CSIRO ScienceImage 1081 Murray gray cows

The Murray Grey is an Australian breed of polled

beef cattle Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk production). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf opera ...

. It originated between 1905 and 1917 in the upper

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...

valley, on the border between

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. It is similar in appearance to the

Aberdeen Angus The Aberdeen Angus, sometimes simply Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. It derives from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Kincardine and Angus in north-eastern Scotland. In 2018 the breed accounted for over ...

, from which it largely derives, but is grey, silver or dun in colour.

History

The Murray Grey breed was developed from an initial chance mating of a black

bull and a roan

Shorthorn The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late eighteenth century. The breed was developed as dual-purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however, certain blood lines within the breed always emp ...

cow in 1905 during the

Federation drought In Australia, the Federation Drought is the name given to a prolonged period of drought that occurred around the time of Federation in 1901. Though often thought of as a long drought, until the record dry year of 1902 the period was actually one ...

. The resulting 13 dun-grey calves from these matings were kept as curiosities and then bred on the ''Thologolong'' property along the

by Peter and Ena Sutherland. These are unusually coloured as they are black, cattle grew quickly, were good converters of feed and produced quality carcases. Local cattlemen soon became interested in the greys and began breeding them. The first larger-scale commercial herds were established in the 1940s. In the 1960s, several grey cattle breeders were selling them as a commercial enterprise and the Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society was formed to register the cattle and to administer the breed. Murray Grey registries are in Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In New Zealand, Murray Greys have been favoured because of their resistance to facial eczema, which is a problem in other cattle breeds. In 1963, negotiations were made to have the similar Tasmanian Grey beef cattle accepted into the Murray Grey, but the two organizations did not combine until 1981. The Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society performance records the herd using the internationally recognized Breedplan for monitoring growth, milk, and carcase quality.

Characteristics

The Murray Grey is of a moderate size, with sound structure and good walking ability. Bulls usually weigh some , and cows some . Hair colour ranges from very light silver to chocolate or dark grey; a few animals are even black, but most are silver to a silvery-dun color. This colouring is very dominant, so when crossed with another breed, the colour is grey or silver (light grey). Their skin has a dark pigmentation, which helps prevent eye cancer (ocular squamous cell carcinoma),

photosensitivity Photosensitivity is the amount to which an object reacts upon receiving photons, especially visible light. In medicine, the term is principally used for abnormal reactions of the skin, and two types are distinguished, photoallergy and phototoxicit ...

reactions, and sunburned

udder An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep. An udder is equivalent to the breast in primates and elephantine pachyderms. The udder is a single mass han ...

s. They have performed well in snow country and in a trial undertaken at a commercial feedlot between December 2002 and June 2003 to determine the effect of high heat load on performance and carcase characteristics when fed a high-energy diet for 165–183 days. In this heat stress trial, they outperformed the other trialled breeds by producing the highest average daily weight gains over this period. Their superior performance in this trial was attributed to their lighter-coloured coats.

Carcase quality

In 1967, three carcases were sent to the United Kingdom to participate in the Commonwealth carcase competition at the

Smithfield Show The Smithfield Show, formerly the Smithfield Club Cattle Show and later the Royal Smithfield Show, was an annual British agricultural show, organised by the Royal Smithfield Club. It was founded in 1799 and was first held at Wootton's Livery S ...

, where they took first, second and third place. In Australia, Murray Greys have dominated hoof and carcase competitions for many years. The Murray Grey breed was the largest represented breed at the 2008

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and featu ...

Carcase Competition. A Murray Grey steer was declared the Grand Champion Carcase there for the second consecutive year. In 2008 or the first time in the history of the Midland Bull Test and sale in

Columbus, Montana Columbus is a town in and the county seat of Stillwater County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,857 at the 2020 census. History The community originated as a stagecoach station on the Yellowstone River. The original name was Shee ...

, a Murray Grey bull scored a perfect 10 on the genetic test for marbling and a near perfect 9 on the genetic test for tenderness. No bull of any breed has ever performed so well before.

Behaviour

The breed is known for being easy to handle, having a "docile and easy temperament".

Distribution

Murray Grey cattle, embryos, and semen have been exported to Canada, New Zealand,

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Murray Grey cattle have also been accepted into the South African Registrar of Livestock Improvement’s books. In Paraguay, Murray Grey cattle have been used in crossbreeding programs involving Zebu and Charolais cattle. The Zebu and Charolais cattle there lacked the dark skins and early-maturing traits of the Murray Greys. This crossbreeding program improved the fertility, calving ease, and weight gains of the progeny produced there.Murray Grey Annual, 2009, ''Australia's adaptable breed in Paraguay'' p.16

References

{{reflist, 45em, refs= Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007)
List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources
annex t
''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture''
Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn, 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016)
''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''
(sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{isbn, 9781780647944. Breed data sheet: Murray Grey / Australia (Cattle)
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2022. Transboundary breed: Murray Grey
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2022. Marleen Felius (1995)
''Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia''
Doetinchem, Netherlands: Misset. {{isbn, 9789054390176. John B. Friend (1978)
''Cattle of the World''
Poole, Dorset: Blandford Press. {{isbn, 0713708565. Beef cattle breeds Cattle breeds originating in Australia Cattle breeds