# Beef Question



## hitnspit (Nov 18, 2014)

Ok here is my beef question and im sure more will be asked.  We have 2 jersey bulls we are going to beef. Now I have been told its a wonderful cow to start with and some pretty good beef also. Now is there really a market for jersey beef or is it pretty much Angus and down that line. Thanks


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## OneFineAcre (Nov 18, 2014)

You don't want to leave them as Bulls that's for darn sure they need to be steers ie castrated or "fixed" in some way

Jersey is a dairy breed will not muscle and gain weight like a beef breed


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## hitnspit (Nov 18, 2014)

They have been castrated.


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## WildRoseBeef (Nov 22, 2014)

Jerseys are best to be raised for your own freezer. There is much less of a market for dairy steers than Angus. If you want to capitalize on a market for beef, go Angus. And, if you want to at least get your money's worth back, go Angus. Beef cattle have been bred and selected to have high feed conversion ratios where it takes less nutrient-dense feed (that high in protein and/or energy) to get more muscle. Dairy have been selected to convert feed into milk, not muscle. 

Cattle genetics are such that if you select for cattle with more milk, you'll get ones that aren't going to be greatest for muscle. Genes for higher milk production and higher meat production work against each other, that's why you don't see cattle that milk like Holsteins and muscle like a Charolais or Belgian Blue. You can only get one or the other: milk or muscle.

So if you're going to be feeding up a couple Jersey _*steers*_ (not bulls!!!) expect to spend a lot of money on feed like grain and pellets and such, more than you would if you had Angus steers instead. Also, expect to get not much from selling them. You buy cheap, you are going to be selling them for cheap. As they say, you get what you paid for. 

You were told, "its a wonderful cow to start with" primarily because Jersey cows are calm and quiet and produce milk with a lot of milk fat. Good for a family milk cow. Steers are good if you are looking to fill your freezer with beef that won't be a whole lot like you'd get from a beef animal. But a market for them? If there was a good market for Jersey and Holstein bull calves/steer calves the feedlots would be full of them. Instead, they're full mostly of the beef cattle Angus, Charolais, Simmental and others. Dairy bull calves are easier fed up as veal calves instead of finisher fats for the reasons stated above.

Hope that helps answer some questions you might've had.


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## norseofcourse (Nov 22, 2014)

I see Jersey and Holstein bull calves and young steers on my local craigslist, and personally I think they go on about how 'lean and gourmet' the meat is because they're trying to justify selling a week old dairy breed calf for $300 or so.


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## greybeard (Nov 24, 2014)

In strong dairy regions, feedlots do have LOTS of jersey and Holsteins, but they don't stay there very long. America likes beef, but they LOVE hamburger, and a relatively high % of US burger comes from dairy animals. 
That doesn't mean you can't get some good beef of all cuts from a Jersey steer , but it is a LOT harder to do it economically. Man and nature have spent hundreds and hundreds of year developng dairy breeds to make milk and beef breeds to produce meat--so choose according to what your primary end user product will be. 
I personally would not buy a dairy breed with the intention of producing or selling it for beef, but then too, I would never allow an Angus on my place either. 

In the end tho--raise what you like and ignore all the hype, and a good bit (if not most) of what you hear from any breed association or breed brochure is exactly that--hype.


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## OneFineAcre (Nov 25, 2014)

greybeard said:


> In strong dairy regions, feedlots do have LOTS of jersey and Holsteins, but they don't stay there very long. America likes beef, but they LOVE hamburger, and a relatively high % of US burger comes from dairy animals.
> That doesn't mean you can't get some good beef of all cuts from a Jersey steer , but it is a LOT harder to do it economically. Man and nature have spent hundreds and hundreds of year developng dairy breeds to make milk and beef breeds to produce meat--so choose according to what your primary end user product will be.
> I personally would not buy a dairy breed with the intention of producing or selling it for beef, but then too, I would never allow an Angus on my place either.
> 
> In the end tho--raise what you like and ignore all the hype, and a good bit (if not most) of what you hear from any breed association or breed brochure is exactly that--hype.



Yep.
All those dairy bull calves have to go somewhere.  And, obviously someone figured out a way to turn a profit on them.


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## Bossroo (Nov 26, 2014)

Those dairy bull calves become veal  real fast on milk !


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## Farmer Connie (Aug 1, 2017)

We have raised and processed only Angus. Never attempted a Jersey. I would imagine they yield would vary from diet as any feeder livestock would. But the marble in the meat lets your taste buds decide what is best in the end.


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