Where did Speckle Park originate?

Speckle Park originated in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the first and only beef breed ever to be developed in Saskatchewan and one of the few to be developed in Canada. Speckle Parks where first imported into Australia in 2007 with the first embryos implanted in August of the same year.

When did Speckle Park come into existence?

In the early 1960's. In 1959 Bill & Eileen Lamont of Maidstone, Saskatchewan, bought their first speckled animal from Mary Lindsay of Greenstreet, Saskatchewan. They crossed it with one of their registered black Angus bulls and the result was what we now call 'Speckle Park'. It was sometime in the early 1960's that the Lamonts and others decided to make it a breed and to name the breed 'Speckle Park'.

What Breeds make up Speckled Park?

The English settlers who founded Lloydminster brought with them from England dual purpose Shorthorns and other cattle with the White Park colour pattern. These animals gave Speckle Park their distinctive colour patterns. They were then bred to black Angus to create what is now known as 'Speckle Park'.

Why would one want to raise Speckle Park Cattle?

Their number one strong point is their consistently high quality carcass. They are also easy calving, feed efficient, docile, and hardy and healthy. The present beef industry is demanding 300 and 340 kilogram carcasses of well marbled beef. That is exactly what Speckle Park has to offer. The meat is lean, yet well marbled. Butchers are impressed with the fact that Speckle Park are able to achieve AAA marbling without the thick layer of outer fat which usually accompanies a AAA carcass. The AAA marbling makes for tasty, tender beef. Breeders of the larger framed breeds are finding Speckle Park bulls a good choice for breeding. They not only contribute to calving ease but also increase carcass quality.

Are Speckle Park distinct purebred breed?

Yes. On July 6 of 2006 Speckle Park were granted distinct breed status by the Canadian Minster of Agriculture according to the terms of Canada's Animal Pedigree Act 1988.

Is every animal with a Speckle Park colour pattern a Speckle Park?

No. Speckle Park are more than a colour pattern. There are many other breeds and crosses of these breeds which share these same markings.

Are they Feed Efficient?

Cattlemen feeding Speckle Parks for the first time are very impressed with the feed efficiency of the breed. By many, throughout Canada they are referred to as 'easy keepers' 'easy doing'. The figures that have been accumulated on feed efficiency are a result of testing in college projects. The statistics that have been obtained indicate Speckle Park to be more than competitive when it comes to feed efficiency compared to other breeds. In the first three years that Speckle Park have participating in the Steer-A -Year project in Olds College, Olds, Alberta Canada, the Speckle Park steers consumed 5.5 lbs of feed per lb. of gain compared to 5.8 for the other participating breeds. During the first seven years on test at the Lakeland College Bull Test Station at Vermilion, Alberta the bulls showed an average of 7.1 lbs. of feed per lb. of gain compared to 7.3 for the other breeds. It would be fair to say that the tests indicate Speckle Park to be the middle of the pack when it comes to feed conversion.