Spotlight on Speckle Park
Though the name Speckle Park might make people think of a new playground for the kiddies, it is actually a new, officially recognized breed of beef animal in Canada.
This is a bona-fide breed is a Canadian creation, having originated in Saskatchewan and Alberta, but its ancestry can be traced back to England and Scotland through Aberdeen Angus and Teesewater Shorthorn cattle along with English beef types with the white park pattern, (That's a mainly white body with perhaps a bit of a black sprinkle of dots).
This unusual breed made its first appearance in Canada along the Yellow Head Route between North Battleford and Spruce Grove, Alberta and it was named by Bill and Ellen Lamont. The double title is because of the spots on their rear quarters and elsewhere on their body and the “park” name refers to the large white patch on the body with colored points on ears, eyes, muzzle, lower legs and rear.
It wasn't long before the positive qualities of this breed were sparking interest among western beef breeders. Some of the first to begin a breeding program with their Angus cattle were the Lamonts who initially thought the speckled beef animals would blend well with their spotted appaloosa horses and Black Angus. They began breeding their new cows with their Angus bulls and noticed
two important factors when considering developing a new breed. Calves were invariably speckled with the white flank and speckled points. But even more importantly, they soon noticed the hybrid animals calved with ease, were calm and manageable and produced a carcass with quality meat at reasonable cost.
Why are we telling you, the reader, all this?
Well, first of all we have three breeders of Speckle Park in Quebec. New breeders in the Townships are Jennifer Wilkins and Kevin Rioux who will have a demonstration group at Richmond Fair this weekend. "There's still lots we don't know yet," Wilkins begins as we tempt their two purebred cows and calves along with the herd sire up to the fence with a treat of grain. "We started with five embryos we imported and bred five cows from our commercial herd. That was over a year ago. Then we waited and hoped for a good return."
"We were pleased to have three cows calve," said Rioux proudly, adding that an acceptable margin of success is 60%. "So this year, we have one purebred calf to show off, two young cows and a bull," he explained.
Taking on the challenge of bringing a relatively unknown breed into your herd is a costly and patience trying challenge. "We have frozen semen from our 'Big Daddy' bull ready for sale and young heifers which are not yet bred. It's encouraging to see how the breed is gaining popularity in the west. Gives us hope this breed will catch on as a 'plus' in commercial herds where it's all about cost. Rate of gain compared to feed requirements, raising quality replacement stock which must be tested by ultrasound, and DNA analysis is not an easy challenge. But we both love the animals," she adds naming the quiet animals standing close to the fence, listening as though they knew the conversation was about them.
"We've been making pets of them, getting them used to the halter and learning to walk quietly beside you. They've had a couple baths so far with more washing, clipping and trimming on the program. But they've taken all the attention in their stride and we're looking forward to showing off our Speckle Park animals at the fair this weekend."