Piedmontese cattle have the 'right look'

By MONETTE TAYLOR | Country World South Central

This Piedmontese cow is as gentle as a pet and seems unaware of how healthy and tasty her hind quarter and shoulder cuts will be in the future.

-Staff photo by Taylor

June 14, 2001 -- A first look at Piedmontese cattle confirms that these cattle are unusual animals.

"I bought a bull from a guy right out of Gonzales who imported his bulls straight from Italy, and he brought me into the industry," said Garland Johnson of Lolita.

"I liked the way they looked. When you see an animal standing there with a full body and the hind quarters and the shoulders look good...everything looks good.

"The guy kind of cinched the deal because he fed us some steak off one they butchered and...boy...you throw it on the grill for about 5-7 minutes per side and you've got a done steak.

"It's always tender, and that's one of the things about it that's so great."

According to Johnson, the Piedmontese breed was introduced to the United States in about 1983 from Italy.

"They're real lean meat that doesn't have fat on it like most animals. The cholestrol in this meat is real low and they compare it to buffalo meat," said Johnson.

Several producers from the Victoria area have been purchasing steer calves from the Johnsons for several years and continuously compete and win against more common breeds. The Piedmontese are a light color with black around their eyes and the bulls have a dark ring around the crest.

Johnson has purchased several Black Angus cows to cross with his Piedmontese bull to see what kind of calves are produced. He says that althought studies have shown that the meat of the Piedmontese is much leaner, more tender and better for you, the general public continues to favor the darker breeds.

"A friend of mine over in the Victoria area talked with some people about these calves. He said they said, 'Man, they've never seen meat like this. Instead of filling out with fat, they fill out with muscle. It's all meat,'" said Johnson.

"There's quite a few of them (Piedmontese) in Colorado, and they run a lot of tests on them out there. Yet, you take one of these calves in there and they'll say, 'Well, that calf is too heavy.' They say by the time you feed one of these calves out in a feed lot, the hind quarters and the cuts of meat are too big to go in the boxes they use for this!

"I said I know they can build different boxes! One calf had 15" ribeye cuts!"

Several years ago, Johnson thought he had a local grocery chain interested in the meat, but they claimed not to have time to really pursue the change in beef. Along with being a healthy meat, the animals are very gentle and can stand extreme temperatures better than dark breeds.

"We've tried our darndest to get people interested in Piedmontese. People don't want to change. The sale barns claim they don't buy by color, but I know different," said Johnson.

"The meat is not red, it's grey colored meat because it doesn't have marbling in it. That's why we've crossed them with the Angus and then, too, the people need to change their way of grading beef. They think they've got to have all this fat and stuff," said Johnson.

Along with the Piedmontese, Johnson raises a variety of vegetables on the property and has a loyal customer base who purchase in season fresh vegetables, watermelon and cantaloupe from him on a regular basis. He started raising the watermelons when his children were young, and they sold them, roadside, to earn money. Although the children are all grown, he continues to enjoying gardening.

"We eat everything we raise, along with the meat," said Johnson.

"I guess my problem is I just like to grow stuff. Selling it is just an aside."

Johnson says he will probably keep raising food and animals until he dies, and since his health is excellent into his late sixties, he expects to do this many more years. He attributes his good health to two things:"clean living and a clear conscience."

That Piedmontese beef can't hurt.