Beef cattle bred by Willatook Park stud farm

<body> <h1>Beef cattle</h1> <h2>Romagnola Cross</h2> <p>Beef cattle breeding here at Willatook Park makes use of the best of European breeding.  We use Limousin and Romagnola bulls over F1 and Angus cross beef heifers.  <br><br>It is said that Romagnola crosses are money makers from the paddock and in the plant - the cross calves have low conversion ratios and high average daily gains.<br><br>The Romagnola combines the characteristics of both major types of Aurochs, the ancient wild cattle which were the forebears of the modern Bos Taurus and Bos Indicus cattle breeds. Originating in Italy, for centuries the main purpose of these animals was to assist man in tilling the fertile plains, with the production of beef as a secondary consideration.<br><br>International interest in the Romagnola has been steadily increasing since the first cattle left Italy for Scotland in the early 1970s. Today the breed is present in the Great Britain, Ireland, North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa.</p> <h2>Limousin cross</h2> <p>The Limousin breed originated in a region of central France - rugged, granite country - where the summers are hot and winters are severe.</p> <p>The Limousin breed is: </p> <ul> <li>the largest breed in the UK </li> <li>the third largest breed in the USA </li> <li>the fifth largest breed in Canada </li> <li>the seventh largest breed in Australia</li> </ul> <p>Limousin calves have low birth weights, which lead to minimum calving problems when Limousin bulls are used over cows of other breeds. <br><br>Limousin crossbred steers and heifers have high dressing percentages of 58 - 63 percent compared to an average of 53 - 58 percent. <br><br>High meat to bone ratios and low fat leads to outstanding yields of saleable meat from Limousin cross carcases. Yields of up to 80% of saleable meat are not uncommon. </p> </div> <p> </p> <h3>Menu:</h3> <p><a href="index.html">Home</a><br> <a href="horses.html">Stock Horses</a><br> <a href="cattle.html">Beef Cattle</a><br> <a href="huntaway.html">Huntaway Dogs</a><br> <a href="about.html">About Us</a><br> <a href="contact.html">Contact</a><br> <a href="resources.html">Resources</a></p> </body>