Raising Lowline Angus Cattle is not a big job. They calf without trouble, they don't eat you out of the farm, & they are calm and friendly. They are the beef of the future for specialty markets and home production. They finish on grass. They are lean and tender.

Raising Lowline cattle can be a retirement dream come true. Lowline Angus have the premium meat production that Angus cattle are famous for. If you want to produce a few animals for your family, neighbors or community the Lowlines make an excellent choice. The Lowline breed has many advantages. Benefits of raising Lowlines include easy handling. They eat less than standard sized cows. You can feed two "miniature Angus" steers to one big breed steer. They are feed efficient and maintain a fat sleek appearance on grass. Their body type is stocky and their smaller bone structure supports a larger percentage of meat than large cows. You can produce more meat with Lowline cattle than any other breed on the same amount of feed. The market is also looking for smaller cuts of meat. Restrictions have been placed on carcass size for large breeds. There is a growing demand for meat produced locally and grass finished. The CLA content is a lot higher in grass finished meat. Cows were designed to eat grass, not grain. High CLA content of meat is a bonus for those persons who want to lose weight. Lowline Angus are an ideal breed for grass finishing.

The breeders' market is still strong. Every year the price for full blood Lowlines has increased. I talked to a fellow who wanted to incorporate Lowline characteristics into his herd. He joked that you couldn't afford to eat them. You can however enjoy the characteristics by using a full blood bull with your market cows. The smaller size is a dominant trait. The first cross will produce a smaller animal. When bred to an Angus cow, a full blood Lowline bull will produce a terrific cow. They are consistent, short, stocky and sleek. Another major benefit is that Lowlines are gentle and calm. I have been impressed by their friendliness. Because of their smaller size, they are easier on your fields. They calve easily, even as heifers. The smaller size of the calves makes calving a no problem event. I have a fullblood heifer and a half blood heifer, both are cycling at 9 and 10 months.

If you purchase a full blood bull, I would insist on a fertility test and a GeneSTAR test. For about $60 you can have a GeneSTAR test done which will provide information on quality or marbling, tenderness and feed efficiency. Bovigen provides this information 1-877-BEEF-DNA. They will send you a test packet. You will collect hairs with roots attached for the test. I have a bull calf out of Columbo Park Zefirelli, an impressive, magnificent animal. My bull calf is 1 year old and has the same stars for tenderness, feed efficiency and marbling as his father. He is out of Bar J Miracle.(See sale page)

We have been using blood tests for pregnancy results with our Lowlines. This test requires a blood sample. The blood is collected in a vacuum tube from a vein under the tail. We send our tests to Integrated Dairy Services, 975 N. Patrick, Dublin, TX 76446. They have directions for mailing the tests on their web page. We order the testing equipment from Air-Tite 1-800-231-7762 Their web site is www.air-tite.com The cost for processing the pregnancy test is only $2.25 each. From NE TX it takes one day to deliver the tests and in 2 days they email the results to us. There is a Very quick turnaround, and very little stress to the cows. The cows needs to be 25 days along to get accurate results. There are 4 different categories:pregnant, pregnant recheck, open recheck, open. You will receive an information sheet which will teach you how to interpret the test results. In the case of pregnancy tests on embryo transfers, do not expose your cows to a bull until you get your results back. You may get a "pregnant, retest" and wish to retest before you expose your cow to a clean-up bull.

If you haven't read the "embryo experience" it is located on the sale page. I discovered that the Half blood Lowline recip cows that were fed kelp had a higher rate of success in establishing an embryo transfer pregnancy. They also were without ovarian cysts. Why wouldn't you want to feed kelp in any breeding program? We purchased our kelp from Rabbit Hill Farms near Corsicana, TX. I heard that they sold their business. The best magazine that we have found for organic practices is "Acres". If you subscribe to "Acres" (1-800-355-5313), the dry kelp is available from Neptune's Harvest. They are also the company who produces the liquid hydrolyzed fish that we use on our fields. Their website is www.neptunesharvest.com 1-800-259-4769.

We vaccinate our Lowline cattle and worm twice a year. In the fall we use an injectable wormer that takes care of liver flukes. Pour on wormers are usually adequate in the spring. Immunizations start at 2 months of age, calves receive a booster in 3 to 4 weeks after their innitial dose. Consult your vet for specific immunizations for your area. Texas also requires a vet to immunize for Brucelosis. Your heifer will receive an ear clip and a tatoo to prove compliance.

In order to register a Lowline you must tatoo the ear. We try to co-ordinate the ear tag with the tatoo. It is hard to read the tatoo as the Lowline's ear is hairy. I ran across a web site on ear tatoos. Every year has a letter designation. Last year was "T", this year,2008, is "U". V is not used. 2009 will be "W". Thus you can tell a cow's age by the letter which designates the year. We use "RL" for the beginning of the tatoo and the letter for the year followed by a number such as 1 - 2 - 3 etc. I write the calf's name on the tag. I prefer the break-away tag style. It is easy to tear the ear with the kind that you have to release by hand, especially if you cannot hold the head firm. A full blood Lowline Angus calf must have a DNA test (blood test) submitted with the Cow and sire's information to register it. If you purchase a percentage lowline or a full blood animal and you receive the registration papers and they are not in your name, you must have them transfered asap. After 30 days, the fees double. Membership in the American Lowline Registry is $50 for the first year and $25 for renewal. Non-members pay double to register and transfer ownership of animals.

My 40 animals go through 100lbs of loose mineral a month. I tried feeding them the mineral with the fly egg killer but they will not eat it. I usually offer Redmond natural mineral blocks and the loose seasonal mineral. When the grass is green, so is the mineral. My Lowlines have not needed any medical treatment this year. We have had pink eye in the past, and warts. Both of these conditions have disappeared. We practice organic methods although we are not certified organic. I have not needed to have a vet call for a year. I did use an embryo vet for breeding purposes. Lowlines have not been a lot of work. They are good mothers and they are fertile. My husband used "I love Lowlines" as his personal phrase. They are lovable!

? Copyright 2007-2008 Rockin L Lowlines - This site last updated - September 13, 2008

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