Square Meaters Cattle Association
Calf Recording Form: Please click this link
Breed History
Square Meaters were developed from selected grey cattle in the 1990s to meet the domestic consumer demand for smaller cuts of premium beef. The breed was recognized as a purebred and the Square Meaters Cattle Association was formed in 1996.
Breed Overview
Square Meaters have developed a reputation for producing best quality beef more quickly and more efficiently than other traditional breeds.
Registered Square Meaters are measured at 12 months of age to ensure they maintain their early maturity pattern.
This means steers and heifers sired by Square Meaters reach light domestic market specifications at an early age, with an ideal combination of natural muscling and even fat coverage either straight from their mothers, off grass or with grain assistance.
Key Traits
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Polled - Square Meaters are a pure polled breed and will knock the horns off other animals they are mated with. - Easy Calving - Calves are typically 25 - 30 kilograms at birth, very vigorous and alert. Square Meaters are ideal to use over heifers and their small birth weights also mean you can calve heifers and cows down in a forward to fat condition.
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Explosive Early Growth - Square Meaters pure and cross calves will start displaying their characteristic muscling by 8 weeks of age. At weaning, they will weigh 225 - 275 kgs. They will meet light marketing specifications of a 200 kg carcass as yearlings. - Compact Mature Size - Bulls will mature to around 130 cm tall at the shoulder and weighing 700 to 800 kgs and because of their athleticism have no problems servicing large cows. Cows will be around 125 cm tall and 400 to 500 kgs. You can run more Square Meaters cows per hectare, compared to traditional British or European breeds.
- Temperament - Square Meaters are exceptionally quiet cattle, which makes them easy to handle in the paddock and yards. Their genetically inherent docility is particularly evident when Square Meaters are crossed over other breeds.
- Structural Soundness - Because Square Meaters are not forcefed to grow into massive beasts, they exhibit tremendous soundness and longevity. It is not unusual for Square Meaters bulls to be still working at 10 years of age or for cows to be producing calves at 15 years.
- Reproductive Efficiency - Square Meaters reach sexual maturity at a young age. Bulls can be put to work as yearlings. Heifers will typically calve unassisted at 2 years of age. The combination of a compact size and small birth weights means Square Meaters females will re-breed quickly, even if conditions deteriorate.
- Production Efficiency - Square Meaters reach their mature size relatively early, and so will put their energy into producing a quality carcass or feeding a calf while other breeds continue to grow. A Square Meater cow will typically wean a calf more than 50% of her own body weight. She will hold on when conditions deteriorate, and bounce back quickly when they improve.
- Better Beef - Square Meaters consistently punch above their weight in hook and hoof shows, winning numerous live and carcass awards at major shows across the country. They also perform exceptionally well in virtual taste test contests. The inherent traits of docility, muscularity and early finishing ability means Square Meaters will produce tasty and tender premium beef cuts with few, if any, artificial inputs at a young age.
