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One of the oldest recognized breeds in the world, Shorthorn cattle originted in Northeastern England in the Valley of the Tees River. Much of the early improvement work took place in the counties of Northumberland, Durham and York.

The first importation of Shorthorns to the United States was in 1783, when "Milk Breed" Shorthorns came to Virginia. These early importations, often referred to as "Durhams", became favorites of the pioneer, furnishing meat, milk and power.

Shorthorns, the most numerous in the British Isles, America and Australia, are either red, red and white, white or roan, the last named color being a very close mixture of red and white, and found in no other breed of cattle. The Miking Shorthorn breed is best known for its versatility. This docile animal efficiently converts feed into milk and has a long productive life, at the end of which these large cows have a high salvage value.

History

ORIGIN, HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
Into the North Sea, on the east coast of England just north of the bulge toward Europe, a river, the Tees, empties. It was along this river that the Shorthorn breed was developed. The earliest knowledge of the forerunners to the breed is word of mouth, that for two hundred years before 1780, there were short horned cattle on the Yorkshire estates of the Dukes and Earls of Northumberland. Shorthorn stock has been in the herds of Smithsons of Stanwick since the middle 1600's.

Several men helped bring the breed to its present high standard of perfection by selecting animals that were best suited to meet the demands of practical farmers.

In Shorthorn history, the name of Bates, Booth and Cruickshank are noted. Bates and Booth were Englishmen who developed what are usually referred to as "English Shorthorns." Cruickshank was a Scotchman who developed the "Scotch Shorthorns." The Bates type of Shorthorns were noted for their style and good milking qualities. Cruickshank's cattle were thicker, blockier and meatier.

Most of the early importations of Shorthorns to America came from English herds and were of the Bates and Booth types; those that came directly from the Bates herd or descendants of that herd had very good milking qualities.

As explained, the Milking Shorthorn is not a separate and distinct breed, but rather a segment of the Shorthorn breed. The pedigrees of both the Milking Shorthorn and the Scotch Shorthorn trace to the same foundation animals if carried to breed origin.

SHORTHORNS ENTER USA IN 1783
An unknown number of both types, the milk breed and the beef breed, were brought from England by a Mr. Gough of Maryland and his partner, a Mr. Miller of Virginia. Importations continued during the early 1800's and the breed moved into New York, Kentucky, Ohio, and deeper into the Midwest. The first herd west of the Mississippi is reported to have been established by N. Cooper on his Ravenswood Farm in Missouri in 1839. Today, Milking Shorthorns are found in almost every area of the United States.

It should be gratifying to anyone interested in Milking Shorthorns to learn how much the breed contributed to the livelihood of our nation. Its hardiness, wide range of adaptation and efficiency of production proved milk, meat and transportation for our pioneers. The breed's many attributes continue to provide a livelihood for the breeders today.

A VERSATILE BREED
The Milking Shorthorn breed is the most versatile of all breeds and this is one of its greatest attributes. These docile cows efficiently produce large volumes of nutritious milk each lactation and are large enough to have a high salvage value when their long productive lives finally come to an end. In addition, their healthy calves born each year on regular calving intervals are spunky at birth, grow rapidly, and those not kept for breeding stock and herd replacement make efficient gains and hang very desirable grading carcasses.

Other attributes of the breed include ease of calving, ease of management and economy of production, especially on home raised roughages and grass.

One of the first official demostrations of the production ability of Milking Shorthorns was made at the World's Exposition in Chicago in 1893 where two of the leading cows of the test were Kitty Clay 3d and Kitty Clay 4th, the latter standing third in net profit over all breeds. These sister cows became the foundation for the Clay cow family of Milking Shorthorns, developed at Glenside Farm, Granville Center, Pennsylvania.

MILKING SHORTHORNS IN THE USA
Breeders began recording their Shorthorn cattle in 1846 with the first volume of the American Herdbook. In 1882, the American Shorthorn Breeders' Association was formed to register and promote both Milking and Scotch (beef) Shorthorns. In 1912, a group of Milking Shorthorn breeders organized the Milking Shorthorn Club to work within the framework of the ASBA. Its membership was interested in advertising the good milk qualities of the breed by keeping official milk records and encouraging breed improvements.

The American Milking Shorthorn Society (AMSS) incorporated in 1948 and took over the registration and promotion of Milking Shorthorns. In April 1950, the Milking Shorthorn office moved from Chicago to Springfield, Missouri. Milking Shorthorns were declared a dairy breed in 1969 and in 1972 became members of the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association. The Society national office moved to its present home, Beloit, Wisconsin, in 1986.

Milking Shorthorn breeders in the USA have many opportunities for improving the genetics of their animals by participating in the breed's official production testing, type trait appraisal, gain performance, national shows and breed promotion programs.

Breeders can use semen from the breed's highest proven bulls. Semen of high genetic value is also available from carefully selected young sires approved by the Young Sire committee. Also, two grade-up programs make it possible for anyone to bring outstanding neglected purebreds back into the Official Herdbook and to introduce the best of other internationally recognized high producing breeds into a program with rigid requirements.

It is a fact that no breed has made greater improvement during the past 15 years and even greater increases are expected in the future. Milking Shorthorns have become more dairy and angular and improved udder quality. Anyone having the opportunity to observe recent national Milking Shorthorn shows can not help but be impressed by the number of superior individuals presented which were bred by breeders from coast to coast.

BREED PUBLICATION
The breed's official publication is the Milking Shorthorn Journal. The first issue was published at Independence, Iowa, in March 1919. The Journal provides the most economical means for breeders to promote their individual breeding programs and advertise breeding stock for sale. Journal subscriptions are available to domestic and international readers. It is the best media to keep up to date on the many activities and programs for the improvement, expansion and promotion of Milking Shorthorns.

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Pasture Power

Milking Shorthorn cattle are continuing to increase in production and popularity as a recognized dairy breed. Ease of management and calving ease are two aspects of Milking Shorthorns that breeders rank highly. Lower veterinarian bills and longevitiy are also noted by dairymen. Mature Milking Shorthorns average over 15,000 pounds milk, 500 pounds fat and 465 pounds protein. The Milking Shorthorn breed is noted for its high protein to fat ratio which is increasingly desirable in milk marketed today.

Even your neighbors will remark about the non-generic, beautifully colored red, white and roan Milking Shorthorn cows grazing on the green grass. You will love their gentle dispositions - such an asset when working with cattle in pasutres, lanes and unsophisticated milking parlors. Best of all, the Milking Shorthorns' hardy, trouble-free attributes will give you that extra time for family and other pursuits.

HISTORICAL INFLUENCE
Even though most present-day Milking Shorthorn breeders are specialists in the production of milk, there is still an unbroken legacy carried over from the time the breed was widely recognized as general farm cattle that were expected to efficiently convert roughtages, including grass, into milk. Grazing for Milking Shorthorns is as natural as roosting is to a hen!

BREED IMPROVEMENT
Milking Shorthorns are competitive milk producers. In a program designed to continually improve the milk producing capabilities of the Milking Shorthorn cow while retaining her overall economic advantages, Australian Illawarra Shorthorn, North American Red Holstein and Norwegian Red bloodlines have been introduced in varying degrees to a large portion of the breed.

Has this been successful? Management data taken from the 1995 Minnesota DHIA summary showed Milking Shorthorns ranking second of the six major dairy breeds in yearly rolling herd average by pounds of milk while having the lowest feed cost per CWT milk!

DISEASE RESISTANCE
Milking Shorthorns are relatively trouble-free, leaving youmore time to manage your paddocks. In an extensive study done over a 13 year period on an Idaho dairy owned by a veterinarian, it was found that under the same management conditions, Milking Shorthorns were significantly less prone to disease, particularly in the areas of lameness, mastitis, dystocia and milk fever, than their Holstein herdmates. (Paper presented at the 1995 World Shorthorn Conference by Dr. Martin R. Lee, Jerome, Idaho.)

CALVING EASE AND CALVING INTERVAL
Milking Shorthorn cows are moderately framed and have comparatively small calves that are vigorous at birth adn easy to raise. These hardy cows recover quickly and are in condition to rebreed earlier. The 1995 Minnesota DHIA data showed Milking Shorthorn cows with the shortest calving interval of any breed - 12.8 months! The right breed for seasonal grazing operations.

MILK QUALITY
Milking Shorthorn milk can be worth more. On a recent USDA Sire Summary, Milking Shorthorns were listed with the lowest base Somatic Cell score of all dairy breeds, indicating the possibility of an increased resistance to mastitis which is consistent with the Idaho study. In addition, Milking Shorthorn milk has the most favorable protein-fat ratio of the dairy breeds which is an added plus when marketing your milk for cheese.

CROSS BREEDING
Milking Shorthorns are the ideal breed for cross breeding. Graziers have shown that they are open minded to different ideas, including cross breeding, to reach their desired goals. With their inherent calving ease, Milking Shorthorns can be successfully crossed with any other dairy breed to quickly incorporate the Milking Shorthorn-related grazing traits. (Since a few sires involved in the Milking Shorthorn Genetic Expansion Program may contain up to 50% Red Holstein blood, it is helpful to ask about the pedigree when selecting for calving ease.) In addition, although no bulls can be completely trusted, Milking Shorthorns tend to be quieter than other dairy bulls and fit well where a bull is used to get cows settled.

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