About the Breed
  Home | Grass-fed Beef / Pasture Pork | Canadian Luing Cattle Association | About The Breed | Our Herd | The Ranch | Picture Gallery | Links  

 


The Luing (pronounced "Ling") breed was developed by the Cadzow brothers on the island of Luing off the west coast of Scotland. Beginning in 1947, they selected some of the very best Shorthorn X Highland heifers available and initially bred them back to the outstanding Shorthorn bull "Cruggleton Alastair." Following a period of line-breeding, the new breed type was firmly established and subsequent generations proved themselves as breeding true to type.  

The British Government officially recognised the Luing as a breed in its own right in 1965; the following year the first annual breed sale was held in Oban, Scotland. In the years that followed, the Cadzow brothers exported Luing cattle to mainland Europe, United States, Canada, Uruguay, Australia and New Zealand.

The Luing breed evolved through necessity and economics. The necessity being the ability to produce a potentially good beef calf under adverse conditions, while economically the calves had to be produced at a profit. This steered the development of the Luing toward being a self-propagating breed that is primarily a roughage convertor. Luings are a maternal breed that were developed in a harsh, high rainfall environment where poor quality grasses and forbs predominated. Their inherent ability to utilise low quality feed combined with their excellent milking qualities produce one of the highest weaned-calf to cow weight ratios of any breed.

Luing cow harvesting low quality forbs.

In cold climates they are noted for efficient conversion of feed energy. Luings require only 0.8% energy increase per degree F below a base temperature, compared to a 1% energy increase for most other breeds. The heavy coat of a Luing cow will save up to 3.8 lbs of hay daily at zero degrees F (-17.8 C) and is easily shed in summer.

A young bull showing a good winter haircoat.

Luing cows are fertile and inherit the exceptional longevity of their distant Highland ancestors. The Luing are regular breeders averaging at least nine calves in their lifetime. Many Luing cows well into their teenage years still produce a calf each year. Considering the large financial investment involved in rearing a replacement heifer, longevity in the cow herd is a much overlooked trait. The ruggedness and strength of bone of Luing bulls is outstanding. Bulls regularily cover 60-70 cows under range conditions with conception rates over 98% from an 8 week breeding season.

Exceptional longevity - a 19 year old and a 20 year old cow in foreground, cow in centre background is 19 years old.