# lowline cattle



## lakeviewwalker (Jun 26, 2013)

I have a small hobby farm. I am thinking of switching from Angus to lowline. I feel they would better fit my small scale operation. I wondering how to market the calves I am not set up to finish them. With the Angus I can take to the sale barn. I have no idea about lowline .market any help would be great thanks


----------



## ahirschfield (Oct 27, 2013)

I am brand new to cattle and have chosen to get the lowline. We started out with a heifer and a steer and they both are just great animals to be around. My grandma had full size angus years ago and I remember them being temperamental and hard to deal with. Both our animals are quite and gentle and both herds that they came from were the same way. From everything I have read and heard about them they make excellent meat animals that finish well on grass only. 

That being said...you are going to want to get a feel for the market in your area if you aren't going to be finishing them yourself. I have already run into a couple of farmers that turned up their nose when I told them what I was getting. I was told I needed a cow that was going to "grow up" and I should look at angus shorthorn crosses. Low and behold he had a couple that he could sell me. If you were selling the meat as opposed to the animal I would say you would be fine but farmers can be set in their ways and they seem to look at the lowline as a passing tend.

Amanda


----------



## Raymond James (Apr 15, 2013)

If you work everyday with your cattle they will be gentle. It is not the bread but the amount of time you spend with them and the activities you do. 

If you grass finish a small number and sell to the home freezer market it makes no difference what bread. Smaller individuals are preferred by many customers . You can do that by getting a smaller breed or harvest the cattle at a younger age. 

As a small guy you have to use what ever bull you can barrow or rent from a neighbor or use AI. Most use AI now days and with it you can use any breed of bull you want. 

I took my girls to a neighbor a few years but have also had one of the neighbors bull come to my place. I finally decided to trade one of my young bulls born on my place for an unrelated young bull and that has gone well . The first year I was very surprised he got all 5 breed as he was still very young. He is now in his 3rd year and so far is batting 1000. 

I picked shorter smaller heifers to keep to bread and chose a shorter smaller bull. I hve Angus but mine are not as tall as most herds in my area. 

If you always had your heart set on owning and raising X cattle then get the X breed. Just know/Expect to pay more for something that is not common . Expect a meat customer not to care that this is a heritage breed or anyone other than another breeder to pay what it is worth. 

If not then get a breed common to your area/ region.


----------



## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

I have a great lowline bull (sired by Doc Holliday) and frame 5/6 Angus cows. I'm quite pleased with the offspring's size and growth rate. I'm continuing to breed for a smaller frame score for feed efficiency. I can't comment on the sale barn however as I direct market my beef and don't do the sale barn...I do however have people driving by my farm begging for a bull calf all the time.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

If you sell to the standard open market, stay with Angus. If you want to be a salesman, get whatever odd breed that pleases you and get to selling. It is no ones business if your cattle never leave the farm, but I have seen too many newbies get caught buying some rare breed at a premium and later take a huge loss because no one wants them. Often true of beef/milk cattle crosses, too.


----------



## Alaska (Jun 16, 2012)

We bought 3/4 lowline bull calf a year ago to put on our full size angus cows. Looks like we should be seeing our first calf any day. 
The bull is a sweetheart. Its hard to remember to be cautious around him. The herd we bought him from was just as gentle as could be. Its nice not being around monster cattle. 
We will be selling to the public. I believe there will always be a demand for grass fed beef and seems most people are happy to have smaller steaks and roast.
I would say go for the lowline. Its not an emu or some other exotic. Its beef.


----------



## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

If you are anywhere near southcentral Kentucky.....we have a very nice registerable heifer. Dam is registered Angus, Sire is registered Lowline Angus. She was calved March 27th 2013.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Alaska said:


> We bought 3/4 lowline bull calf a year ago to put on our full size angus cows. Looks like we should be seeing our first calf any day.
> The bull is a sweetheart. Its hard to remember to be cautious around him. The herd we bought him from was just as gentle as could be. Its nice not being around monster cattle.
> We will be selling to the public. I believe there will always be a demand for grass fed beef and seems most people are happy to have smaller steaks and roast.
> I would say go for the lowline. Its not an emu or some other exotic. Its beef.


Yup, it's beef. But in realty, you are talking about an industry that discounts up to 20% any steer that isn't black. Horns cost you a hundred dollars or more. Uniformity and black is in demand. Longhorns, Galloways, Highlands, dairy beef mixes suffer great discounts in most markets. Beef is beef, but the market isn't so open minded. So, please enjoy your Lowline cattle. But expect to either take a beating in the market or do some quality salesmanship. You may know the speal, you might have heard it when you bought your first Lowlines. Enjoy.


----------



## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

haypoint said:


> Yup, it's beef. But in realty, you are talking about an industry that discounts up to 20% any steer that isn't black. Horns cost you a hundred dollars or more. Uniformity and black is in demand. Longhorns, Galloways, Highlands, dairy beef mixes suffer great discounts in most markets. Beef is beef, but the market isn't so open minded. So, please enjoy your Lowline cattle. But expect to either take a beating in the market or do some quality salesmanship. You may know the speal, you might have heard it when you bought your first Lowlines. Enjoy.


 
Listen to Haypoint!!!!!

If you plan to sell every one of your market animals direct to consumers then a Lowline might work for you, but if you sell anything to the commercial market then you should stick with your angus.


----------



## Raymond James (Apr 15, 2013)

I read a study from the late 1940 or early 50 from the Dept of Agriculture saying most consumers at the time preferred Jersey beef over other breeds. 

Marketing has taught the consumer that Angus is best. Not saying it is just that marketing has convinced most people that this is true.


----------



## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

They're Lowline Angus....not Galloway, not Highland. They're slightly short, beefy, black, Angus. At what point do smaller frame score Angus take a hit at auction? 2, 3, 4?


----------



## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

Don't know.


----------



## cedarcreekranch (Nov 24, 2010)

We've raised Lowlines in a small way for several years and haven't had any trouble selling them. We try to stay away from the extremely small bloodlines, and only have one fullblood cow, the rest are percentage. Our bull is fullblood lowline and he throws nice calves. They wean 350-400 pounds, cows are just on grass, and we never pull a calf. We've sold all our previous calves as bulls but this year we finally got more heifers than bulls so are going to cut most of the bulls and feed them out.We have the grass so we can do that without 'breaking the bank'. Since we've never run them through a sale barn, I don't know how much if any they'd be discounted as weaners. They're black and they're angus and if you bring in a nice evenly sized group, you'd probably do okay. Just don't get the 'tiny' ones. Our cows are between 50%-87.50% Lowline crossed with Angus, so medium frame cows, 800-1000 pounds. Not miniature really. Our biggest cow is my hubby's 'pet', and she is Angus/limousin and huge. Our little bull (he's about 1100 pounds) breeds her every year, even though she's about a foot taller! She throws a super nice calf that grows out about 75% her size. We like our Lowlines but do your research and really know what you want to do with your cattle before you pick a breed, is my advice. Good luck and enjoy!


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

If a study says consumers prefer Jersey, the market prefers Angus, then who do you sell to? You can become a salesman and promote your tiny cattle or you can take a licking at a sale where the buyers are seeking uniformity in build, color and size. Please don't take this as criticism towards your Lowline cattle. Or your Emus, Angora Goats, Fainting Goats or Highlands. Just want you to be aware that the established markets won't be as excited to buy them as the seller was to have you fall in love with them. 
If cost of production enters into your decision, I think one 1200 pound steer costs less and produces more meat and is cheaper to have butchered than two 600 pound small cattle. 
I guess you could sell your 1 1/2 year olds as just weaned steers. But the guy that bought them is going to be angry when yours refuses to grow up with the rest of the Angus he bought.


----------



## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

Gravytrain said:


> They're Lowline Angus....not Galloway, not Highland. They're slightly short, beefy, black, Angus. At what point do smaller frame score Angus take a hit at auction? 2, 3, 4?


Finished cattle are still coming out of the feed lot at 1200 to 1400 pounds. If the animal your selling doesn't have the potential to finish and grade choice in that size range you will be docked at the sale barn.


----------



## Alaska (Jun 16, 2012)

We have not taken deposits yet but it looks we have more people wanting sides of beef than we will have available for years to come. We are a small operation and have no intention of selling at the auction yard. 
Most lowlines are not minis. They are actually closer to the size and structure of the original angus than most of the monster black cows called angus now.
We are still very new to this and expanding very slowly. I look at the studies that show more pounds per acre and more rib section (ribeye ) per carcass #. And who does not love a ribeye.

After all we are just growing grass and trying to make a buck off the by product.


----------



## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

A few comments.

If you care about costs, breeding a larger cow to a lowline bull is not very cost effective. Big cows eat more and need to be producing a big calf. Ideally you have a smaller cow producing a bigger calf.
Now I can see using a lowline bull for first calf heifers - could even breed a bit early.

I have a few British Whites heifers that are 1/4 lowline. I'm guessing them to become frame 2 cows and will breed to frame 3 to 4 bulls known for calving ease. First breeding done to lowline, and the white usually dominates over the black.

Most lowlines are black, which is known to be less heat tolerant, as anything black absorbs more solar radiation. Higher percentage of black cattle in feedlots die in heat waves. Cattle generally have trouble dealing with heat in most of the U.S., as the fermentation in their rumen produces heat, just like a steaming compost pile.

If you have good pastures, I've seen lowlines getting too fat. Not enough growth to use the energy in the feed. Even my Jersey/lowline cow stayed good condition with me taking extra milk every day for 11 months a year, and her feeding a calf.

I don't like the smaller lowlines - look odd and not proportional. 

Heredity has huge effect on disposition. Raising them the same way, I've had dog gentle and crazies growing side by side. The difference is genetics. If selected for, herds can become quite gentle. Some say if you work with them, you can gentle them, but only so far if their genetics aren't right. Limousin breed started a scoring system for disposition and made great improvements by culling the crazies.

Problem with novelty breeds owned by newbies is people want to breed everything. I have sold a few crazy mostly lowline heifer calves telling buyers to make them into beef. Sure enough, they breed them anyway, and then can't figure out why they want to kill their own calf or something.
Nothing wrong with eating heifers. 

Besides disposition, there are other traits like good udders and feet that are often overlooked by hobbyists. Best to find a reputable breeder. 

So I like a lowline/standard cross cow with reduced frame, then breed to a smaller framed standard bull, using lowline bull for first calf. This guy has smaller framed standard stuff and lowlines.

http://www.pharocattle.com/semensource.htm


----------



## lakeportfarms (Apr 23, 2009)

DJ makes some excellent points. Using a small bull on larger cows helps with calving ease, but if you're producing beef it's not very economical since you're feeding a herd of large cows and your resulting progeny out of them are smaller in size.

We raise registered Dexters and sell direct to the consumer rather than sale barn. And our model is using chondrodysplasia carrier Dexter cows. 50% of our calves will not carry this gene. Here is a photo of a four year old Chondro positive cow, raising her 2013 bull calf (not in photo), 6 months bred, with her two year old steer next to her, a few weeks before he went to the processor. Guess which one ate more and is now in the freezer...

For our chondrodysplasia positive steers, they are often able to be finished several months earlier than the non-carrier steers due to the way they start laying down fat at an earlier age because they are less active than their non-chondro counterparts. February chondro positive steers can often be processed in the fall of the following year with excellent results. Also like DJ mentioned that Lowline bulls can get fat, the chondro positive Dexter steers can get fat too. Chondro positive Dexter cows are very easy keepers when they have a calf on them and they are heavy bred, it's the only reason why they don't get fat.

Edited to add that these are entirely grass/hay fed animals. No grain.


----------



## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

I have been a beef producer for 30 years. I would urge anyone who wants small cattle to pursue that market. I have some myself.But please direct market your stock. I have seen the industry change from knocking a few pennies off for horns, or whiteface cattle that run a greater pinkeye risk to today's docking of 25% based on color. The reason is non-commercial types being dumped on market. Those guys are scared to death of getting stuck with an animal that is taking up space and eating feed in a finishing facility, that is not going to reach a marketable size. Once they have been burned a few times it is understandable. Now the only thing they are not terrified of is going to be black and if you have a small one in the group they are going to be scared of it, too. So please, direct market if you want to raise belted miniature highlanders. Even the lowline angus are going burn someone somewhere if they are put on the commercial market. Next thing you know, you will have to keep pedigrees on your commercial cattle to prove there is nothing hiding on the trailer.


----------



## Alaska (Jun 16, 2012)

http://www.usa-lowline.org/pdf/What-is-right-for-the-beef-business.pdf
Lots of good information here if I copied the link right.


----------



## Alaska (Jun 16, 2012)

I better go check on a cow which appears ready to drop our first lowline mix calf.


----------



## Gabriel (Dec 2, 2008)

Here's a study on cow size as it relates to efficiency of production:
http://www.pharocattle.com/extrastuff/PCC_Program/CowSize.pdf

Here's another: http://www.journalofanimalscience.o....pdf?sid=437f43ec-0a81-4ded-a3bd-d0e386b3b147

A steer from a 1,000 Lb cow will reach 1,200 Lbs at finishing, no problem.


----------



## Alaska (Jun 16, 2012)

All of our calves were sunday babys last year, looks like our first one this year will be also.


----------



## barnbilder (Jul 1, 2005)

1000 lb. Angus cows have been fairly common for years. Stay away from the continental stuff and most of the british breeds will produce individuals that fall under the upper limits of the "lowline" category. Lowline that is selected from existing stock for a smaller stature will never cause problems in a commercial feedlot operation. Lowline that is part dexter mini, however, will cost somebody some money, ultimately the producer that has been selecting smaller stature cows for less soil impact, without the benefit of fancy ad campaigns. It hurts to get docked on good solid calves because the buyer is afraid that there is a dish faced 800 pound bull hiding in the woods somewhere.


----------



## redgate (Sep 18, 2008)

We bought our first cows this summer. One is a "registered" Lowline, but in actuality, she is a 50/50 cross with Lowline and charolais, I get some funny looks when I tell folks she is a white lowline--with papers to prove it. The other is a standard black lowline, registered purebred. Both were bred back to a purebred lowline bull, so I have their calves as well. This year, they were bred back to a registered Red Lowline bull, I believe purebred. The breeder I work with is working on a red line. 

I have pretty much decided to sell these cows next year after they calve. I don't know if it is typical Lowline temperaments, or just the fact that these had little handling prior to coming here, but I just don't like them. Can't really explain why. They are also MUCH bigger than I want in the long run. I'm considering dexter at this point. I like their size much better.


----------



## Gabriel (Dec 2, 2008)

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/news/columns/beeftalk/beeftalk-lowline-influenced-sized-right-and-grass-ready


----------



## Alaska (Jun 16, 2012)

Here he is ! Tender Loin, son of Sir Loin a registered 3/4 lowline. Mom is a black cow/angus. Her second ,his first.


----------



## DenMacII (Aug 16, 2008)

To answer your question. I think if you don't have the room to finish the animals for direct marketing and/or your freezer, I don't think you should plan to be profitable using either the direct market or the sale barn.

We tried a couple Angus on 5 acres of irrigated pasture and still had to supplement hay. We switched to Lowlines, which were easier on the land, and our hay costs went down. We direct sold portions of what we harvested to off set our costs - allowing us a 1/4 to 1/2 a steer at little to no out of pocket costs. 

Earlier this year we moved to a 50 acre farm. We kept our Lowline bull, and I am experimenting with percentage Lowline cows and a couple commercial Angus cows to see how their offspring turn out. It's going to be close to 3 years before I have an answer!

I agree with several others, if you plan on driving your calves to the sale barn your best dollar will be with full sized Black Angus calves. If you know you have a market for Lowline cross calves, then you can direct market to them and probably do better, but it takes time and a lot of effort on your part to develop your name and reputation in the community. Building your market for 1 or 2 calves per year seems like a lot of work.

Best of Luck to you!


----------



## Alaska (Jun 16, 2012)

WE dont expect to make much money with just 60 acres in west/central texas. What we are hopeing is we will have our own grass fed beef in the freezer and enough steady customers to pay the feed bills. And maybe someday enough money to support my bourban habit in my dodage.
WE are new to the business of raising cattle and easing into it slowly as we learn.
We are really happy with our 3/4 lowline bull. And his first offspring born on monday is fine looking young calf.


----------



## nosqrls (Jun 9, 2012)

Going to livestock shows with animals helps sell. Or take pics and a business cards. County Fair, State Fair. Win or lose people get to see what You have /doing. If the like it they buy it. I have sold calves as early as 2 days. And told customer see you in six months to pick them up and they stop by every couple of weeks to look at them and see how they've grown. Had couple call this week then come and pick up 2 because they saw one of ours at somebody elses farm and liked the way she looked.


----------



## Jroo (Feb 22, 2015)

I think labeling them as "tiny" or hobby cattle or a novelty is misleading. They have a lot of potential for producers looking to raise efficiency and lower inputs in commercial mother cows. Also they are in no way miniature, if you follow their history you see why many people consider them a source for some of the purest angus lines available. Kit Pharo currently uses three of them. A NDSU study recently showed production of 37% more beef per acre with lowlines than with large framed cattle. The Chain ranch just best pen of heifers with 50% lowline heifers at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, that's a pretty big deal and the Chain ranch is certainly no hobby farm. Just do lots of research and find the facts and you'll find the right way. Remember that the uninformed will be happy to mislead you while perpetuating their own bias.


----------

