Santa Gertrudis cattle

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Santa Gertrudis cattle are a beef breed of cattle developed in southern Texas on the King Ranch. They were named for the Santa Gertrudis creek on the ranch. This breed was officially recognized in 1940, becoming the first beef breed formed in the United States. The origin given by King Ranch is that it was formed by mating Brahman bulls with Beef Shorthorn cows, with the final composition being about 3/8 Brahman and 5/8 Shorthorn. Actually, the records of the early crosses are very poor or non-existent, and the crosses were done on the range, so the actual sires are not known. Additionally, King Ranch did not have any pure Brahman bulls, but bought Brahman cross bulls from another ranch. [1] [2]

There is a rumor that Monkey, the principal sire of the early breed (all present Santa Gertrudis cattle are descended from Monkey) had an Afrikaner (South African red Zebu) sire and a Milking Shorthorn dam. The consistent deep red color of the Santa Gertrudis fits Afrikaner ancestry better than Brahman. The high milk production for a beef breed (resulting in fast growth of calves and heavy yearlings ready for market) would fit being part Milking Shorthorn, also. The cows Monkey was mated with would have been mixed Brahman and Beef Shorthorn, of course. Which would make Santa Gertrudis a four breed mix instead of a two breed mix.

Whatever the ancestral composition, the Santa Gertrudis breed is an outstanding beef breed. The adults are very large, with long legs (a great advantage in cactus country). They have high heat tolerance and parasite resistance. They are ideally suited for desert and semi-desert climates where they must withstand both high and low temperatures, but do well in many locations.