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Beefmaster cattle in Austria
The 6 Essentials, the Beefmaster breed was built on!
The Six Essentials are what differentiates Beefmasters from all other beef breeds.
Fertility
Females should be feminine, early maturing, early breeding, and raise a calf annually. Calving ease and excellent mothering ability are paramount. Maternal productivity and efficiency are the primary purpose and focus of the breed.
Disposition
Beefmasters should be relatively docile, easy to handle, and responsive. Gentle cattle have higher performance and save money in labor costs for owners and carcass yield for processors. Cattle with a nervous or mean disposition are problematic and should be culled and/or avoided in breeding programs
Weight
Beefmaster calves should be moderate weight and easy calving at birth then show good growth and heavy weight relative to age and environment as compared to other cattle. They should gain well in all phases of development. Moderation of mature size, especially relative to environment, is desirable and will yield a more efficient animal with better weaning weights.
Milk Production
After genetics, this is the single most important factor in calf weight. Beefmaster females should be heavy, but not excessive in milk production. Udder design is critical to longevity as a productive replacement female. The udder should show ample capacity with a high attachment that extends level and forward in the front and upward in the rear.
Confirmation
This refers to the visual appraisal of a live animal with regard to carcass merit. We select for long, trim, well-muscled bulls, and smooth, feminine cows that meet industry demands.
Hardiness
Beefmasters are designed to be very hardy cattle, excellent foragers, and travel well. They should be able to withstand a wide range of temperatures and humidity. Beefmasters display natural resistance to insects and parasites. They are exceptionally healthy, trouble-free cattle.
HISTORY
Beginning in the early 1930s, Tom Lasater, the breed’s founder, developed Beefmasters from a systematic crossing of Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle.
Beefmasters are a composite breed made up of roughly one-half Bos Taurus (Hereford and Shorthorn) and one-half Bos Indicus (Nelore from Brasil, Gir & Guzerat from India).
Lasater’s purpose was to develop cattle that were more productive than existing breeds; cattle that would produce and make money during economically hard times in the harsh environment of South Texas. Intense selection for economically important traits over the last 80 years has resulted in a homozygous beef breed that has locked in the explosive growth potential of a hybrid.
The breed was developed on what has become known as the Six Essentials - Weight, Conformation, Milk Production, Fertility, Hardiness, and Disposition. These essentials became the economic strength of Beefmasters and have made them favorites with those who depend on cattle for a living.
Beefmasters are the only beef breed specifically developed to excel in these important economic traits. Beefmaster cattle are the first American composite breed (combination of three or more breeds).
Beginning in the early 1930s, Tom Lasater, the breed’s founder, developed Beefmasters from a systematic crossing of Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle.
Beefmasters are a composite breed made up of roughly one-half Bos Taurus (Hereford and Shorthorn) and one-half Bos Indicus (Nelore from Brasil, Gir & Guzerat from India). Lasater’s purpose was to develop cattle that were more productive than existing breeds; cattle that would produce and make money during economically hard times in the harsh environment of South Texas. Intense selection for economically important traits over the last 80 years has resulted in a homozygous beef breed that has locked in the explosive growth potential of a hybrid.
The breed was developed on what has become known as the Six Essentials - Weight, Conformation, Milk Production, Fertility, Hardiness, and Disposition. These essentials became the economic strength of Beefmasters and have made them favorites with those who depend on cattle for a living. Beefmasters are the only beef breed specifically developed to excel in these important economic traits. Beefmaster cattle are the first American composite breed (combination of three or more breeds).
Tom Lasater applied scales and regular measurements to compare top performers within the herd and eliminate males and females that did not meet his expected Six Essentials. The Foundation Herd excelled in confirming top performers in all areas. Tom Lasater closed his herd in 1937, and no outside genetics have been introduced into the Foundation Herd since that time. The Foundation Herd was moved to Matheson, Colorado, from South Texas in 1948 and was accepted by USDA as “Beefmaster” in 1954.
ONE OF THE MOST PROFITABLE BREED OF CATTLE IN THE WORLD
Why Beefmaster?
These are the building blocks on which the Beefmaster breed was created almost 100 years ago in the arid south Texas plains. Using the Six Essentials of profitable beef production;
Conformation | Weight | Fertility | Disposition | Milk |Hardiness.
The Beefmaster breed is the most cost-effective breed of cattle in the world.
Benefits of Hybrid Vigor (Heterosis)
Beefmaster is a purpose-developed 3-breed composite (Brahman × Hereford × Shorthorn) designed for long-term heterosis retention.
A recent USDA study (Engle, 2025) confirms: Beefmaster crosses show the strongest heterosis effect on weaning weight among 18 major beef breeds—significantly above the industry average.
As a stabilized composite, Beefmaster retains around 63–67% of total hybrid vigor, while typical two-breed systems retain only about 50%.
This retained heterosis continues across generations, driving measurable improvements in performance, fertility, and overall efficiency.
🔍 References:
Engle, B.M. et al. (2025): Breed-specific heterosis for growth and carcass traits in 18 U.S. beef breeds.
Journal of Animal Science, USDA Germplasm Evaluation Program.
University of Florida IFAS Extension: Crossbreeding Programs for Beef Cattle in Florida.
ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu
Beef Improvement Federation (2020): Guidelines 9th Ed. – Heterosis Retention in Composite Breeds.
Services
We are one of the first Beefmaster breeders in Europe and can support you with experience, know-how, and essential practice of this characteristic high-performance breed.
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Cattle breeding with and from TOP genetics
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Advice, support & marketing in Beefmaster breeding
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Benefit from our knowledge!
Breed
Cattle breeding with and from TOP genetics
Support
Advice, support & marketing in Beefmaster breeding
Sale of offspring and semen
About us
We are a young, down-to-earth, innovative forward-looking family. In times of rising production costs, increasing heat peaks and the need for production-optimized projects, we are constantly looking for alternatives. Efficiency, sustainability and healthy progress are our basis for harmonious breeding of the Beefmaster breed.
We, that is Micha, Elisabeth, Hannah, Emily, Robin and David.
We like being pioneers.
As Henry Ford, successful American manager and pioneer in the automotive industry, said: "Whoever does what he already can, always remains what he already is."
We, that is Micha, Elisabeth, Hannah, Emily, Robin and David.
We like being pioneers.
As Henry Ford, successful American manager and pioneer in the automotive industry, said: "Whoever does what he already can, always remains what he already is."
We are members of:
About us
We are a young, down-to-earth, innovative forward-looking family. In times of rising production costs, increasing heat peaks and the need for production-optimized projects, we are constantly looking for alternatives. Efficiency, sustainability and healthy progress are our basis for harmonious breeding of the Beefmaster breed.
We, that is Micha, Elisabeth, Hannah, Emily, Robin and David.
We like being pioneers.
As Henry Ford, successful American manager and pioneer in the automotive industry, said: "Whoever does what he already can, always remains what he already is."
We, that is Micha, Elisabeth, Hannah, Emily, Robin and David.
We like being pioneers.
As Henry Ford, successful American manager and pioneer in the automotive industry, said: "Whoever does what he already can, always remains what he already is."
We are a member of:
CONTACT
Leave us a message
Micha and Elisabeth Hamersky
Phone
+43 699 10526568
+43 680 2008177
contact@beefmaster.at
Address
Laas 10/2, 3650 Pöggstall, Austria
Micha and Elisabeth Hamersky
Phone
+43 699 10526568
+43 680 2008177
contact@beefmaster.at
Address
Laas 10/2, 3650 Pöggstall, Austria
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