Beefmaster: a 'profit breed' around the world

The Beefmaster was developed in the early 1900s by Tom Lasater, who built on the work of his father, Ed C Lasater. Since then, the Beefmaster has become a force to be reckoned with in beef cattle production, proving itself as a particularly adaptable, hardy, and fertile breed.

- 

ORIGINS

The development of the Beefmaster breed began in 1908 by Ed C Lasater on the Lasater Ranch, then located in Falfurrias, South Texas in the US.

Lasater initiated a crossbreeding programme using Brahman (Bos indicus) bulls on his commercial herds of Hereford and Shorthorn (Bos taurus) cattle.

His initial Brahman bulls included Gir and Nellore, with Guzerat blood introduced in 1925.

Lasater also emphasised milk production in his Hereford breeding.

The best Hereford-Brahman and Brahman-Shorthorn heifers were then put to Brahman bulls, so a predominantly Brahman herd was therefore developed, according to the Beefmaster Cattle Breeders' Society of South Africa (Beefmaster SA).

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

Following Lasater's death in 1930, his son, Tom Lasater, took over the breeding operations. He continued to systematically combine the genetics of Brahman, Hereford, and Shorthorn cattle.

“The herd consisted of approximately 350 cows and a few Brahman bulls, as well as about 150 registered Hereford cows and a few registered Hereford bulls,” says Beefmaster SA.

“Later, Lasater also purchased a few registered Shorthorn bulls.

The Beefmaster was thus created by an intensive programme of crossbreeding between Brahman cows and Hereford bulls, Hereford cows and Brahman bulls, and Shorthorn cows and Brahman bulls.”

The exact mixture of the foundation cattle is unknown, but the modern Beefmaster is thought to be roughly 50% Brahman, 25% Hereford, and 25% Shorthorn.

Lasater's objective was to create a highly productive and profitable beef animal that could thrive under the harsh, often adverse range conditions of South Texas, including during economically difficult times.

Lasater named the breed 'Beefmaster' to indicate its apparent superiority over other breeds.

THE 'SIX ESSENTIALS'