Braford Beef Cattle

History

Brafords, like most recognized breeds today, were born out of necessity--the necessity to consistently and efficiently produce a uniform product in specific production environments. Working with a base of Brahman cows that were primarily Partin and Hudgins breedings, Alto Adams Jr. began using Hereford bulls on his St. Lucie County Florida ranch in 1947. The resulting steer and heifer calves were outstanding, but the Hereford bulls required to produce those calves had extreme problems with feet, eyes and general livability. Adams quickly realized that using Hereford bulls that were not adapted to South Florida was simply not feasible and he began experimenting with various types of Brahman-Hereford cross bulls. Eventually he identified Braford bulls that were producing calves that met his needs and he used these bulls and their offspring to form what is recognized as the Foundation Herd of the Braford breed in the United States.

Traits and Characteristics

The Braford breed is a cross of the Brahman and Hereford. The breed is about 3/8 Brahman and 5/8 Hereford. Animals of the breed show the traits of the parent breeds. The United Braford Breeders Association works to improve the breed through selection and linebreeding. Selection is made for vigor, size, milking ability, rumen capacity, and growth rate. Good adaptability and use of roughages is also emphasized in selection. Brafords ae known for superior maternal ability. Early puberty, fertility, calving ease, optimum milk production, maternal aptitude and productive longevity have earned Brafords this distinguihed reputation.