After raising cattle for 50 years on 3 continents and following their history, I wanted to identify the breed with the greatest impact on our culture – one that stood apart from the rest – review their traits, and see how they have changed over time.

I went to the UK in 2006, and with the help of Rob Wills and the Angus Society, took a tour of the farms where original genetics are still found, chose what I felt were the best cows, and through AI (artificial insemination) produced cows and bulls. There was not too much semen left at that time. A year latter there were four bulls.

Mathew Lane, a friend and ultrasound technician went with me to Wales where the herd was at that time, and from the four bulls we chose the best two. The cows were embryo-ed and joined my American herd of cows.

The resulting offspring exceeded our expectation. When they were crossed with American Angus cows, they produced animals that were small at birth (50 to 60 lbs), developed at 500 to 600 lbs at weaning), and grew to 1200 to 1300 lbs as yearlings. They finished at 1400 lbs – rather fast. They inherited the carcass quality of the Natives, and exhibited a substantial amount of growth from the Americans.

This is a small herd – about 30 donor quality cows – and we will contine to refine our blood lines. We have reached out to Woodstone Angus from New Ulm, Texas. They’ve done an impressive job with the subsequent propagation of their Scottish-Irish herd – in regard to the carcass merit of their herd.

This is not a fad. This is reality. Three commercial American herds are using our bulls on first calf heifers, and we eagerly await their results.