Xiangzhong Black Cattle

Xiangzhong Black Cattle

　　“Xiangzhong Black Cattle” is a distinctive regional brand developed in Lianyuan City during the improvement of beef cattle breeds. It is a crossbred improved variety with local yellow cattle as the dam and purebred black Angus bulls as the sire. Due to their entirely black coat, they are provisionally named “Xiangzhong Black Cattle.”

　　Xiangzhong Black Cattle is a well-known trademark and brand in Hunan Province, and it is also the province’s only innovative beef cattle breed. It boasts six major advantages: large individual size, heavy body weight, rapid growth, superior meat quality, strong adaptability, high economic returns, and suitability for developing premium beef. The beef from Xiangzhong Black Cattle is tender, delicious, uniquely flavorful, brightly colored, richly aromatic, and highly nutritious. Products made from Xiangzhong Black Cattle are sold in over 20 provinces and cities across China, including Hunan, Guangdong, Shanghai, and Shandong, and are highly favored by consumers. In August 2010, Xiangzhong Black Cattle was included in the emerging industries strategic plan by the Hunan Provincial Government and has since been promoted throughout the province. Currently, within Loudi City, the breeding scale has reached over 80,000 head per year. Organizations such as the Loudi Xiangzhong Black Cattle Industry Association, the Lianyuan Xiangzhong Cattle Breeding Professional Cooperative, and the Lianyuan Longxin Breeding Professional Cooperative have been established, comprising more than 2,800 member households. Twelve breeding improvement bases have been set up across the five counties and cities of Loudi. Over the past decade, more than 1,000 purebred bulls have been introduced, producing over 500,000 Xiangzhong Black Cattle, generating a cumulative income increase of 1.5 billion yuan for farmers.

　　“Xiangzhong Black Cattle” are hornless, compact-bodied, with well-developed muscles, fast daily weight gain, high meat yield, excellent meat quality, tolerance to rough feed, and strong adaptability—making them highly suitable for breeding and promotion in southern regions. According to experiments, their birth weight is 28.7% higher than that of local cattle, and at 18 months of age, their fattened weight exceeds 420 kilograms, with a daily weight gain of 835 grams—315 grams more than that of local yellow cattle. The slaughter rate is 59.02%, and the net meat yield is 46%.