Why American Aberdeen?

American Aberdeen cattle are moving the cattle industry forward by focusing on the foundational traits that brought the early Angus cattle to the forefront. Ideal as an outcross to most programs, Aberdeens are noted for fertility, easy-calving, efficiency on grass and disciplined frame scores, while providing structural correctness and docility.

While all fullblood American Aberdeen cattle trace their entire pedigree to the foundation Trangie Research Centre in New South Wales, Australia, the Association also offers the Aberdeen Plus®, Moderator®, and Moderator Plus® percentage breeding programs to help you reach your goals. 

Whether your operation is ten head or ten thousand, there’s a place for American Aberdeens in your program.

For larger operations, why not try an Aberdeen bull on heifers to reduce calving problems and increase breed back percentages for that second calf.

For operations of all sizes, and particularly grass-based systems, use Aberdeens to moderate mature size while increasing ribeye area per hundredweight.

American Aberdeen bulls mature between 1,300 and 1,600 pounds, while cows mature between 900 and 1,100 pounds. Isn’t that the ideal size talked about in grazing schools where profit is driven by grazing?

Why is a 1,000-pound cow so desirable? Do the math. If you have a pasture that will support 71 1,400-pound cows (typical for mainstream Angus), that same pasture would support 100 1,000-pound cows. At sale time, 71 head of 583-pound calves at $1.535/pound equals $63,538. The 100 500-pound calves from the smaller cows are worth $1.658 per pound for a total of $82,900. That’s a $19,362 advantage for moderate framed cows. While the market changes, you can run those numbers on any commercial calf sale report and see the same advantage. Lighter calves are worth more per pound and you can raise more calves on the same acres as the big cows.

If you want to challenge the math, try it this way—a semi load of 650-pound steers was recently worth $58,559 (77 650-pound steers at $1.17/lb). On the same day, a pot load of 450-pound steers was worth $71,429 (111 450-pound steers at $1.43/lb). Which load would you rather own? That’s a $12,870 advantage to lighter calves. Plug today’s numbers into the same equations and see the advantage for yourself!

If you’re selling direct grass-finished beef to the consumer or commercial calves right off the cow, American Aberdeens should be part of your mix.

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American Aberdeen Association®
PO BOX 850
BIG HORN, WYOMING 82833
(303) 840-4343