Greyman Cattle
Encyclopedia
Greyman are an Australia
n breed of beef
cattle
developed in Queensland
in the 1970s, specifically to suit the Queensland
environment, by combining the outstanding genetic characteristics of both the Murray Grey
and Brahman (cattle)
breeds.
These cattle carry between 25% and 75% of Murray Grey blood, with the remainder made up of Brahman. This allows breeders the option of being able to select for optimal performance specific to the region and environmental conditions. Thus, Greymans can be bred with a greater emphasis on Brahman content in the tropical country, or with a higher percentage of Murray Grey blood to suit the southern states. Their sleek coats varying in colour from dark grey to a silver, the Greyman are natural polls and have a dark skin pigment
ation that is not susceptible to skin or eye problems in severe climates.
Greyman cattle offer breeders natural tick
resistance, good mothering ability, drought
and heat tolerance and efficient feed conversion. They are among the breeds that have been GeneSTAR tested positive for carrying copies of marbling
and tenderness genes.
Greymans were originally recorded within their own society, but the Greyman Society and its Herdbook were absorbed into the Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society in the mid 1990s, as part of the Murray Grey Composite Register. More recently a separate Greyman Register has been added to provide a more effective recording system.
The Greyman breed is has attracted interest from overseas cattle producers as they are one of the few Australian breeds adapted to maximum performance and productivity under all conditions.
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...
n breed of beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
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...
in the 1970s, specifically to suit the 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...
environment, by combining the outstanding genetic characteristics of both the Murray Grey
Murray Grey
Murray Grey is a breed of Australian polled beef cattle that was developed in the upper Murray River valley on the New South Wales /Victorian border...
and Brahman (cattle)
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...
breeds.
These cattle carry between 25% and 75% of Murray Grey blood, with the remainder made up of Brahman. This allows breeders the option of being able to select for optimal performance specific to the region and environmental conditions. Thus, Greymans can be bred with a greater emphasis on Brahman content in the tropical country, or with a higher percentage of Murray Grey blood to suit the southern states. Their sleek coats varying in colour from dark grey to a silver, the Greyman are natural polls and have a dark skin pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
ation that is not susceptible to skin or eye problems in severe climates.
Greyman cattle offer breeders natural tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
resistance, good mothering ability, drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
and heat tolerance and efficient feed conversion. They are among the breeds that have been GeneSTAR tested positive for carrying copies of marbling
Marbled meat
Marbled meat is meat, especially red meat, which contains various amounts of intramuscular fat, giving it an appearance similar to a marble pattern.- Selective breeding :Marbling can be influenced by selective breeding...
and tenderness genes.
Greymans were originally recorded within their own society, but the Greyman Society and its Herdbook were absorbed into the Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society in the mid 1990s, as part of the Murray Grey Composite Register. More recently a separate Greyman Register has been added to provide a more effective recording system.
The Greyman breed is has attracted interest from overseas cattle producers as they are one of the few Australian breeds adapted to maximum performance and productivity under all conditions.