Lincoln Red are a British breed of red-coated beef cattle. They originated in, and are named for, the county of Lincolnshire in the eastern Midlands of England. They were selectively bred in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries by crossing large local draught cattle of the region with medium-sized Teeswater Shorthorns. They were first known as the Lincolnshire Red Shorthorn, and they were reared for both milk and beef. The polling gene was introduced in the early twentieth century, and the cattle are now usually polled; the word 'shorthorn' was dropped from the breed name in 1960. In the twenty-first century it is reared for beef.
During the seventeenth century, draught cattle were brought from Holland to the eastern Midlands of England. These were large, coarse, powerful, and rugged animals with large hooves and short horns, usually either red or red-and-white in color.
In the latter part of the eighteenth century and the early years of the nineteenth, cattle-breeders in Lincolnshire bought medium-sized red Shorthorn (also called Durham) cattle from the counties of Durham and Yorkshire, and cross-bred these with the local large draught cattle. One such breeder was Thomas Turnell of Wragby, who well before the end of the century, had a herd of cherry-red short-horned cattle of medium size, fast-growing, and quick to put on weight; they were known as 'Turnell Reds'. Cattle of this type soon acquired a good reputation; from 1822 they were registered in Coates's Shorthorn herd-book. In 1895 a breed society, the Lincoln Red Shorthorn Association, was formed, and within a year had published its own herd-book. By the 1920s the Lincoln Red Shorthorn was the second-most numerous registered breed in the country.
From the beginning of the Second World War until about 1956, a breeder named Eric Pentecost worked to introduce the polled gene to the breed while retaining its other characteristics; he first used a Red Poll bull, and later made use of Aberdeen Angus bulls, both black and red.? The polled stock was first shown in 1956, and took several prizes; in the same year a polled Lincoln bull was licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Lincoln Red cattle are now present in a number of countries around the world. These cattle were imported into Australia over 100 years ago and the Lincoln Red Cattle Society was formed in 1971 with one registered herd.
Lincoln Red cattle are a very dark red in color that reduces the likelihood of sunburn and cancer. They may be polled and are noted for their docility and an ability to thrive under all conditions.
Content Source: Wikipedia.Org
About Lincoln Red Cattle
