Angus vs Hereford | Hereford vs Angus Beef Cattle Compared
Angus and Hereford are two breeds of cattle those are extensively used in the beef industry. They exhibit a range of similarities, being in the same taxonomic classification. However, the differences between them are many, and would be interesting to know. This article discusses the main differences between them following their characteristics.
Angus Cattle
Angus cattle are a breed of beef cattle originated in Scotland. Aberdeen Angus is another widely referred name for the same breed. The native cattle in the places Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland were crossed to develop Aberdeen Angus cattle. They are naturally polled, which means they do not have horns. They are usually solid black or red in colour with a white coloured udder. These red and black Angus are considered as two different breeds in USA, and Angus is the most popular meat cattle there. However, Angus cattle have some genetic disorders such as dwarfism and osteoporosis. In cross breeding of many cattle species, Angus has been very important as a measure to reduce dystocia or calving difficulties, because of their polled gene. Their females can live longer, and one of them has lived over 35 years.
Hereford Cattle
Hereford is a breed of beef cattle originated in Herefordshire of England. They have been used mainly in meat production in the temperate and intemperate regions of the world. Usually, Hereford cattle have a red and white coloured coat. Particularly, they are red coloured cattle with white colour present at head, front of the neck, brisket, tail switch, and undersides. They have small horns, but some are genetically modified so that they will not have horns. The small horns are thick and curved downwards along the sides of head. Hereford cattle are well built cattle with large forequarters, deep brisket, broad head, and stocky legs. Additionally, they are fast growing animals with good quality and tasty meat.
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What is the difference between Angus and Hereford Cattle? · Origin of Angus cattle is Scotland, while it was in England for Hereford cattle. · Angus cattle are solid black or red in colour, whereas Hereford cattle usually have a red and white mixed coat. · Angus cattle naturally lack horns, but Hereford cattle have small curved horns. · Beef of Angus cattle is higher quality compared to Hereford. · As Herefords have white colour on their coat, they are more prone to skin pigmentations and cancers, but Angus cattle are resistant to many of those problems as they have solid black or red coloured coats.
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· Herefords have pink eye, but it is rare in Angus cattle.
Neither are even in the top five as far as overall beef breeds in quality of meat.
which cow do you consider to have the best all around beef. Is Angus meat a form of advertising because if Calif. that is all they advertise.
An unmentioned but most important fact to the quality of taste in beef is marbling, which is the presence of fat in the cut of meat. Hereford tastes much better than Angus because of the amount of marbling in Hereford meat. Cattlemen in this area used to almost exclusively raise Hereford. Then when high fat and arteriosclerosis were associated in the medical profession, Angus (which you never used to see in these parts) quickly took over. You did not previously see Angus because of the lower fat content of the meat, due to “poor” marbling. The cost of this change to lower fat Angus cattle has been a very noticable loss in the favor of the meat we buy at our grocer. Angus does not win in any open cook-off because of its lack of flavor.
I agree completely.
I asked a truck driving partner from Glendive, Montana, in eastern Montana ranching country. what would be the difference in the steak from a Hereford steer and an Angus steer the same age and raised and finished on the same grass and water. He said, “honestly, not much”. What do y’all think?
what about limozine cattle
I grew up in the upper midwest with Herefords on our ranch in the 1940’s and 50’s. We had Herefords because they were hardier in a harsher climate and generally better mothers to the calves and better temperament. A neighboring ranch had registered Highland Angus and sold them all over the country. Angus did marble better and produced consistently more tender meat. They were blockier and shorter coupled in their body build and really finished out nicely when fed. The trend that seemed to work back then was to cross Herefords and angus to get black-whitefaced cattle. In later years the demand for larger, stretched out cattle became prevalent. The Angus breed followed that trend. They lost some of their marbling but still is generally better marbled than other breeds. Limousine, Simmental, Charolaise developed from milking stock and evolved to serve the beef industry. They produced larger calves at weaning time and and served the desire for larger beef cattle. But they don’t marble as well. The “milk” stock background hurt them when compared to original beef stock. Holstein (milking cattle) is a good example to show poor marbling due to its milking characteristics. Limousine, etc. is better than Holstein for marbling due to the evolution into more of a beef breed. Bottom line is that Angus bring better prices at the sale barn and there is a reason for that. Their better marbled meat is not just fiction. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get decent meat from the other breeds.
Hereford makes great beef. Both being British (sorry Scots, from the isles they are call British cattle, at least in the states) they are very similar. In fact, almost as common as either is the black baldie, which is a cross of the two. Interestingly, a black baldy would be called Angus beef at the packing plant, since it’s more than 50% black. Angus had a better marketeer working at the breed association, would be the biggest difference. That and the fact that a 50% Angus (sired by Angus bull) will usually be black and that’s the easiest, most common identifier. If you have a Hereford sire and hienz 57 cow, it’ll be speckled and less identifiable at the auction or feedlot.
A Hereford and Angus steak of the same grading are indistinguishable from each other.
Eat more beef!