Back in the 1800’s Hereford cattle began a journey from England to the Americas. Now a well-known and accepted breed they are among favorites of cattlemen. To a passing eye, of those travelling through Texas, the Hereford seems to be part of the landscape. The Hereford has adapted and is doing well in a land where weather can be harsh and abrupt. Now there is a new breed of cattle on the horizon.
After two years in quarantine eleven cattle heads, three bulls and eight females, were shipped into Texas and now apparently have adapted and are producing offspring. This was despite the protest of angry farmers who wanted to keep the cattle in their own country. The protesting farmers tried to stop the cattle. The day the cattle were to be driven to the airport the farmers laid their body down, as one might on a railroad track, in the path of the truck. This happened back in 1994.
Anyone interested in raising and breeding this breed of cattle will have an extremely difficult time getting any more of them shipped from its original country. At the time there was a loophole in the trade agreement between the US and the cattle’s native home which let a few of them slip through the cracks. The loophole is now out of the picture. And like the “Bush” baked beans commercials the owners of the cattle in Texas where they were shipped probably won’t be selling any unless their dog secretly sells them when their back is turned.
The cattle breed is called “Akaushi.” Their country of origin is Japan. The Japanese cattle are Japans pride and joy and are a protected national treasure of the country. The cattle were specifically bred, a hundred years plus, to carry a unique set of traits and genes. They were bred for tenderness and to have high intramuscular fat marbling. This means that the cattle’s levels of cholesterol and saturated fats are lower while the good fat monounsaturated is up. Their Conjugated Linoleic Acid levels are boosted as well. In other words they were bred ideally as a perfect meat breed.
This is a sidenote for those of you who are against meat. If you want to eat healthy you don’t have to eat meat to find a valuable source of the fatty acid Conjugated Linoleic Acid. You can get it from olives or olive oil.
The “Akaushi” cattle that traveled so far from home to live in Texas didn’t know they would be introducing new meat into the Lone Star State, one that is said to be healthier than other cattle meats. “Akaushi” are being slaughtered in Stephenville and their meat is being sold online. A few restaurants in Texas already sell the “Akaushi” meat.
Reference:
- Barnett, Mike. THE RARE BREED.” Texas Agriculture 3 August 2007, 22-30.
