OKOTOKS, Alta. – Udo and Wendy Adam knew what they wanted when they started shopping for cattle for their farm in southern Alberta.
They wanted moderate-framed animals with no horns and better than average carcass quality. They also needed no-fuss, docile animals because Wendy would be working with them most of the time.
They settled on Murray Greys, a polled Australian breed that has lived up to expectations.
And, even though these quiet, silver animals are considered a minor breed, a Murray Grey-Red Angus cross steer grading Canada Prime won the Calgary Stampede’s carcass competition in the Sterling Silver category. Sponsored by Cargill Foods, Sterling Silver is Cargill’s top quality branded product sold to restaurants.
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Convinced they are on to something, the Adams want to prove they have quality where it counts – at the dinner table. Their goal is better beef production.
“Being a small breed, it’s tough to get out there and promote it,” Wendy said.
She and Udo took over administration of the breed association last year. President is John Ree of Bentley, Alta.
There are about 100 breeders with various sized herds, mostly in Alberta. They realize winning one contest does not prove their cattle consistently produce quality beef.
“The biggest difficulty is we don’t have the numbers yet,” Udo said. It is a challenge to find enough Murray Grey-influenced animals to set up scientific feedlot and carcass trials.
Administrative improvements are coming.
The Murray Grey Association has switched its registrar to the Canadian Angus Association. It is also establishing a whole-herd enrolment program and entering data into a plan based in Australia.
“When you’re changing a whole mindset from calf-based registration to cow-based, our membership has made a deep commitment that we have the right breed for what we think the cattle market needs,” said Wendy.
In addition, the association hopes to form a world herd book where all vital statistics and pedigree information are stored.
Another major step involves joining the Australian program called Breed Plan.
This system looks at estimated breeding values (EBVs) as calculated in 2000 analysis of the Murray Grey integrated pedigree and performance databases of Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
EBVs are predictions of the genetic potential of an animal and are therefore predictors of the expected progeny differences (EPD).
Group Breed Plan estimates the breeding values for individual animals using all available information on the animal as well as its progeny and close relatives. The calculation of EBVs takes into account the influence of management, environmental effects and non-genetic
effects.
“If you get an EPD on a Murray Grey, it means the same thing worldwide,” said Wendy.
“Every animal in the world will be uniquely identified.”
The paperwork can guide the breeder to the qualities that can add body length or smaller birth weights to a herd.
In addition, the Adams want to find those commercial breeders using Murray Grey bulls to calculate steer performance all the way to the packing house.
Breed benefits
Bull customers select Murray Greys because they are good heifer bulls. They throw low birth weight calves that grow rapidly.
A purebred Murray Grey color ranges from dun (greyish-brown) to silver. Two duns bred together can produce a black animal. These cannot be registered in Australia, but North American registries accept them.
The Greys have dark skin pigmentation and are not susceptible to skin or eye problems in severe climates.
The first Murray Greys were a chance mating between Angus and Shorthorns in Australia’s upper Murray River Valley in 1905.
Destined for the cull market, it was noticed these silver haired cattle grew quickly and were superior feed converters. Their progeny possessed excellent carcasses and have won numerous competitions in Australia.
The first Murray Greys arrived in Canada in 1972.
