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Santa Gertrudis Cattle
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Santa Gertrudis were developed on King Ranch to function in hot, humid,
and unfavorable environments. The name Santa Gertrudis came from Rincon de Santa Gertrudis,
the name of the original land grant purchased by Captain Richard King from the
heirs of Juan Mendiola. The Santa Gertrudis was developed by crossing
Indian Brahman cattle with British Shorthorns. In 1920, years of experimentation
culminated with the birth of Monkey, a deep red bull calf.
Monkey became the foundation sire for not just a superior line of cattle, but an entirely new
breed. In 1940, Santa Gertrudis was recognized by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture as the first beef breed developed in the United States.
Even today Santa Gertrudis are referred to as America's original beef breed.
Santa Gertrudis cattle are approximately five-eighths Shorthorn and three-eighths
Brahman. They are a deep cherry-red color with a relatively high degree of both
heat and tick resistance. Santa Gertrudis females are known for their exceptional
maternal traits. Their characteristics include ease of calving, good mothering
ability and abundant milk supply.
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General Stonewall, the farm's patriarch
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A couple of welcome additions
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This page was last edited on Saturday, December 14, 2004
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