LowLine Cattle History
The Australian LowLine cattle came from a cattle research project conduced by the New South Wales Department of Agriculture located in Trangie, Australia. The 30-year project was started in the early 1970’s with the ultimate goal being to produce more beef per acre.
In October 1993, the new South Wales Department of Agriculture conducted a disposal sale. From that sale is what formed the basis of today’s lowline herd. From there the LowLine was finally introduced into the United States in 1997.
Facts & Benefits of Low Line Angus Cattle
The average half-blood calf weights approx. 59 pounds.- The average three-quarter blood calf weights approx. 52 pounds.
- The average full-blood calf weighs 42 pounds.
- The average mature cow is 39 inches tall and weighs 800 pounds.
- The average mature bull is 43 inches tall and weighs 1200 pounds.
LowLine cattle are not just another novelty breed. While they are naturally quiet-tempered, easy animals to raise, they are an extremely efficient range animal that produces a high quality meat product. LowLines are also an outstanding new breed for the small acre ranch. Consider some important facts from the Australian research center:
LowLines have superior carcass traits with 30% larger ribeye area per hundredweight than any other breed and excellent marbling.
- Lowline feed requirements are significantly lower than larger sized animals–at one third the nutritional requirements of larger cross-bred cattle, LowLines will still wean 40% or more retail product per acre.
- Excellent ease of calving
- Lowlines are black hided and naturally polled.
- Highly adaptable to a wide variety of climates from Canada to the deep South.
- Perfectly suited to a premium niche market for beef with a smaller portion, thick-cut steak of excellent tenderness and marbling.
- Excellent mothering ability and short gestation length (271 days).
- Lowlines are attractive, well-proportioned, and easy to handle.
- Lowlines have a lifespan of 12-25 years, are good foragers; hardy, easy keepers.
- Finish a tasty, well-marbled product on minimal grain.
- Lowlines are extremely rare and offer an excellent value for seedstock producers to meet the growing demand for breeding animals. Purebred cattle can be registered through the American Lowline Breed Registry after DNA testing to assure purity.
- Extremely well-suited to intensive grazing situations.
- Lowlines have been tested free of the dwarfism gene or the Anchondroplasia gene.
- Consider the comparison data in the table below, provided by Trangie Research Center.
