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What Are the Common Breeds of Beef?

Beef cattle, like most other forms of commercial livestock, are always a work in progress. Although there are several breeds widely raised in America, breeders and researchers are always looking for ways to improve production by finding combinations of bloodlines that will result in more of an animal's desirable characteristics and fewer of its less-desirable traits. Most beef cattle today derive their genetic makeup from British and Continental varieties.

British Breeds
- Most of the cattle introduced to America during its formative years came from Great Britain. Farmers emigrating to the colonies took the crops and livestock breeds they were familiar with and established them in their new country. The most widespread cattle for beef or dual-purpose use were the black and red Angus, the Hereford and the shorthorn. These are all relatively compact animals, smaller than Continental or Asian breeds. They grow quickly to market weight and produce flavorful, well-marbled beef, but their carcass weights are considered low in the modern meatpacking industry.
Continental Breeds
- Many breeds from Continental Europe have been introduced to America. They are larger animals than the British breeds, and are often heavier milkers. Some of the more widely reared Continental breeds are the French Charolais, Limousin and Maine-Anjou; the Swiss Simmental; the German Gelbvieh and the massive Italian Chianina. In general, the Continental breeds produce larger calves and greater carcass weights than the British breeds, but are slower to mature and reach market weight. Their beef is often leaner than that of the British breeds.
Longhorns
- The fabled longhorns, so emblematic of the Old West, are descended from cattle introduced to the Americas from Spain. Over time many animals escaped from the early settlements and found themselves in a nearly ideal environment -- a vast pasture millions of square miles in size. They existed in a feral state for 300 years, before 19th century ranchers began driving them in great herds to the slaughterhouses of Kansas. Longhorns produce lean beef and low carcass weights, but their genes are found in some modern beef breeds.
American Breeds
- As of the beginning of the 21st century, there were more than 80 recognized cattle breeds in America. Most beef breeds result from interbreeding British and Continental breeds, and sometimes Asian breeds, to achieve a desirable balance of maturation time, marbling, carcass weight and birth weight of calves. Milk production is a factor among beef cattle as well, because breeds that are heavy milk producers can feed calves more effectively. Some common American breeds are the Brahman, an Asian hybrid; the Brangus, a Brahman/Angus cross; the Beefmaster, which crosses Hereford bloodlines with Brahman and shorthorn; and the Simbrah, a Simmental/Brahman cross.

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