Cattle


Murray Grey Cattle

The Murray Grey originated in Australia in the upper Murray Valley on the New South Wales/Victoria border. From humble beginnings the breed has become a major force in the domestic and international beef industry. The breed has spread from Thologolong throughout Australia and to New Zealand, Asia, North America and the UK. Murray Greys are renowned as easy care, versatile cattle producing choice quality beef for a variety of markets and discerning consumers.

The first grey calves were born at the Sutherland family’s Thologolong property in the early years of the 20th century. But they were not always as popular as they are today. The first Murray Greys were bred by chance and were an embarrassment when they appeared in a herd of black Angus cattle in the upper Murray River Valley in 1905.

It became apparent however, that these odd cattle grew quickly, were superior converters of feed and possessed carcase merit. Local cattlemen were attracted by the Grey’s size and appearance and began developing the breed.

Murray Grey’s carry the genetics to produce marbled beef without excess subcutaneous or inter-muscular seam fat. Traditional butchers prefer Murray Grey beef as its consistent quality and tenderness can be relied upon. It provides the ‘right sized’ serves for today’s family home meal and restaurant trade.

Varying in colour from dark grey to a silver, the Greys are natural polls (no horns) and are noted for their docile temperament.

Murray Greys are easy care cattle. They calve easily, the females milk well, they grow quickly, they readily convert grass to beef, they fatten on grass, they finish economically and they have high yields of saleable beef.

The breed was imported to the UK in the early 1970’s, and are finding a place in a modern world of low-input, extensive grazing systems. They are particularly well-suited to conservation grazing and environmental land-management projects, where their lack of horns and docile temperament make them ideal for sites with public access, and their ability to convert low-quality grazing into superb quality meat can still make them an economically viable proposition.

We currently keep 15 breeding cows at home, and all our youngstock are used on conservation grazing to enhance the biodiversity of local nature reserves. We find the Murrays incredibly easy to manage and move from place to place, and the beef they produce is second to none.

Visit http www.murray-grey.co.uk for more information.

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