The Way Things Were

The cattle we have today are not the cattle they had 100, 50, 25 or even ten years ago. Fads have come and gone, styles have faded in and out, preferences have surfaced and been submerged.

An artistic rendition of the ancient Auroch
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auroch

The cattle of centuries ago were wild, untamed things living in the woods of Europe. It is a common belief that all modern beef cattle are descended from one species: the Auroch. The Aurochs were massive, temperamental creatures that populated most of eastern and central Europe, from the slopes of the Caucasus Mountains in present day Russia to the hilly forests of eastern France, down into the arid centre of the Iberian peninsula and southeast from the Middle East to the centre of the Indian Subcontinent. From the Aurochs, strains were developed, moved, isolated, hunted, domesticated, and finally developed into modern beef and dairy cattle. Breeds such as the Spanish Fighting Bull and other traditional European breeds still resemble the old Aurochs in all but stature. Two separate instances of domestication have been documented: once in the Near East and once in the Indian Subcontinent, both occurring at the same time, between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago. These separate events gave rise to modern Bos Taurus (Hump less) and Bos Indicus (Humped) cattle, breeds of which have been purified and perfected over the Milena.

Bos Taurus humpless cattle evolved in Europe
http://oxy-genca.com/winners%20circle.htm

Over the centuries, tribes and populations domesticated their cattle and formed them into animals that best suited their regional needs. Some of the oldest records of domesticated cattle reside in the Lascaux Caves of France, where many separate breeds have been identified: Limousin (the oldest paintings), Salers, Blonde d'Aquitaine and others. Cattle spread throughout Europe and Asia, including the British Isles, and down into Northern Africa. For centuries, breeds were developed and perfected in complete isolation, allowing characteristics to become set in, styles to be developed, and purposes to be established.

Bos Indicus humped cattle evolved in India
http://www.brahman.org/brahman-information.html

By the time cattle made it to the Americas, on ships laden with Spanish Conquistadors, most modern breeds had been established somewhere in the world. The Conquistadors brought the cattle that would evolve into Texas Longhorns and similar North and South American types. Left to their own devices for three centuries, these cattle eventually formed the backbone of the United States cattle industry due to their ability to withstand the long yearly drives from the south west to the transport centres in Kansas and Iowa, where they were hauled by train to the slaughterhouses of the east.

In the 19th century, European cattle again made an appearance on North American soil. Aberdeen Angus, Scottish Shorthorns and Herefordshire Herefords were introduced, but looked quite different from their modern day descendants. The original British imports were quite small in comparison to the monsters that could be found on the European mainland. Called "belt buckle" cattle, they were as tall as a man's belt buckle, and would remain that way until the early sixties. The video below displays the typical height of these cattle, along with their blocky appearance and general squatness.

The sixties saw an era of change in the North American Cattle industry. With the increased amount of feed available for cattle, small and fat was no longer as desirable as the higher performing, larger made styles that were being "discovered" in Europe. These so-called Exotic cattle were muscular, they were long, they had growth and performance. The North American cattle industry was forever changed with the importation of Limousin, Maine-Anjou, Salers, Simmental, Blonde d'Aquitaine, Pinzgauer, and countless others. Cattle went from waist high to Forehead height in ten years, but they were all leg and no body. Sure their carcasses were fantastic and lean, but people can't eat leg bones and maintenance of such rapid growth was incredibly costly.

Some of these people can't even see the camera over the back of this Limo bull.

From this mistake forty years ago, cattle have slowly become more moderate in their height, thicker in their makeup, and infinitely more efficient in converting feedstuffs to muscle. The British breeds have grown, and the exotics have downsized. From magnificent beginnings as one of the largest bovine species in the world, cattle have evolved into functional, efficient, and tasty domestic animals.