Heritage Shorthorns

“Their History and Their Place In The Cattle Industry Today”

by Joe Schallberger, DVM PhD Dallas, Oregon

For those unfamiliar with the Shorthorn cattle breed they are considered a dual purpose breed that can be used for both meat and milk and are either polled or horned. Their color can be solid red, solid white, or mixtures of red with white or roan. Their long history as a dual purpose cattle breed is the result of their many positive genetic traits that separate them from all other cattle breeds making them the ideal animal for small family farms. Their calm, gentle dispositions, foraging ability, feed efficiency, fertility, and maternal instinct are just a few of their genetic traits that have been valued by cattle breeders and farmers worldwide over the last two centuries.

The history of the Shorthorn breed is filled with their contributions to the advancement of animal husbandry and their role in uplifting the lives of rural society. Farmers’ fondness for the Shorthorn breed led to their widespread popularity and ultimately to their genetic role in the formation of approximately forty other breeds of cattle throughout the world. They are known as the “Universal Improvers” because they made other breeds of cattle better through crossbreeding that added hybrid vigor and by increasing the proportion of valuable genetic traits in other cattle breeds. No other breed of cattle can make these claims. Once the historical record of Shorthorns is known, their importance in revolutionizing the cattle industry is indisputable.

As agrarian society advanced during the Middle Ages interest in specific types of livestock started to emerge that were adapted to the environment they lived in, were more productive, and could support farmers economically while putting food on the table for their families. The desire to improve the quality of livestock in general started to take hold in agricultural circles during this time frame but progress was very slow. Until the middle of the 18th century no one had put forth a breeding scheme that solidified the genetic make up of any type of livestock and also had the potential to significantly enhance their farming value. Born in 1725, Robert Bakewell became a pioneer in animal genetics. He was a prosperous farmer who primarily focused on the breeding of English Leicester sheep and English Longhorn cattle (not to be confused with Texas Longhorns). Most historians consider Bakewell to be “The Father Of Animal Breeding.” A man of diverse interests, he traveled the countryside to gain knowledge and insight in the hopes of formulating a new way of breeding livestock. The system he developed was called “In and In Breeding” and was really based on intensive linebreeding. This methodology produced a new way to select and enhance genetic traits within livestock and gave new life to the whole of livestock production.

The term “landrace” is often used to describe the regional adaption of specific types of livestock to an area. Shorthorn type cattle have been documented in Britain as far back as the 1500’s. The roots of the Shorthorn breed originated in the Tees River Valley in England and are considered a melange of the cattle that lived in that area, hence they were originally a landrace. Formation of the Shorthorn cattle breed actually dates back hundreds of years and may have included additional cattle that were imported from Northern Europe. Coalescing diverse genetics into a meaningful cattle breed primarily came through efforts of a few farsighted, disciplined cattle breeders in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Bakewell’s breeding scheme was used by all the major progenitors of the Shorthorn breed. The Colling brothers (John and Thomas) are thought to have laid the foundation for the establishment of the Shorthorn breed in the early 19th century. When they learned of Bakewell’s new method of breeding livestock, they believed it was imperative to visit him to gain first-hand knowledge of the advancements in livestock breeding Bakewell was making. With the advent of the “In and In” breeding scheme, the Colling brothers realized there was a great opportunity to establish Shorthorns as a “fixed” innovative cattle breed. It should be noted that Charles Colling’s wife, Mary, was instrumental in working with the brothers to put improved Shorthorns on the map. Further advancement of the Shorthorn breed was accomplished by Thomas Bates and the Booth family (Thomas and his sons Richard and John) during this time frame. Bates concentrated on developing the milking side of Shorthorns while the Booths concentrated on the beef side. Colloquially speaking at the time it was said that “Bates Shorthorns were for the pail and Booth Shorthorns were for the butcher.” Bates’ line of Milking Shorthorns was based on the Duchess cow he purchased from Charles Colling. The Duchess line of Shorthorns became so fashionable that interest in ”Duchess genetics” reached a fever pitch that only can be compared to the seventeenth century tulip mania in Holland. Prices for “Duchess genetics” reached astronomical heights that in today’s money would be in the 100’s of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, this concentration of Dutchess bloodlines ultimately led to high levels of infertility in the females, and as is often the case with “livestock manias,” caused prices to plummet. As Shorthorns continued to be shaped into a prominent cattle breed the results of the efforts of the Colling brothers, Thomas Bates, and the Booths became known to cattle breeders throughout the world.

The history of Shorthorns would be incomplete without the mention of Amos Cruikshank (1808-1895). Scotch by birth, he lived in Aberdeen, Scotland, and spent a lifetime developing his Sittyton Shorthorn herd that at one point was the largest in Great Britain. Called the Scottish type, they were a thicker, meatier Shorthorns that can still be found in Scotland today. They are viewed as distinct from Bates and Booth type Shorthorns. There were large importations of Scottish Shorthorns into both Canada and America. They were often intermingled with the genetics of Bates and Booth lines to produce Shorthorns that fit different production models.

Another important fact about the Shorthorn breed that is often glossed over when discussing cattle breeds is the fact that Shorthorns were the first breed of cattle to have a herdbook where pedigrees could be aggregated. This documentation was a huge advancement for the cattle industry and more importantly for Shorthorns. It was established in 1822 and was called the “Coates Herdbook,” named after George Coates, who assembled all the Shorthorn pedigree information that was known at the time and put it into one book. The Coates Herdbook of 1822 is the “bible” of Heritage Shorthorns because all Heritage Shorthorns trace solely to cattle listed in this book, certifying their difference from both Modern Beef and Modern Milking Shorthorns. This fact will become clearer later in this article.

Shorthorn’s rapid rise to become the most popular cattle breed in the world from 1850-1950 can be attributed to many factors. Undoubtedly their adaptability, versatility, size, stable genetic makeup, promotion, and the establishment of the first cattle breedherd book in 1822 (“Coates Herdbook”) all were responsible for their popularity.

The first Shorthorn-type cattle were imported into the United Stares in 1783 from England. These first cattle were referred to as “Durhams” because they came from the county of Durham in England where the Tees Valley is located. There were ongoing importations of Shorthorn cattle into America throughout the 1800’s and early 1900’s because of the growing demand for their genetics. Shorthorns quickly demonstrated their value to the settlers, traveling across the Central Plains in America to the West, because they could provide milk, meat, and work as oxen. They were actually a triple-purpose cattle breed. No other cattle breed could match Shorthorns versatility back then, nor can any cattle breed match Heritage Shorthorns today. When the covered wagons crossed the Central Plains in the mid-nineteenth century they were, more often than not, pulled by teams of Shorthorn oxen with a Shorthorn cow tethered to the back that would provide milk and then beef through her growing calf. One might say that Shorthorns helped settle the American West.

Unfortunately, the dominance of Shorthorns was whittled away due to several factors. Their dual purpose qualities actually became an albatross as the cattle industry began to change with specialization creeping into the cattle industry. Several events led to Shorthorns going from the leading breed in the cattle industry to being pushed to the lower echelons of cattle breeds today. Angus became the beef breed of choice and Holsteins the dairy breed of choice because of their single purpose traits, which undoubtedly played a large role in Shorthorn’s loss of popularity because traditional Shorthorns were not a single purpose breed. Certainly choices made by breed associations, breeders themselves, and cattle judges, in terms of type, were definitely also a major factor. The beef side of Shorthorns went through a period (“Belt Buckle Era”) during the 1940’s and 50’s where small beef Shorthorns were in vogue, especially in shows where rich industrialists, who were major Shorthorn breeders at the time, were more interested in trophies/ribbons than producing utilitarian cattle. The concurrent strife that existed between the beef and milking branches of Shorthorns ultimately led to a divorce that resulted in splitting the Shorthorn breed into a milking side: American Milking Shorthorn Society (AMSS); and the beef side: American Shorthorn Association (ASA).

Modern cattle have become extremely specialized in both their genetic makeup and utilization, exemplified by the Angus (beef) and Holstein (milk) breeds. Through genetic selection, modern Angus and Holsteins are far removed from their genetic roots and in the process have lost many of the valuable traits that would have made them possible choices for small beef operations or microdairies, let alone family cows. It is important to note that selection within these breeds has also reduced their genetic diversity in the pursuit of ultra fast growing beef cattle or high producing milk cows. The constant need for high quality (and often high priced) feed to maximize their productive capabilities forges untenable costs of production with the wrong genetics for many small farmers or those that choose to employ a grass-fed model of farming.

Modern milking and beef Shorthorns are really crossbred cattle. AMSS has maintained an open herd book for several decades, incorporating many different cattle breeds into the Milking Shorthorn genetic base, especially Red and White Holsteins, in the pursuit of increasing milk production. This has resulted in crossbred show cattle which cannot compete with Holsteins. Currently Milking Shorthorn crossbreeding is to the point that, to be registered, Milking Shorthorn bulls need to have DNA tests performed to determine if they have genetic defects that originated in the Holstein breed. Regrettably, modern beef Shorthorns have similar issues because their herdbook was also opened by ASA many years ago and both Maine Anjou and Red Angus genetics have become permanently ensconced within beef Shorthorns.

Heritage Shorthorns are almost a separate breed from what currently constitutes milking and beef Shorthorns as currently defined by AMSS and ASA. All Heritage Shorthorns completely trace their ancestry to the 1822 Coates Herdbook. This genetic purity generates innumerable possibilities for their utilization in agricultural production systems for the farmers who make up the great majority of readers of the “Small Farmer’s Journal.”

The wide diversity of genetics available in Heritage Shorthorns separates Heritage Shorthorns from all other minor, niche cattle breeds. The preservation of quality Heritage Shorthorn bull semen, going back as far as the 1950’s, is the key point in continuing the positive legacy of the Shorthorn breed. Many of the greatest Shorthorn bulls live on in semen tanks across Canada and America. Although availability of the bulls themselves is limited, sons and daughters are being produced via artificial insemination or embryo transfer work. Thus the very best of the traditional Shorthorn breed is again becoming available to anyone interested in raising Heritage Shorthorns.

A new beginning for the Shorthorn breed came to fruition when the Heritage Shorthorn Society was formed in 2018 to provide a national platform for the preservation, promotion, and production of Heritage Shorthorns. The Heritage Shorthorn Society (HSS) provides a website with vast amounts of information about the history and the current practical relevance of these cattle, promotes Heritage Shorthorns via ads in a variety of national magazines in the U.S. and Canada, and provides a platform for breeders to market their Heritage Shorthorn and Heritage Influenced cattle through the HSS website. Opportunities for HSS members to promote their cattle include member listings by state or province, free classified ads on the website, along with more expansive individualized breeder ads. Beyond the promotional aspect, HSS has an economical breed registry that is tied into a massive Shorthorn pedigree database that differentiates Heritage from Modern Shorthorns. The HSS website is the most extensive Shorthorn informational website in the world.

Confusion at times has reigned in Shorthorn terminology because the descriptive term “native” has been used instead of Heritage for Shorthorns that only trace their pedigrees to the original Shorthorn herdbook. Given the current interest in all forms of heritage livestock, the term “Heritage Shorthorns” is much more appropriate. The term native has many negative connotations in today’s cultural climate. The opportunities presented by using the phrase “Heritage Shorthorns” are numerous. Paramount is the ability to directly link Heritage Shorthorns to the heritage livestock movement which continues to grow at a rapid rate.

What truly distinguishes Heritage Shorthorns from all other niche cattle breeds is their versatility, genetic diversity, and ongoing promotional support in the USA and Canada by HSS. Heritage Shorthorns are also backed by a Registered Trademark for “Heritage Shorthorn Certified Beef.” All members of HSS have the ability, at no charge, to market their beef products using this specialty trademark. The prospect of marketing valued-added beef be it grass fed, organic, and/or heritage makes a huge difference in the commercial value of Heritage Shorthorns. As a beef product, this breed epitomizes the important meat qualities consumers want most — marbling and tenderness.

The scope of opportunities in the Heritage Shorthorn breed are boundless. The “Heritage Shorthorn Certified Beef” trademark is just the start of what Heritage Shorthorns offer to the enterprising small farmer. A cornucopia of marketing possibilities await anyone who is willing to embrace Heritage Shorthorns as their choice of cattle breeds and are imaginative in their marketing plans. A few of the more prominent niches for Heritage Shorthorns include the following: grass fed beef, family cows, A2/A2 milk, foundation females, commercial bulls, oxen for draft animals, blue roan cattle (Shorthorns bred to Angus), show steers and heifers, horned traditional Shorthorns, females for micro-dairies, crossbreeding with traditional beef breeds for both hybrid vigor and better maternal traits, and their use in breeding programs to enhance the genetics of Modern Shorthorns.

Small farmers today must be both innovative and focused if they want to be successful when competing in today’s marketplace, where the constant bombardment from the likes of social media to the heightened levels of competition from corporate entities, make even the most dedicated farmer feel beseeched and left with few answers. Heritage Shorthorns offer a wonderful option for small farmers to either initiate a new money making venue or enhance their current farming endeavors. The versatility, eye appeal, gentle disposition, genetic diversity and availability throughout the USA and Canada make these cattle the perfect addition for those looking to cultivate a new farming enterprise or broaden their horizons by incorporating Heritage Shorthorns in their current operation. By exploring the Heritage Shorthorn Society website (www.HeritageShorthorn.org) all of the Heritage Shorthorn ownership possibilities, available to HSS members involved in breeding Heritage Shorthorns, will come into focus. With their calm demeanor and attractive colors (red, white, and roan) Heritage Shorthorns are simply a joy to own for anyone interested in having cattle on their farm, and with their grass fed pragmatic qualities they generate a positive return on investment in today’s world.