rapidly gained acceptance on the farms of Old England because of their versatility. Slowly certain traits were accentuated through selective breeding, producing both beef and dairy types, along with dual purpose. Reference can be made to the saying “Bates breeding for the pail and Booth breeding for the butcher”. The fact that all this utility was present in one genetic package is a testament to the genetic selection talents of those breeders who codified the traits that made the Shorthorn breed famous throughout the world. Today the complete remnants of that original genetic package are only found in a limited number of Shorthorns which are now called “Heritage Shorthorns”.

Heritage Shorthorns Versus Modern Shorthorns Versus Other Cattle Breeds:

Present day “Modern Shorthorns” are mostly a blend of traits brought together through cross breeding rather than using selective breeding to preserve the original special DNA makeup of Shorthorns. This also applies to all other modern breeds of both dairy and beef cattle. Cattle breeders today are always eager for a quick fix to genetic issues with no regard to the long term consequences. There are a litany of examples to validate that statement. The introduction of the Myostatin E226X, double muscling gene, is an excellent example. Most likely it came from Maine Anjous but certainly there are other cattle breeds that may have been the origin. Fortunately Shorthorn breeders in most countries are in the process of removing it from their Shorthorn gene pool through testing, although the American Shorthorn Association has not taken that step. It has not been a problem in the Heritage Shorthorn breed because it never was in the original Shorthorn gene pool.

The Heritage Shorthorn Breed:

There is no question that Heritage Shorthorns are a special breed of cattle because they are “true to their roots” and have the ability to trace every one of their ancestors to the Coates Herd Book of 1822. No other breed of cattle in the world can do that today. Any rudimentary examination of the pedigrees of Modern Shorthorns, be they beef or milking, will inevitable directly trace to the inclusion of other cattle breeds. Breed associations/societies try to gloss this over by an upgrading process as an individual animal that may have been 97.5% pure suddenly is called 100% through upgrading. This simply is false advertising and is misleading at its best and deceitful at its worst. Unfortunately buyers, unless they have done a thorough investigation and asked a lot questions, have no idea they have been hoodwinked by the “100%” label. This is the state of the cattle industry today—upgraded cattle being called “pure”. All the EPDs, genetic tests, breed promotions, and shows cannot erase the fact that they are not pure. Unfortunately this cross breeding leads to the infusion of “foreign” DNA into the original Shorthorn genome and causes the loss/dilution of the special genes that separated true Shorthorns from other cattle breeds. It is also a societal loss because lost DNA can not be recovered. Apparently this fact is missing in the thinking of most cattle breed associations today as they try to justify their bureaucracy, registration fees, testing rules, and existence.

Heritage Shorthorns are genuinely the only pure cattle breed except for a few other Heritage breeds. Their unique blend of beef, dairy, and dual purpose genetics, plus adherence to purity, can be exploited in many ways to improve the state of the cattle industry today. Reaching into that genetic bank can insert useful genes for almost any trait in cattle. Also it maximizes hybrid vigor when crossed with other cattle, including Modern Shorthorns, because it is pure. I firmly believe that the Heritage Shorthorn breed has a bright future because of its uniqueness, extensive genetic trait bank (beef, dairy, and dual purpose), and enthusiastic supporters. The fact is that it is the “only game in town” when it comes to a reservoir of pure cattle breed genetics, and it comes in a package that easily adapts to almost any environment or management system. Heritage Shorthorns are absolutely a unique and valuable asset for modern cattle breeding that can be utilized in may different ways as more and more people “discover” the opportunities within the Heritage Shorthorn breed.

Mandalong Super Flag—Heritage Shorthorn Bull

This is the Last New Issue Of The Shorthorn Bulletin:

After 10 years I have decided to permanently stop writing the Shorthorn Bulletin. It is not because of a lack of topics. There is a wealth of potential topics but time for all of us is a limited commodity, and I have other interests that I want to pursue. Hopefully I have stimulated readers to at least look at the classic Shorthorn breed through “new glasses” rather than simply be bamboozled by different types of charlatans and breed associations that pretend they value the Shorthorn breed, when in reality they are only interested in money and in perpetuating a false narrative around the purity of crossbred Modern Beef and Milking Shorthorns. True believers in the value of the Shorthorn breed are gravitating toward Heritage Shorthorns. I trust that the many young, serious breeders of Heritage Shorthorns will carry on the legacy of those who have preserved Heritage Shorthorn genetics over the years, and that they will improve on what my wife and I started with the creation of the Heritage Shorthorn Society. The Shorthorn Bulletin has always been a venue to bring new ideas/view points to Shorthorn enthusiasts. It has allowed me to put the facts about “Modern Shorthorns” on the “internet table”. Other breeders have “nibbled at the edges” and privately complained, but have rarely spoken out publicly about all the problems with Modern Shorthorns and the breed associations/societies promoting them Before I started the Shorthorn Bulletin there were only breed magazines and breed associations that constantly regurgitated the same “propaganda”. The recent establishment of a Heritage Shorthorn Breeders Facebook page by two other Heritage Shorthorn breeders now provides a forum for those interested in Heritage Shorthorns to discuss the many nuances of this breed with other enthusiasts in a free, open environment. In that sense I believe my job is done.

All of the issues of the Shorthorn Bulletin posted over the past 10 years will remain online for the foreseeable future, and so will be accessible to anyone interested in previous topics.

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Joseph Schallberger, DVM, PhD
Whispering Hills Farm
Member Academy of Veterinary Consultants