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| herd history | ||
The San Pedro has always been committed to the principle of selecting for functional efficiency. Mr. Fitzsimons Jr. applied these practices to his Hereford herd with the help of Dr. Jan Bonsma who visited the ranch on several occasions and assisted in establishing a successful breeding program . In 1992 , Mr. Fitzsimons’ son and daughter continued this discipline by combining Dr. Bonsma’s principles of functional efficiency with strict adherence to Tom Lasater’s Six Essentials of Beefmaster breeding. Rigid and ruthless culling has yielded a Beefmaster herd highly adaptive to harsh environments and capable of efficiently converting grass to well muscled meat carcass whether finished in feedlots or a grassfed program. |
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| Breed history | ||
| Beefmaster cattle are the first American composite breed (combination of three or more breeds). They were developed by Tom Lasater in south Texas, beginning in 1931. The Beefmaster breed was recognized in by the USDA in 1954, and today Beefmaster Breeders United is the fifth-largest breed registry in the United States. Beefmasters are a composite breed made up of roughly one-half Bos Taurus (hereford and Shorthorn) and one-half Bos Indicus (Nelore from Brasil, Gir & Guzerat from India). Tom Lasater closed his herd in 1937, and no outside genetics have been introduced into the Foundation Herd since that time. Intense selection for economically important traits over the last 70 plus years has resulted in a homozygous beef breed that has locked in the explosive growth potential of a hybrid. The Beefmaster breed originated in 1954 based on a 3-way cross between Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle. Our founder, Tom Lasater, selected these cattle on the “Six Essentials” of disposition, fertility, weight, conformation, milk production, and hardiness. We offer registration for Beefmaster, Beefmaster Advancer, E6 commercial females, and an upgrading program. Today's Beefmaster breeders continue to strive for the standard of excellence expressed in these six essentials. They also select for calving ease, fast early growth, moderate frame, easy fleshing ability and longevity. Strictly adhering to the Lasater six essentials will make that success easier and faster to accomplish. Philosophy - The Beefmaster Advantage This revolutionary new way of looking at and selecting cattle gave rise to a breed that is unique in many ways. The breed is recognized as a "Dual Purpose" breed, meaning Beefmasters blend strong maternal traits with excellent growth and carcass abilities. The cattle are heat, drought and insect resistant. They are moderate in size, and while there is no set color pattern in the breed, they are generally light red to dark red and some will have white mottle on their faces. Lasater required Beefmaster cows to calve annually. The females are excellent mothers, raising a heavy calf each year, and the bulls are aggressive breeders. Beefmasters are intelligent, gentle cattle that are truly a pleasure to work with. While all these traits make Beefmaster cattle pleasurable and profitable to work with, perhaps the thing about them that has most driven their enormous popularity throughout the world is their ability to do well in a variety of difficult environments with a minimum of attention. As Dr. Jim Sanders of Texas A&M said: "Beefmaster are the all-purpose breed. If you are a grass-based rancher who likes thrifty cattle that raise profitable calves in any climate with a minimum of attention, Beefmaster is the breed for you! For a complete history of the creation of the Beefmaster breed, please see The Lasater Philosophy of Cattle Raising. |
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PO Box 349 • Carrizo Springs, Texas 78834 Partners • Pamela Fitzsimons Howard • Joseph B.C. Fitzsimons Foreman • Daniel Boone • daniel@sanpedroranch.com Office: 830-876-2754 • Cell: 830-876-8489 • Fax: 830-876-9297 Secretary • Crissy Boone • crissy@sanpedroranch.com |
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