Kinnisons Give Up Goats for Rare Breed of Beef Cow
Published: Friday, November 11, 2022
Chuck and Rebecca Kinnison were starting a new chapter in their lives and wanted a change of pace from what Chuck had been doing for 23 years—raising dairy goats.
The couple met in 2017 and married three years later, creating a blended family with five children. Chuck and Rebecca wanted to launch their own beef herd but were unsure which breed was the best. After doing their research—which included getting a tip from a well-educator heart specialist—the Wakarusa couple decided on a rare breed of cattle known as American Blue.
They traveled to Iowa to buy their breeding stock. They intended to purchase just one animal but, as fate would have it, they ended up buying a bull and two bred cows.
"If we're going to go in, we need to go all in," Rebecca said of that decision.
That was two years ago.
Today, the Kinnisons have nine cattle at CRK Blues, located west of Wakarusa on Pierce Road. Currently, they are the only American Blue breeders in Indiana. They recently returned from an open show in Oklahoma, where their cattle earned three major awards. With those banners displayed prominently on their dining room wall, the Kinnisons are looking ahead to next year.
Rebecca's two children, Emily, 14, and Paul, 9, are both junior members of the American Blue Cattle Assn. Emily is active in 4-H and 2023 will be Paul's first year in the agricultural youth organization. Both youths plan to show American Blues at the 2023 St. Joseph County (Ind.) 4-H Fair.
Chuck has three children from a previous marriage: Audrey, 16; Zoe, 14; and Landon, 12.
The American Blue breed originated in Europe, where the cattle are known as Belgian Blues. They are famous for having big, bulky muscles, particularly on their rump.
American Blues carry the myostatin gene that produces double-muscling.
"It almost looks like they're on steroids," Chuck said, but, as Rebecca added, "They're not. It's just because the muscle fibers are so much thinner that they can pack more on there, and it gives the ripple to it."
Even a newborn calf will display the "ripped" look after just a few days.
According to Rebecca, the cattle come in many different colors, from solid white or black to a blue roan.
Because the Kinnisons are the only registered breeder in Indiana, they want to spread the word so others may consider adding American Blues to their herd.
According to Chuck and Rebecca, American Blues have several advantages over other breeds. First, the meat is leaner and healthier.
"Statistics prove this is the leanest meat out there, especially when you cross it," Rebecca said.
Chuck's late grandfather learned about this while visiting with his heart specialist. At the time, he was being treated for heart disease. He mentioned that he sold freezer beef.
The doctor asked what kind of beef he sold—what breed. At the time, Chuck's grandfather was finishing Holstein steers.
The doctor, it turns out, had done his own research and learned that Belgian Blue was 97% lean. Chuck said this is because the animals have smaller muscle fibers. The moisture content in those muscles replaces the fat commonly found in other breeds.
"He sat there and told Grandpa that it's like 26 points better in cholesterol for you than regular beef," Chuck said. "So, all in all, coming from a heart doctor, and that's all he would buy, it kind of stuck with Grandpa. With a better meat quality, health-wise, we started looking into it."
Chuck, who was raising dairy goats, let the idea ruminate. About three years ago, he promised his grandfather than one day he would get an American Blue.
A second advantage that American Blues have over other breeds is higher carcass yield. The cattle are smaller but have wider frames.
"A lot of people will use a full-blood bull, for instance, to cross in with their Angus or Hereford, or whatever they have, and they will get a higher yield on their hanging weight," Rebecca said.
According to Chuck, the crossbred offspring will have at least one of the myostatin genes, resulting in double-muscling but without the "ripped" look. The result is 6-10% more yield on the rail.
However, Rebecca cautions that first-time heifers should never be bred to a full-blood bull. Their hips are not big enough for a double-muscled calf to pass through. So, the breed recommends that heifers should be crossed with another breed for the first two calvings, allowing the heifer's hips to stretch out.
"They take a little bit longer to mature," Chuck said of the American Blue females.
With American Blues, the key metric is birth weight. The Kinnisons said newborns should weigh between 65 and 90 pounds for easy calving.
In the western U.S., where the majority of breeders are located, the cattle roam on pastures.
"They don't take in a lot of grain to produce their muscles; ours are pretty much grass-fed," Chuck said. "We give them a little bit of grain, but they graze all day out in the pasture and they got round bales of just pure grass hay."
A third advantage is that the breed is more docile. Back in September, the Kinnisons traveled to Oklahoma to participate in the Tulsa State Fair. They walked away with reserve grand champion full-blood bull, reserve grand champion full-blood female and best pair of females.
On a mild Friday afternoon last month, the bull was brought out for a photo session. The animal seemed perfectly content to stand next to the family while munching on grass.
"They're one of the top docile breeds out there," Rebecca said. "The kids will go in with the bull, pet him and scratch him."
Besides the herd bull, the Kinnisons have a bull calf, one steer, two cows and four heifers.
"Now we're up to nine total," Rebecca said, adding that they would like to grow the size of the herd. "Our goal is to raise full-bloods."
The St. Joseph County 4-H Fair created a class just for them. The Kinnisons are hoping to take four Blue heifers and a steer to 2023 fair.
Chuck's grandfather didn't live long enough to see an American Blue calf born, but he was there two years ago when Chuck and Rebecca arrived home from Iowa with their first breeding stock.
"We pulled in the driveway and his grandpa was waiting to look at them," Rebecca said. "His goal was to see the babies hit the ground, and he passed away a month before they were born."
When the cows first stepped off the trailer, he remarked how big the cows looked.
As Rebecca put it, "He was as giddy as a school boy."
Two years into their new venture, Chuck and Rebecca admit they're still learning about the breed. But they are pleased with their progress and hope to educate others about the benefits of American Blues.
With only 50 breeders in the U.S., breed officials would like to build diversity into the blood lines. Many breeders buy semen and embryos from Canada or Europe.
After Paul shows the full-blood steer at the fair next year, Chuck and Rebecca will harvest it for meat. That's a milestone they are looking forward to.
Rebecca says the meat is "honest to goodness, one of the best quality meats out there." She says you can cut it with a fork.
Chuck said the meat doesn't taste different than other beef. But, due to the high moisture content, it doesn't have any fat and is very tender.
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