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Breed Overview
Breed History
Breed Advantages
Breed Overview
Breed OverviewSpeckle Parks are a carcass orientated yet maternal Pure Bred (not a composite ), breed of beef cattle. They are Polled and British Bred originating from Canada. Speckle Parks are moderate sized. Mature cows range in weight from 600 kgs. to 850 kgs. and mature bulls 1000 kgs+. Calves average 30 to 40kgs. at birth and wean off at about 230kgs. to 370+kgs.Speckle Park cattle come in a variety of color patterns. They are predominantly black with white top line and underline,with speckled hips and sometimes shoulders and with a black or black roan face. The second color pattern is the leopard pattern. It is similar to the speckled pattern but there are definite black spots on the animal instead of just speckles. The white animals with some black hair on the body are considered 'leopards'. The third color pattern is the 'white' pattern. The white animals have white hair on the body and face but have black points. i.e. eyes, ears, nose, and hooves. The fourth is solid black. There is a small percentage of blacks but they do crop up from time to time. The solid black heifers are registrable and can be used in the purebred herd, but the bulls can not.
Breed History
Breed HistoryIn 1959, when Eileen and Bill Lamont of Maidstone, Saskatchewan, Canada, bought their first speckled heifer from Mary Lindsay of Greenstreet, Saskatchewan, they didn't realize the 'wheels they had set in motion'. The Lamonts were breeders of Appaloosa horses and Angus cattle and thought the cattle would go well with their herds.Mary Lindsay had spotted a red roan heifer in her father's herd a few years before and because she was interested in unusual colors she bought the heifer. Regardless of the herd sire she bred the cow to it always produced calves with that color pattern. It is believed that the heifer was a descendent of a Teeswater Shorthorn and a bull which had the White Park colour pattern. The Lamonts crossed their speckled cows with black Angus bulls. The resulting offspring came in a variety of color patterns, some white with black points, some leopard colored and some black sided with speckled hips, white top and underline and roan faces. The Lamonts grew very interested and decided to attempt to develop a new breed.Interest in the cattle grew, not only with cattlemen but also the press. A trio of Speckle Park steers made the trip to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto in 1972. They were featured in Case International Publications under a section on "Minority Breeds in Canada." Around 1983 Lloyd Pickard, a cattle promoter and Angus breeder, included a few pages about the Speckle Park in his book "100 Years of Angus in Canada."Speckle Park Cattle The Lamonts chose the name Speckle Park for their cattle. In 1985 Speckle Park breeders representing nine different herds met to form The Speckle Park Breeders Association, later renamed The Canadian Speckle Park Association. The aim was to breed and develop a middle of the road, medium sized, polled, good beef animal. Thus was born a phrase often attached to the breed "A Balanced Breed with A Color Bonus." The colour patterns of Speckle Park are distinctive and certainly catch one's eye. Their merits as beef cattle will ensure their sustainability as a distinct breed. In 1993, Agriculture Canada granted approval for the Canadian Speckle Park Association for the purpose developing Speckle Park cattle as an evolving breed. On Feb. 14, 1995, ministerial approval was granted for the Canadian Speckle Park Association's first set of by-laws. The aim of the Association since its formation in 1985 was to someday become incorporated with Agriculture Canada as a 'distinct' breed. On July 6, 2006, the Canadian Speckle Park Association's Articles of Incorporation were amended to the effect that Speckle Park became a distinct breed of purebred cattle.
Breed Advantages
Breed Advantages #1 - Consistently High Quality Carcasses Finished EfficientlyAn impressive fact about Speckle Park is their unique ability to produce AAA carcasses without an excess of outer fat cover. Speckle Park consistently produce marbled meat with a minimum of fat cover.For the consumer the AAA well marbled beef ensures tender beef with excellent flavour.Beef from Speckle Park is typically finer grained with smaller but more numerous deposits of intramuscular fat (marbling). There is always a strong market for Speckle Park beef among those who recognize quality eating.Speckle Park are giving every indication that they are efficient converters of feed. Speckle Park can be finished naturally off of grass with minimal, if any, grain inputs.Speckle Park are also demonstrating that they retain these carcass advantages when crossed on other breeds, either beef or dairy.#2 - Calving Ease, Vigorous Calves and Good Maternal InstinctSpeckle Park rarely experience difficulty calving. The calves average 75 to 80 pounds at birth and are extremely vigorous. Most newborns are up and sucking within minutes. One herd's average on one calving season was eleven minutes from hitting the ground to standing and sucking. Sucking does not require standing! Most cows calve without assistance.Speckle Park cows are very protective against predators when it comes to caring for their calves but easy on their human managers. The cows have well attached and tight udders which supply ample very thick milk. Coloured teats of course are an advantage in sun and snow country.#3 - Quiet and ManageableSpeckle Park are cattle but as cattle go are very manageable animals. Their calm disposition makes them a pleasure to work with. They view strangers in the pasture with interest but do not flee. Aggressive bulls are extremely rare. Speckle Park breeders specifically and consistently select against poor temperaments. Accidents while working with cattle are almost unheard of among Speckle Park breeders.#4 - Hardy and HealthySpeckle Park grow heavy coats in winter and slick off for the summer. They adapt well to the cold Canadian winters as well as the heat of the summer. The black points on the animals - eyes, ears, nose, and feet and the black mottled skin under the hair coat lend themselves to few health problems. Pink eye is very rarely a problem and foot rot is seldom a concern. Due to the black teats cows rarely suffer from effects of sun and snow.
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