After three decades in the seedstock business, that’s a fair question: Why does Bowman Superior Genetics still raise Shorthorns when today’s American beef industry seems so laser-focused on black-hided cattle?
The answer is simple! Shorthorn and Shorthorn-influenced females are more convenient to raise, last longer, and are maternally superior. And that’s the business we decided years ago to focus on.
We believe the cow business is about more than manufacturing pounds at all costs, fitting those pounds into a branded box and hiking the price on an unassuming consumer. The larger breeds have earned their place, and we applaud them, but for us the Shorthorn breed offers advantages that are too valuable to ignore. Modern Shorthorns deliver maternal efficiency, moderate cow size, plus incredible, industry-leading stayability, and the kind of docility that makes ranch life more manageable for families. Remember, as new folks enter this business and invest in beef cattle for the first time during this high market, they want a sensible investment that proves to be a pleasant experience in rearing the stock (calving, feeding, handling), and they want to enjoy eating their own tender, highly marbled cuts of beef. And there is no better ticket to that first-class experience than the modern Shorthorn.
On a larger scale, Shorthorns most importantly complement other breeds in crossbreeding systems. Yes, every time you crossbreed you inject the goodness of hybrid vigor, but a modern Shorthorn goes beyond that and adds the real-world function to a national commercial cow herd that with today’s most popular non-Shorthorn genetics will tend to eat you out of house and home and comparatively falls apart after just 4-5 years of age.
Our mission has never been to chase popularity; it has been to breed for common sense outcomes. That’s why we focus on selling cattle for what they are, rather than who they are. And after years and years of collecting data on the breeding animals, retaining ownership on steers through test stations and commercial feedlots, and studying genetic trends across all breeds, we know Shorthorns can compete, and even excel, when we consider that Outputs – Inputs = Profit.
Sticking with Shorthorns isn’t nostalgia. It’s a conviction that this breed belongs in the mainstream beef industry, not on the sidelines. Every generation of BSG-prefixed cattle has been bred to prove that Shorthorns can deliver maternal excellence, carcass quality, and long-term profitability, by not sacrificing moderation or functionality for the sake of a few more pounds.
In an industry that sometimes leans too hard on following what the Joneses are doing, we’ve chosen to be different. Shorthorns genetics allow us to design cattle that are practical, adaptable, and profitable across a variety of production systems. And that’s why after 30 years we’re still proud to say: “We’re the Bowman’s and we breed Shorthorns!”