Murray Grey Beef Cattle will be the Feature Breed at this year’s Royal Launceston show. Have you started getting you show team ready?
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Orderly Conduct — Murray Greys an ‘easy going’ alternative
May 11, 2007 · No Comments
Orderly Conduct — Murray Greys an ‘easy going’ alternative
By Richard Siemers
The Land
When Tom Helfter got his first look at Murray Grey cattle at the 1982 National Western Stock Show in Denver, they were relative newcomers to the United States. Helfter, who farms near LeCenter, has always had cattle around, but these caught his eye.
“I was just kind of impressed with them. They looked very similar to Angus, but not quite as spooky,” Helfter said, adding, “no offense against Angus, but they’re not as quiet and calm as some of the other breeds.”
The Murray Grey’s temperament was evident as he approached his herd in the back pasture.
By: murraygreytas on June 1, 2009
at 10:31 pm
Murray Grey cattle make absolutely the best Hamburger
This is one of Prairie Hill Farm’s Murray Grey cattle, grown completely on pasture.
They make the best tasting beef. About all the beef my wife and I eat is hamburger and this is the best beef for hamburger.
Prairie Hill Farms, in Wisconsin, is a small, family-owned operation dedicated to clean food and sustainable agriculture. They feature 100% grass-fed beef that is delicious and healthy. They also offer pastured poultry, rabbits, lamb and free-range brown eggs.
Their farm features Murray Grey cattle that are known for their ability to finish on grass and excel in both marbling and tenderness.
All the animals are born on their farm and fed their forage.
No growth hormones, steroids, or maintenance antibiotics are used in Prairie Hill Farm cattle.
The Murray Grey cattle are NOT fed any grain or animal by-products.
Research shows grass fed meat is higher in cancer-fighting CLA and antioxidant Omega 3 fatty acids.
Prairie Hill Farms beef is inspected and processed at a state approved facility and sold in a handy assortment pack and by individual cuts.
At Prairie Hill Farms, Will & Sue, take pride in the quality of what they grow and work hard to do what is best for the environment, the animals and the consumer.
The Murray Grey breed of cattle began in Australia along the Murray River in New South Wales. In 1905, on the property of Peter and Eva Sutherland a light roan shorthorn cow, when bred to various Aberdeen Angus bulls produced only grey calves. She had produced twelve of them by 1917, which were the origin of this breed. The herd was sold to Helen Sutherland in 1929, who started a systematic breeding program.
Mervyn Gadd started a second Murray Grey herd in the early 1940s as a commercial venture, using a Grey bull from the Sutherlands and breeding up from Angus cows. Butchers began to pay a premium price for the Greys because of their consistent high cutability and less waste. Murray Greys began to win carcass competitions in the early 70’s and have continued to dominate the steer and carcass classes at the Royal shows in Australia. Murray Greys are one of the two preferred breeds for importation to Japan, due to their easy fleshing and high quality meat production. The Murrays have also started to win carcass competitions at the Calgary Stampede in Canada.
Greys and their crosses can be found producing in Canada, and South America; in the United States, they can be found in the Western areas, in the Corn Belt, the Plains from north to south, and in the hot climates of the deep south. They are, of course, a major breed in Australia and New Zealand, and Murray Greys are presently being introduced in various areas of Africa.
According to the Australian legend, the first Murray Grey was born on the Thologolong property of Peter Sutherland in New South Wales in 1905, to a light roan Shorthorn cow and an Aberdeen Angus bull. The legend goes on to recount how this one cow gave birth to 12 off color calves, from which Mrs. Helen Sutherland, cousin to Peter, developed the breed. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the breed actually originated throughout Australia as ranchers used “blue roan” bulls on their “blue roan” females. Regardless, of the real origins, the Murray Grey cattle in Australia gained a reputation for high quality beef and by the 1950s, butchers were paying a premium for them. The Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society of Australia was formed in 1964 to archive the pedigrees and to promote the breed.
In the late 1960s, American cattlemen were desperate to find larger, more efficient animals than those which the purebred Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn producers were offering at the time. To fill this need, American stockmen imported many dual-purpose draft and dairy breeds from Europe and the Murray Greys from Australia. The first Murray Grey semen was imported into the US in 1969 and the first live animals followed in 1970. The American Murray Grey Association was founded in September of 1971.
The early Murray Grey breeders in the United States resisted the industry trend to select only for frame size and worked to retain the temperament, calving ease, feed efficiency and carcass quality for which the cattle were so highly regarded in Australia and New Zealand. After an initial rush of interest in the 1970s, the smaller frame size and lighter carcass weights pushed the Murray Grey breed to the sidelines of the American cattle industry. A dedicated group of Murray Grey breeders across the country defied the industry trends and continued to breed the easy calving, efficient, cattle with excellent eating qualities.
During the last decade of the 20th century, breeders began producing Murray Greys that were of sufficient frame size to be commercially acceptable. During this same period of time, American consumers began to develop an interest in grass-finished beef as a healthy heart alternative to fish and chicken meat. The Murray Grey was uniquely poised for this new market opportunity with their inherent ability to efficiently use pasture and to consistently finish Choice on grass.
Murray Greys are considered by many to be the most efficient breed in the world. They will produce more quality beef per acre of land and will require the least expensive feed, labor, and fencing. In Australia, Murray Greys excel in finishing of grass making them very attractive to the emerging US market for grass-fed beef. The Australian cattle industry was build on pasture and Australian cattle were bred to reproduce, perform and finish in both good and bad times. grey murray cattlemurray
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By: murraygreytas on June 1, 2009
at 10:42 pm
A charity heifer is up for auction on Saturday 15th August at 10am. The heifer is raising money for the Cancer Fund.
Her details are;
Baroona Park Chloe (TBP D2)
All proceeds go to research into breast and prostate cancer.
Contact Baroona Park for details 07-46300134 or the agent for telephone bidding; 0400 910 088.
Please pre-arrange the telephone bidding 24 hours prior to the sale.
By: Steve Dummett on August 9, 2009
at 12:37 pm