Truly Dual-Purpose Milking Shorthorns | Bestyet A.I Sires | Grazing Genetics from Dutch Belted and Milking Shorthorns

Truly Dual-Purpose Milking Shorthorns

by | Dec 17, 2019 | Genetics, History | 14 comments

Dual-purpose Milking Shorthorn cow on pasture

This fresh 4-year-old Flashback daughter exemplifies how our dual-purpose cows put on flesh when dry and milk it off to provide plenty of milk for the calf and for the farmer.

Updated 12/1/2022

Breed history

“The Breed That Fills Every Need” was the tagline for the dual-purpose Milking Shorthorns of the mid-1900s. The ideal was a practical farmer’s cow that converted homegrown feeds to wholesome milk and meat with a minimum of fuss, freeing up the diversified farmer’s time for his many other pressing duties.

This is the era during which my late husband and his brother took over and built up the family Milking Shorthorn herd as they sourced more foundation animals from outstanding breeders around the country. Their emphasis was on milking qualities and excellent udders, since many of the common cows of the time were more coarse and beefy.

In 1960, my late husband Kenneth’s brother Gerald (foreground) and Kenneth (in back) milk their dual-purpose Milking Shorthorns.

Nationwide changes in markets, labor and land distribution led to specialization in dairy and beef production, resulting in most Milking Shorthorn breeders going one way or the other. Dairy producers selected for more extreme milk production to compete with the high-volume dairy breeds, leading to the American Milking Shorthorn Society’s “Genetic Expansion” program which allows up to 25% of other dairy blood (mostly Holstein) into the herd book.   The remaining “native” Milking Shorthorn breeders went mostly to cow-calf, with very few of them milking their cows.

Note on “native” Milking Shorthorns (“Heritage Shorthorns”): 

The “native” designation in the AMSS means the animals trace directly to the original U.S. imports from Great Britain, without any other breed or even other Shorthorn strains from Australia and New Zealand which became popular in the 1970’s among dairy breeders.

Since we have used these other Shorthorn genetics to some extent, our cows do not classify as strictly “native”, but we have stayed true to the heritage Milking Shorthorn features of sturdy, easy-fleshing cattle with good milk potential.

We do use and offer semen from some of the best remaining “native” milking genetics.

 Today’s farmer’s cow

Now, many grass-based dairy producers and homesteaders are feeling the need for a cow that has a sturdy calf each year, produces milk well beyond what her calf requires and has the fleshing ability to outwinter on rough feed.  Just like the dual-purpose Milking Shorthorn of the 1940s and 50s, this is the type we continue to breed on our farm.

It is not easy to breed for both milk and beef, because extremes on either side will detract from usefulness in the other area, although the opposing traits can enhance one another if properly balanced. For example, the steer calf’s fleshing ability is best expressed when his dam is a prodigious milker, a “chuffy” heifer (chubby, inclined to put meat on her bones) will develop well without grain, and a cow’s lifetime milk production is enhanced by her ability to put on flesh in late lactation.

  • Here is a sampling of the nice fleshy steer calves from our dual-purpose genetics.
  • They grow on milk and grass alone.

In our family’s more than 85 years of breeding Milking Shorthorn cattle, we have seen many trends come and go.  We stick to the value of a truly dual-purpose cow, with a balance of milking and fleshing qualities, and we are committed to a breeding program that provides these genetics for farmers and homesteaders.

14 Comments

  1. Seth Thiessen
    Seth Thiessen on January 3, 2020 at 4:28 am

    I’ve got an old metal sign probably from the 50’s or so with a milking shorthorn cow on it that says “Polled Milking Shorthorns, The Breed That Fills Every Need.” It hung by the back door in my grandma’s house for as long as I can remember, and when she passed away I made sure to get ahold of it before anyone else did. It’s such a true statement though, at least for the REAL milking shorthorns anyway.

    • Martha Hoffman
      Martha Hoffman on January 3, 2020 at 3:03 pm

      That’s really neat! We have one too that we have hanging in our shop.

  2. Charles Forgey
    Charles Forgey on December 20, 2020 at 10:50 pm

    I have one of those signs, like new, that I got in the early 50’s when I was about 9 yrs. old at the Indiana State Milking Shorthorn Picnic, which was held at Meadowbrook Farms, which is my family farm, in Camden, IN

    • Martha Hoffman
      Martha Hoffman on December 21, 2020 at 1:44 am

      Very neat! Kenneth used to talk about getting bulls from Clarence Forgey, and we’ve used Meadowbrook Chieftain 9th recently in our breeding.

      • Charles Forgey
        Charles Forgey on January 27, 2021 at 1:04 am

        I am Clarence Forgey’s grandson Chuck Forgey…….I have a lot of our old herd pictures and have a letter from Rosa Hoffman to my Grandma Lela in 1992. We have a small beef herd with shorthorns but would like to have some heifers out of Meadowbrook bulls, but have not been able to find any this year. If you know of any, please let me know. 765-202-1682 Thanks!

  3. Liberty Ellis
    Liberty Ellis on August 3, 2022 at 4:29 pm

    Do Milking Shorthorns come polled?

    • Martha Hoffman
      Martha Hoffman on August 14, 2022 at 1:43 am

      Good to hear from you! Yes, some Milking Shorthorns are polled, but not all of them.

  4. Liberty Ellis
    Liberty Ellis on August 3, 2022 at 4:31 pm

    How much milk does your average Milking Shorthorn produce each day?

    • Martha Hoffman
      Martha Hoffman on August 16, 2022 at 4:28 pm

      There’s a lot of variation based on stage of lactation, age, genetics, and more, but up to 4-6 gallons on grass-only production where we’re not pushing them hard is probably a good estimate.

      • Liberty Ellis
        Liberty Ellis on August 18, 2022 at 1:50 pm

        Oh wow! That’s a lot more than I would’ve expected. My Jersey gave 1 1/2 to 2 gallons a day on grass, with grain.

      • TJ
        TJ on September 9, 2023 at 11:02 pm

        Thank you for the info. I’ve been looking all over for that bit. We are thinking about switching from Jersey to Shorthorns.

        I’m also wondering if they have the tendency towards milk fever, like Jersey’s do. They seem like a more resilient breed.

        • Martha Hoffman
          Martha Hoffman on January 25, 2024 at 12:26 am

          Hello, TJ — Among our dual-purpose Milking Shorthorns, we rarely see milk fever.

  5. zanesunday@gmail.comn@gmail.com
    zanesunday@gmail.comn@gmail.com on January 10, 2023 at 2:53 pm

    I have 48 years of experience breeding and raising dual-purpose Milking Shorthorns, and I consider them to be the consumate family cow.

    • Martha Hoffman
      Martha Hoffman on January 31, 2023 at 7:28 pm

      Glad you love them too! Thanks for sharing.