Download Angus: a heritage of excellence

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Angus: a heritage of excellence
The Angus breed has a 400-year history. It originated in Scotland and
arrived on our shores in 1895. Thanks to its desirable cattle and beef traits,
the breed’s popularity has grown worldwide.
I
n the 1740s, the
agricultural revolution in
the UK yielded a number
of dramatic breakthroughs:
• Various breed types
were merged.
• Agricultural pioneer
Jethro Tull developed
the first seed drill.
• Pasture was first planted
specifically to fatten cattle.
• Migration took place
from country to town.
All these developments
contributed to what became
known as the Aberdeen
Angus cattle breed. Most
of the black polled cattle of
this time were referred to
as ‘doddies’ or ‘hummlies’.
In the Scottish Highlands,
William McCombie
developed these cattle
and organised for them
to be driven on the hoof
to London’s Smithfield
Market, where they
attracted the attention
of the city’s butchers.
Because of their calm and
docile nature, these polled
cattle arrived in superb
condition and ready to be
sold and slaughtered.
A foremost family of beef
dealers, the Williamsons,
LEFT:
A typical Red
Angus bull with
a polled, small
calf for which
the breed is well
known, in the
Western Cape.
BELOW:
Angus bulls,
running on
highland
sourveld in
the Eastern
Cape. Note the
medium, wellfleshed frame.
PHOTOS:
J BOULLE,
ANGUS SA
favoured the
Aberdeenshire
breed as it was
maintained
more easily
than other
breeds. The
animals
were smaller
but “harder in
work” (as trek
oxen), the meat
was fine-grained,
and the animals
“paid better in proportion
to the goodness of their
keep”. In short, they
were highly profitable.
ABERDEEN ANGUS
McCombie is credited with
being one of the forefathers
of the Aberdeen Angus.
Some of the qualities
which first attracted
other breeders included:
• Calmness and docility;
• Easy management;
• Fewer losses from
injury in the stall
where they were fed;
• Greater stocking rate in
a limited feeding area, due
to their docility and the
fact that they were polled.
These men
moulded the
Aberdeen
Angus
into a worldfamous breed
without any of
today’s aids to
weighing, advanced
performance-testing
parameters or software
programmes. They were
simply astute stockmen
who selected for breeding
mostly on visual appraisal.
In 1839, almost a
century later, the various
cattle families were
recorded according to
their breeders. So started
the various Aberdeen
Angus shows and sales.
ANGUS COMES TO
SOUTH AFRICA
The first Aberdeen Angus
cattle were introduced
to South Africa in 1895
when 10 animals arrived
on the farm of a Mr J
Newbury in the Free State.
ANGUS BEEF IS RENOWNED
THE WORLD OVER FOR ITS
TENDERNESS AND TASTE
Because of these qualities
and the “rapidity with
which they fattened in
the stall”, the polled cattle
continued gaining ground.
The three great Scottish
developers of the breed
were Hugh Watson of
Keillor, Angus; William
McCombie of Tillyfour,
Aberdeenshire; and Sir
George Macpherson-Grant
of Ballindoch, Banffshire.
78 | farmer’s weekly | 21 JUNE 2013
The Angus Society of
South Africa, one of the
country’s oldest cattle
breeder societies, was
founded in 1917. At the
time, most of the cattle
were black. Red Aberdeen
Angus cattle were bred
occasionally from black
cattle, the red colour
gene being recessive.
However, in the early
1970s, red Angus cattle
July Calendar of Events
Beef lovers regularly celebrate the quality that
Certified South African Angus Beef offers them.
Below is the calendar of events for July 2013:
• 4
found favour, especially
in the US and then South
Africa. Consequently, the
society in South Africa
took the constitutional
decision in 1984 to drop
‘Aberdeen’ from the title,
as this referred to black
cattle only. The new name
adopted was the South
African Angus Society,
later changed to the Angus
Society of South Africa.
SELLING POINTS
Angus beef is renowned
worldwide for quality. In
South Africa, only meat
produced according to
a specific protocol and
which can be traced from
the supermarket shelf back
to the farm of origin is
good enough to carry the
Certified South African
Angus Beef trademark.
It is produced in South
Africa by SA farmers,
free from antibiotics and
illegal feed substances,
and the consumer need
have no doubt whatsoever
about the quality.
CAREFUL QUALITY
ASSESSMENT
The SA Meat Industry
Company audits the
protocol of Certified South
African Angus Beef. The
quality of a beef carcass
is judged according to the
rib-eye area, the marbling
(very fine intramuscular
fat) of the meat, the
degree of fat deposition
over the 12th and 13th
ribs, and the thickness
of the fat deposit across
the rump of the carcass.
Excessive fat coverage
is unacceptable because
it makes the meat too
fatty. Too little or no
fat, on the other hand,
results in dry meat and
is equally unacceptable.
The ideal balance can only
ABOVE:
A Red Angus
cow and calf
on veld in the
Free State.
Cows produce
50% and more
of their body
weight in the
weaner calf.
TOP:
A hardy, veldraised Angus
ranch bull in
Eastern Cape
thornveld.
L MOORCROFT,
SYFERPAN ANGUS
July VICTORIO & VENNOTE AUCTION
Trompsburg, Free State.
(Martiens le Roux 082 772 9472)
• 18 July MEQUATLING SALE
Clocolan, Free State. (Philip Barnard 082 577 2075)
• 24 July ANGUS ELITE SALE Nottingham Road,
KwaZulu-Natal. (Robbie Kleinloog 082 573 7424)
• 25 July PRINSVLEI AUCTION
Bredasdorp, W Cape. (Dirk Giliomee 083 302 5575)
• 31 July & 1 August ANGUS AGM & NATIONAL SALE
Afridome, Parys, Free State.
(Piet Delport 082 550 7847 )
be developed after many
years of stud breeding by
measuring and selecting
genetic material.
This balance between
all the characteristics
of a high-quality beef
carcass also ensures
meat tenderness.
Discerning restaurants
serve choice cuts of Angus
beef dry-aged, which
means that it has matured
on the bone for at least 21
days. This is possible due
to the pH of Angus beef,
which renders it ideal
for maturing between
3°C and 5°C for even
longer than 21 days after
slaughtering. Maturation
promotes the interaction
of the natural enzymes in
meat which, after 21 days,
tenderises the meat without
negatively affecting its
quality, flavour or texture.
This ability to improve
during maturation was
the foundation for the
development of the Angus
breed 400 years ago. Since
then, Angus cattle have
been bred exclusively for
beef production, which
explains why it is the
world’s most numerous
breed. The quality of the
meat has been genetically
established through the
centuries and serves as a
norm in the industry today.
For Angus breeders,
carcass quality is a
tradition rather than
an ambition.
• For further information, visit www.angusbeef.co.za. 21 JUNE 2013 | farmer’s weekly | 79