Maternal Strengths
Longevity-One of the advantages that the Brangus breed has over the English and Exotic Breeds is longevity of production. Because of the costs in getting a female into production and the cost of buying quality breeding females, longevity of production is a very desirable trait in today's competitive market.

In comparing a Brangus cow with a straight English-bred cow, Brangus cows are just hitting their prime when an English-bred cow of the same age is ready for retirement. Because of their rapid growth, Brangus heifers breed at 15 months and are in the cow herd on calving schedule as two year olds.

Ease of Calving-Pelvic measurements are an important tool in helping to reduce the incidence and severity of calving difficulty. Calving difficulty is becoming a greater concern for beef producers because of the increased market emphasis on rapid growth, heavier weaning weights and improved cow efficiency. With stock producers selecting bulls for growth, the result is larger calves at birth and increased calving difficulty. The Brangus breed has a reputation for their abilty to calve easily unassisted (New Mexico State University Research Study). In addition the Brangus cow weans considerably heavier calves than either the Angus or Brahman breeds.

Feedlot Performance
The superior growth rate of Brangus continues in the feedlot, and as a result, the Brangus are ready for slaughter earlier than other breeds, thus reducing feedlot costs.

Carcus Quality
The combinatin of Brahman hardiness and Angus quality is what sets the Brangus breed apart. The Brangus is 5/8 Angus and 3/8 Brahman. This percentage was developed not only for efficiency of production, but for the excellence of the end product. The 3/8 Brahman lends the yield grade quality, producing high quantities of yield grades 2 & 3's, the the 5/8 Angus provides the carcass quality in ribeye size, marbling and backfat.

A recent carcass test conducted by Texas A & M University confirmed the ability of Brangus to produce high quality carcasses. 330 steers by 17 Brangus sires and 32 Angus steers by 2 high marbling accuracy Agnus carcass sires were used in this research test. The 19 sires were randomly bred to predominately Brangus females and the cattle were managed alike, fed at Tri-State Feeders and harvested at Iowa Beef Processors.

The Warner-Bratzler Shear Force Test was conducted on ribeye samples from each of the steers. 97% of the Brangus samples scored "tender" or better, while 94% of the Angus samples tested tender. Fourteen of the seventeen Brangus were more favorable than the Angus average. According to the 1990 National Beef Tenderness Survey, the average for shear force rating was 7.4 lbs.