Braford

The cross was developed twice, independently: in Australia from 1946, and in Florida from 1947, where the American Braford came out of Alto Adams Jr.'s ranch in St. Lucie County. The American formula settled at three-eighths Brahman, five-eighths Hereford.

They usually show the Hereford red body and white face over a Brahman frame, stockier than a straight Hereford, and some carry a brindle pattern that earns the nickname tiger striped. From the Brahman side they inherit more sweat glands and oily skin, which is where the heat and insect resistance lives.

Cows are fertile and long-lived, and they raise a calf on rough subtropical forage.

The breed was built to keep the Hereford's disposition, and that is the reputation it sells on. Not everyone signs off on it: some owners report an ornery streak, and whether that comes from the breeding or the raising is argued. Judge the herd in front of you.

Beef in the heat, first: they carry the tolerance that makes cattle viable on the Gulf Coast. They also turn up in arena work, in calf roping, cutting and ranch sorting.

The trade is inherited from both parents. The white face still burns and still carries the pinkeye risk that comes with unpigmented skin, and the Brahman fraction still costs some tenderness and some cold tolerance. In high-sun country, eye pigmentation is worth asking about, exactly as it is with a straight Hereford.

United Braford Breeders is the only organization registering Braford cattle in the United States, so the paperwork question is simple. The composition question is not: ask the actual Brahman fraction, because it sets both the heat tolerance and the costs that come with it.

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