What is a Braunvieh?
Braunvieh is not a crossbred of a composite but, instead, may be one of the oldest pure beef breeds in the world.  Braunvieh was originally developed in the scenic Swiss Alps, but will adapt and will perform in literally any environment.  Braunvieh can be found in over 60 countries from the Tropics to the Arctic Circle.

Their genetically branded feature - a white band around the muzzle, makes Braunvieh cattle very recognizable.  Braunvieh re typically brown in color as these picture illustrate.

         
Many cattlemen refer to Braunvieh as Brown Swiss and want to know the difference between the two.  Brown Swiss dairy cattle were in fact developed from Braunvieh beef cattle.  Braunvieh was an extremely good milking beef breed and, many years ago, some breeders selected the best milking Braunvieh and began breeding these selected individuals for milk production.  After many generations the dairy type was developed, and thus the Brown Swiss dairy cattle, while related to Braunvieh beef cattle, are vastly different in type, structure and function.


Fullblood, Purebred or Composite/Hybrid
A fullblood Braunvieh is so designated because every animal in its pedigree traces back to Braunvieh cattle that originated from the Switzerland Original Braunvieh.  Fullblood Braunvieh are always brown in color.
Purebred Braunvieh are those animals that have been bred-up to purebred status as a result of using fullblood Braunvieh to cross with an animal of another breed.  Purebred Braunvieh females must be 87.5 percent of more Braunvieh genetics.  Purebred Braunvieh colors can include brown, black and tiger stripe or various shades thereof, depending on the

breed from which the purebred was originally started.   Percentage Braunvieh are those animals with less than 87.5% Braunvieh genetics for female and less than 93.75% Braunvieh genetics for males.  Many producers, both registered and commercial, use percentage Braunvieh of composite animals as both sire and dam to produce F2 composites.
 

Horned or Polled

Fullblood and purebred Braunvieh can be horned or polled.  Fullblood Braunvieh are almost always horned, except when a genetic mutation takes place where a polled animal is produced from the mating of two horned animals.  

The polled gene is dominant to the horned gene and thus breeders are able to propagate animals expressing the polled factor.

Purebred Braunvieh can be either horned or polled.  Many breeders have bred up to purebred status using polled animals as the originating animals crossed with fullblood Braunvieh.  Following the breeder's original cross with polled animals, many breeders selected and saved only polled animals for their breeding-up program.  The result is now a sizable number of both homozygous and heterozygous polled Braunvieh available.
 

Braunvien Fertility = More Live Calves

To the commercial cattleperson, herd fertility is the most important profit potential production trait.  A high percentage calf crop is essential in today's beef industry for any cow/calf operation to have the opportunity to show a profit.  Research has shown that on a commercial basis, herd fertility is at least five times more important than the growth traits for herd profitability.


Braunvieh bulls are noted for their scrotal and testicular development at a young age and are capable, fertile breeders at 12 to 14 months of age. "Four thousand red Angus cows exposed to Braunvieh bulls the past four years averaged a 7 percent higher conception rate than the average of the other herds exposed to bulls of other breeds." said Tom Woodward, manager of Broseco Ranches, Omaha, Texas.  Broseco Ranches operate in northeast Texas and run a total of about 6,000 mother cows.


Another documented example of Braunvieh fertility comes from Texas A & M Research Center, Uvalde, Texas, where, as part of a research project, the center turned our five Braunvieh bulls and five bulls of another heat tolerant breed with 266 crossbred cows.  When the calves were DNA verified to their sire breed, the Research Center found that 68% of the calves were Braunvieh-sired.
Braunvieh and Braunvieh cross females are sexually mature at a young age.  At the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (MARC), Clay Center Nebraska, it was shown that the average age at puberty for Braunvieh cross heifers was 332 days and the percent of Braunvieh cross females pregnant at 550 days was 93%.  These figures are graphed to illustrate a comparison for the Braunvieh cross females versus the other breed crosses in this MARC study.

Braunvieh and Braunvieh-cross females cycle and are fertile at a very young age.  So fertile, in fact, that some breeders routinely give their Braunvieh-sired heifer calves lutalyse at weaning.

Braunvieh genetics in a crossbreeding program can provide Hybrid Vigor at the following rates:

INCREASED FERTILITY:  10 - 15%
INCREASED CALF SURVIVAL:  10-15%

 
Milk & Maternal Excellence

Maternal excellence can be described in many ways:

+ Calve unassisted on a regular basis, producing a calf every 365 days.

+Convert forage to milk, provided through a sound udder and teats in sufficient quantity to produce a vigorous calf at weaning time.


Braunvieh and Braunvieh-cross females are excellent mother cows.  they have an inherent ability to rebreed regularly, combined with their sound udder attachment and small, well placed teats that provide ample milk to their calves over the 200-250-day nursing period.  This maternal ability results in sound, heavy calves at weaning.





Further data from the US Meat Animal Research Center shows why Braunvieh and Braunvieh-cross females make such good mothers.  The data reveals that they rebreed and calve on a regular basis and milk sufficiently to produce heavy calves at weaning.

Once more putting Braunvieh genetics in your crossbreeding program can provide hybrid Vigor at the following rates:

Increased growth of crossbred calves: 4-11%.
Increased weaning wt. due to more milk: 4-11%

More Pounds to Sell
 

Braunvieh genetics in a commercial cow/calf operation continue to make positive inputs toward profitability for those firms incorporating Braunvieh in their breeding program.  

The superiority of Braunvieh genetics for producing more pounds of marketable weight was first verified at the US Meat Animal Research Center where Braunvieh-cross females produced 4% more calf weight per cow exposed than their nearest competing breed cross.

Braunvieh-cross females produced 5% more weaning weight than Hereford-Angus cross females and from 4% to 11% more weaning weight than any other Continental cross females. 

Economically, any commercial cow-calf operator that increase the pounds of weaned per cow exposed by 4-11% has a tremendous economic opportunity to increase the herd's profit potential.  By combining this calf-weight-per-cow-exposed advantage with the 7% increase in conception rate from the use of Braunvieh bulls, the economic advantage for using Braunvieh genetics becomes significant.  

             


Moderate Size with Muscle
Braunvieh cows will typically weigh 1,100 to 1,500 pounds and mature bulls 1,800 to 2,500 pounds.  While moderate in size and frame, Braunvieh females and bulls will pass on their muscle, superior quality grade, growth rate and efficient feed conversion to their progeny.  The cost of gain for Braunvieh and Braunvieh-cross cattle is comparable to, or less than, all other breeds and, because they are of moderate size and have the ability to grade choice.  .

 
Braunvieh cross cattle can be harvested from a feedlot situation at a live weight that eliminates days on feed other Continental breeds take to reach marketable weight.

From south Texas to the high plains of the Dakotas, Braunvieh and Braunvieh cross cattle have proven their superior genetics for all segments of the industry.

 
Environmental Adaptability

Braunvieh cattle thrive from the tropical regions of northern South America to the cold climates of Canada.  Due to the breed's high performance and universal adaptability, Braunvieh are found in over 60 countries worldwide.


Unequaled Feedlot and Carcass Traits - Value Based Marketing

Value-based marketing for today's cattle producer means they are paid on the merits of their cattle's feedlot and carcass performance.  It is estimated that 20 grocery store chains control over 50% of today's total beef market.  This large proportion of the beef market has given rise to numerous consumer-based beef alliances that market cattle through some sort of grid or formula structure.

 

 
Almost all alliances have set specifications with regard to one, or all, of the following, breed or breed carcasses, carcass quality grade, and/or carcass yield grade.  Market alliances base their price paid for cattle on the value-based marketing system.  The better the carcasses, the higher the price.
Braunvieh and Braunvieh-cross cattle have, in recent years, been recognized for their outstanding carcass characteristics producing carcasses with a high quality grade and low yield grade.  This recognition continues today.  Of all the Continental breeds, Braunvieh is the only one that has marbling ability to go along with its muscle.  R.A. "Bob" Long states in the March 2003 Angus Journal "The degree of muscling does not determine the amount of marbling.  For example, the Braunvieh is at least one Continental breed that is heavily muscled yet marbles very well, while Hereford cattle have a marbling problem and are not heavily muscled." 

In 1998, Virgil Boll, Utopia Texas placed 7,400 head of steers and heifers on feed.  Of the 7,400 head, 8%, or 611 head were Braunvieh influenced.  The 8% that were Braunvieh influenced, however, accounted for almost half (48%) of Boll's cattle feeding profit (before interest) for the year.


In 2000 and 2001, Robert Gray Farms, Kremlin, Oklahoma fed 298 Braunvieh-sired steers and heifers at McLean Feedyards, Mclean, TX.  These298 head graded 94% choice and 88% yield grades 1 and 2.  From the 298 Braunvieh sired cattle, Gray Farms received a total of $ 26,731.00 ($89.70/head) premium over commodity beef.



Braunvie Garner Awards at Great Western Beef Expo

Braunvieh and Braunvieh-crosses' ability to grade choice or higher with desirable yield grads of 1 or 2 is clearly demonstrated from the results of the Great Western Beef Expo, Sterling, Colorado.  Since 1990, Braunvieh-sired carcasses have been awarded 13 Max Fulscher Awards.  The Max Fulscher Award is given to those pens of five that are 100% choice quality grade or better, and 100% yield grade 2 or better.  Braunvieh sired pens hold 36% of the Max Fulscher Awards during the time period of 1990 - 2003.  This is more than twice as many Max Fulscher awards than its nearest breed competitor.


Braunvieh-sired pens have more than twice as many Max Fulscher awards as the Angus-sired pens. 

One cross with Braunvieh can move a herd of commodity beef producers to an alliance sough after product.

Braunvieh genetics can truly produce cattle with added value!



Convenience Traits
 
Braunvieh and Braunvieh-cross cattle can be the cow/calf person's best friend.  The dark pigmentation of the eyes and area around the eyes eliminates the worry about pink-eye.  The exceptional udder attachment and small, well placed teats are darkly pigmented eliminating the need to worry about sun burned and/or snow burned udders.

 


Braunvieh cattle are known for their docile temperament and ease of handling.  While there are occasions of a Braunvieh being a little nervous, breeders have been eliminating these animals from their breeding programs whenever they are identified.  Thus, a temperamental Braunvieh is almost non-existent today.

Braunvieh females are well knows for their staying ability and they remain productive well into their teens, many as long as 20 years of age or more.  Such longevity helps eliminate some for the high cost of developing and producing replacement heifers.


 Boost Your Bottom Line with Braunvieh!

  Information compiled from Braunvieh Association of America