The Australian Braford is a breed of beef cattle

Beef cattle

Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production . The meat of cattle is known as beef. When raised in a feedlot cattle are known as feeder cattle. Many such feeder cattle are born in cow-calf operations specifically designed to produce beef calves...

, developed in Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 between 1946 and 1952 in a program to produce cattle that were resistant to cattle ticks

Rhipicephalus microplus

Rhipicephalus microplus is an economically important tick that parasitises a variety of livestock species; it is known as the cattle tick or southern cattle tick. It has been recorded on "cattle, buffalo, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, deer, pigs, dogs and some wild animals"...

 and tolerated the heat better than some other breeds.

The Braford breed originated at ‘Edengarry’ north of Rockhampton in Queensland in 1946 when the Rea Brothers introduced Brahman bulls into their Hereford breeders to help combat the effects of drought and ticks.

Brafords have a small hump, loose skin and a short coat that is red and white, possessing a coat pattern similar to that of Hereford cattle. Australian Brafords may be horned or polled. The genetic background of the breed is approximately 50 per cent Hereford and 50 per cent Brahman

Brahman (cattle)

The Brahman or Brahma is a breed of Zebu cattle , later exported from India to the rest of the world. The main breeds used were Kankrej, Gujurat, Nelore or Ongole and the Gir or Gyr cattle...

.

Brafords are mainly found in the eastern states of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Braford semen has been exported into South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 and South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. Live cattle exports have been made into Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

 and Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

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External links

• Australian Braford Society