Murray Grey

The chance mating that started the breed happened during the Federation drought, on country along the upper Murray between New South Wales and Victoria, and the odd gray calves were developed into a herd on the Thologolong property by Peter and Ena Sutherland. The first large commercial herds came in the 1940s, and the Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society formed in the 1960s to register the breed, absorbing the Tasmanian Gray organization in 1981.

The carcass reputation was earned early: in 1967, Murray Grey carcasses took first, second and third at the Commonwealth competition at the Smithfield Show. Cattle, semen and embryos have since gone to the United States, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and beyond.

They are silver to dun gray, naturally polled, and moderate framed: cows run 1,100 to 1,500 lb and bulls 1,720 to 1,900. The pale coat reflects heat better than black, and the skin under it is pigmented, so it does not burn.

The breed's reputation rests on two things: temperament and carcass quality, with fine-grained meat and good marbling on grass.

Docile and easy is the standard description, and the breed's reputation here is exceptional even by the standards of docile breeds. For a small operation or a first-time cattle owner, that is worth real money in fencing, handling gear and nerves.

Grass beef. The marbling on forage and the moderate frame make them a grazing operation's animal, and the polled head and pale, pigmented hide remove two jobs, dehorning and sunburn, from the list.

Grass, and a genetic test or two. The American Murray Grey Association says the breed produces tender, marbled beef on grass alone, and Oklahoma State University records that it survives and reproduces well across a wide range of climates. The gray coat reflects more heat than a dark one, and the pigmented skin that registration requires helps protect against eye cancer and sunburned udders.

Calves are small at birth, 60 to 80 lb by the Australian breed association's figures, which is why it says Murray Grey bulls can be used over first-calf heifers. Two inherited conditions are worth asking about. The American association will not register an animal that tests positive for alpha-mannosidosis, and has required AI bulls to test free since 1999. Contractural arachnodactyly, fawn calf syndrome, is different: affected calves usually survive, but most perform poorly and stay tall and slender with poor feet, and the association does not require a test for it, so ask the seller.

The trade is population. Outside Australia the numbers are small, which limits how much genetic selection you can do within the breed and makes finding unrelated bulls a real exercise.

The American Murray Grey Association keeps the US book and a breeder directory; expect to travel or ship semen rather than buy locally, and ask about the relationship between any bull and your cows, because the pool is shallow.

Recent sale prices on HoofnHorn, where there are any, are further down this page.