I thought I saw Herefords in your original photos. But is the white one a charolais? I know many people who raise cattle pick a breed and raise them exclusively. I was a little confused by the mix of breeds in the photo. I have known people who have mixed herds. One person called his herd "scrub cattle." I am not sure what that means.
In the area I grew up, there were a few people who raised Angus exclusively and they seemed to be wealthier people. It was always marketed as a superior beef. I still see beef marked "Angus" in the grocery store. Others raised Polled Herefords, other Charolais.
We used to get farm news on the radio. (We had limited media, radio and television) There were always reports for what crops and other things were going for. One term I remember hearing frequently was "canners and cutters." Evidently there are eight grades of beef.
Beef Quality Grades (Eight)
Beef Quality Grades (Eight)
There are eight beef quality grades. The grades are based on two main criteria: the degree of marbling (intramuscular fat) in the beef, and the maturity (estimated age of the animal at slaughter).
1. U.S. Prime – Highest in quality and intramuscular fat, limited supply. Currently, about 2.9% of carcasses grade as Prime.[15]
2. U.S. Choice – High quality, widely available in foodservice industry and retail markets. Choice carcasses are 53.7% of the fed cattle total. The difference between Choice and Prime is largely due to the fat content in the beef. Prime typically has a higher fat content (more and well distributed intramuscular "marbling") than Choice.
3. U.S. Select (formerly Good) – lowest grade commonly sold at retail, acceptable quality, but is less juicy and tender due to leanness.
4. U.S. Standard – Lower quality, yet economical, lacking marbling.
5. U.S. Commercial – Low quality, lacking tenderness, produced from older animals.
6. U.S. Utility
7. U.S. Cutter
8. U.S. Canner