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The Murray Grey breed of cattle began in
Australia along the Murray River in New South Wales. In 1905, on the
property of Peter and Eva Sutherland a light roan shorthorn cow,
when bred to various Aberdeen Angus bulls produced only grey calves.
She had produced twelve of them by 1917, which were the origin of
this breed. The herd was sold to Helen Sutherland in 1929, who
started a systematic breeding program.
Mervyn Gadd started a second Murray Grey
herd in the early 1940s as a commercial venture, using a Grey bull
from the Sutherlands and breeding up from Angus cows. Butchers began
to pay a premium price for this breed because of their consistent
high carcass weight and less waste per animal. The Murray Grey breed
began to win carcass competitions in the early 70's and have
continued to dominate the steer and carcass classes at the Royal
shows in Australia. The Murray Grey is one of the two preferred
breeds for importation to Japan, due to their easy fleshing and high
quality meat production. The Murray Grey also started to win carcass
competitions at the Calgary Stampede in Canada.
The Murray Grey breed and their crosses can
be found producing as far north as Canada and as far south as South
America, and all between. They have adapted to cold climates of the
north and the hot climates of the south. For a listing of breeders,
look at the Murray Grey International website:
http://www.murraygrey.org
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BREED CHARACTERISTICS:
Size:
Murray Grey bulls will usually weigh 1800-2500 lbs; cows normally
weigh 1000-1400 lbs. They are a true medium-framed animal that can
maintain body condition easily.
Polled:
The Murray Grey breed is naturally polled and is used to take the
horns off crossbred calves.
Calving Ease:
The calves are small and quick to their feet. They grow quickly and
are adaptable to all climates. Many commercial producers buy a
Murray bull to use on first calf heifers and are pleased enough with
the results to use the bull on all their herd.
Docile:
The Murray Grey breed is usually calm to work with and are known as
the "gentle builders of beef". Their good nature is especially
important to part-time producers; ease of handling saves time,
money, and temper!
Color:
The hair color ranges from very light silver to dark or dun grey;
some animals are even black but the majority are silver to a
silvery-khaki color. Their skin has a dark pigmentation, which helps
prevent cancer eye; a trait sometimes found in light colored cows. |
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