Herens Cattle Thrive On Low Quality Forage

Herens Cattle Thrive On Low Quality Forage LIVESTOCK Beef 30-1-9 "They gain weight on poor quality forage, they're highly resistant to disease, and their meat tastes great," says George Lemon about the rare Herens cattle breed that he raises on his Lewisburg, W. Va. farm. Herens cattle are black with a dark brown tinge. They originated in the Herens Valley in Switzerland, which is located in the most rugged part of the country. They have a history dating back to Roman times. Lemon first saw Herens cattle in the early 1970's when he traveled to Switzerland. He visited two agriculture schools where he learned that the Herens breed won most carcass contests, had very few health problems, were easy feeders, and were easy to handle. He brought his first animal back to the U.S. in 1980 and has been breeding them ever since. He still has the only complete herd of full-blooded Herens cattle in North America. "I've sold some cows and bulls to Donald Sherwood of Binghamton, N.Y. But there are still only 75 Herens cattle in the entire U.S., and only about 12,000 in the world," he says. According to Lemon, Heren cattle are well muscled and attractive and don't seem to be affected by either extreme cold or heat. "My cattle have had no health problems. They have been wintered with several other breeds of cattle and have always entered the spring in better body condition and with more weight than other breeds." He says the meat has very little fat and is extremely tasty. The bone structure is small and strong, contributing to rich carcass weights. "These cattle have the highest dressing percentage of any cattle I could find in Europe. They dress out one or two percentage points higher than any other breed I could find over there," he says. Herens cattle can winter on low quality forage when most other cattle need grain and silage, says Lemon. "You can turn these cattle out anywhere. I had an 80-acre tract with nothing but brush on it. There was no good grass. I turned five cows out there one spring to see what would happen, and they thrived. It was almost like turning out a bunch of goats û they know how to get along where the getting's not so good. "I used to also have a bunch of Herefords and Black Angus and shorthorn crossbreds. If I feed them all hay, the Herefords and Angus and shorthorns look like they're starving to death. But the Herens cattle look like they're feeding on grain." Another positive is that the breed is disease resistant. "I've never vaccinated my cattle for IBR or PR3 or other viruses because these cattle just don't seem to get sick. "I'm 66 years old and have been fooling with these cattle for 26 years. I'm at the age where I ought to sell them and let someone else promote them," he adds. Bulls sell for $2,500 to $5,000. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, George Lemon, Great Valley Land & Cattle Co., P.O. Box 1250, Lewisburg, W. Va. 24901 (ph 304 645-3773).

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