Why Is Heritage Shorthorn Beef Special ?

1. Great Taste & Natural Marbling

The beef from the Shorthorn breed is well known for its fantastic quality and texture, delivering well marbled fat throughout the muscle to give a greater depth of flavor and tenderness. Shorthorn cattle develop more natural marbling in a grass fed environment than any other breed of cattle. This ability to marble also makes them ideal cattle to produce high quality beef under any feeding conditions.

2. Supports Local Family Farms

All of the beef sold under this program comes from Shorthorn cattle raised “start to finish” on family farms and ranches—it is not produced by a commercial feedlot or from a large corporation. Buying locally supports your neighbors and helps to foster the next generation of farmers & ranchers.

3. Better for the Environment

Heritage Shorthorn cattle, when tested against other cattle breeds in the 1950’s and 1960’s in trials by the USDA, consistently placed at the top in feed efficiency (they needed less total feed to produce each pound of beef). Because of their natural feed efficiency, Heritage Shorthorns help protect the environment by reducing their carbon footprint in comparison to other breeds of cattle, while not needing artificial growth additives or extra resources to produce quality beef.

Local family farms and ranches are committed to caring for their livestock, protecting their land, and finding sustainable ways to raise their cattle. They contribute to the livability of the communities where they live and work.

4. Nutritious and Free of Hormones or Other Additives

The cattle in the HSCB program are raised on pastures rather than in a feedlot, and they are never given artificial growth promoting additives, hormones, or implants. This is the same beef that individual farming or ranching families sit down to eat at their own dinner table.

5. Promotes the Breeding & Preservation of Heritage Shorthorn Cattle

Modern beef cattle are typically a mix of breeds, and the trend in commercial cattle operations is to raise composite or crossbred animals. In contrast, heritage breeds including Heritage Shorthorns are the direct descendants from distinct breeds developed to thrive on family farms. By buying Heritage Shorthorn Certified Beef you will be encouraging breeders to preserve these increasingly rare traditional breeds. In addition, with Heritage Shorthorn Certified Beef you will also be getting top quality, tender, flavorful meat to share with your family and friends.