THE ORIGIN OF THE BEEFMASTER BREED, as adapted from the book "The Lasater Philosophy of Cattle Raising".
When Tom Lasater
entered the cattle business in 1931, it was not with the idea of forming a new breed of cattle but to produce "more beef
for less money". In the process of experimenting with various combinations of the three breeds at hand; Hereford*Shorthorn*Brahman,
he quickly discovered that the 3 way cross was superior to any other combination and converted his entire herd to that cross.
Beefmasters were recognized as a breed by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1954.
Ed C. Lasater (Tom Lasater's
father) was an extremely forward thinking and farsighted cattleman who introduced the Brahman cattle to South Texas back
in 1908. He had also developed a superior herd of Hereford cattle that were heavy milkers and had red circles around
the eyes, which made them resistant to eye troubles.
The following on the origin of the Beefmaster breed is quoted from U.S.D.A. Farmer's
Bulletin No. 2228:
The development of the breed was begun in 1931 by Tom
Lasater on a ranch near Falfurrias, Texas. The foundation herd of the breed was moved in 1949 to Matheson, Colorado,
where development continues.
Three breeds- the Hereford, the Shorthorn, and the Brahman - were combined to produce the Beefmaster. In the initial
crosses, Mr. Lasater used both the registered Hereford and Brahman herd, which had been developed by his father, Edward C.
Lasater, who began his work with Brahman cattle in 1908. The foundation herd was closed since the purchase of a few
registered Shorthorn sires during the 1930's.
The majority of the crossbreeding was carried on in multiple-sire herds under range conditions; hence, the exact percentage
of blood of each of the parent breeds is not known. It is estimated that about 25 percent Shorthorn and 50 percent Brahman
hereditary material was incorporated into the breed.
During the entire period of breed development, selection has been practiced for disposition, fertility, weight, conformation,
hardiness, and milk production. No planned selection for coat color has ever been made. However, there has been
an apparent increase in the frequency of red.
Only cattle that are purebred
descendants of the foundation herd (Lasater Beefmasters) or are produced by three consecutive top-crosses of recognized breeding
may be called Beefmasters. No distinction is made between artificial insemination and natural service.
In order that each animal may
be permanently identified with the breeder, the use of a prefix name such as Lasater Beefmasters, Casey Beefmasters or Coahuila
Beefmasters is obligatory. Thus, responsibility is placed squarely upon the shoulders of the individual breeder.
Beefmasters are the only recognized
breed of cattle in existence that have been selected solely for beef-making charactgeristics from the beginning.
