Murray Greys

Murray Greys originated by chance in 1905 when a black Angus bull mated with a roan Shorthorn cow in the Murray River Valley on the New South Wales-Victoria border. Since then, the breed has expanded from Australia to New Zealand, Asia, North America and Europe.

Renowned as easy-care, versatile cattle, Murray Greys produce well-marbled beef without excess fat, which is a key requirement for export markets such as Japan. They are renowned for being successful in interbreed steer and carcass competitions.

Ranging in colour from dark grey to silver, Murray Greys are naturally polled, docile, and well suited to harsh climates as a result of their dark skin pigmentation. Females calve easily, milk well, grow quickly and convert grass efficiently, finishing well on pasture or in feedlots. They also excel in crossbreeding programs, delivering high yields of saleable beef.

Genomic testing for the Murray Grey cattle industry

We are proud to partner with the Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society to provide affordable, accessible and accurate genomic testing solutions to Murray Grey breeders. Our services are also available to commercial Murray Grey producers, helping all herd owners make informed breeding and management decisions.

We invest in cutting-edge technologies that empower producers to make breeding decisions that are faster, smarter, and more profitable.

Murray Grey testing options

Cattle parentage verification

Cattle parentage testing uses DNA analysis to accurately identify the sire and dam of an animal. By comparing genetic markers from calves and potential parents, the test provides a reliable confirmation of pedigree, helping producers to:

Improve breeding accuracy
Preserves the integrity of breeding records
Enables efficient herd management
Identifies underperforming animals, educating culling decisions
Long term genetic improvement within herds

Bovine VERSA 85K

A great fit for the Murray Grey breed, the Bovine VERSA 85K is 85,000 SNPs of specifically selected Bos Taurus and Bos Indicus content for Australian and New Zealand operations. The Bovine VERSA 85K has been developed to increase accuracies for all breeds of cattle when used in genetic evaluations, translating directly into real value on farm.

Murray Grey trait analysis

Benefits

Identifying traits to inform management decisions and increase overall productivity.

Reduce and/or eradicate – Fatal disease, unwanted traits
Increase – Valuable traits

Murray Grey specific traits on offer

Myostatin 9 variants
Coat colour (Black & Red)
Developmental duplication (DD)
Alpha-mannosidosis (MA)
Neuropathic hydrocephalus (NH)
Contractural Arachnodactyly (CA)
Arthrogryposis Multiplex (AM)
Coat colour dilutor PMEL17_64G_A
Coat colour dilutor PMEL17_delTTC
Poll/Horn

Murray Grey bundle

Murray Grey standard bundle: includes Genomic SNP, Parentage and Myostatin nt821del11

Integrate your data into Murray Grey BREEDPLAN

The Weatherbys Scientific Bovine VERSA 85K SNP Chip is an excellent fit for integration into Murray Grey BREEDPLAN, enabling the calculation of genomically enhanced breeding values.

Genomically enhanced breeding values provide key advantages, including:

Greater accuracy in selection decisions – Improve the reliability of breeding values by incorporating high-resolution genomic data.
Earlier selection opportunities – Confidently select young animals based on accurate genomic predictions before performance data is available.
Selection across more traits – Include traits that are difficult or impossible to measure on-farm, or before animals enter the breeding herd, within your decision-making process.

By enabling more accurate selection, at younger ages, and across a wider range of traits, the VERSA 85K SNP Chip supports faster genetic progress and ultimately enhances productivity and profitability within a Murray Grey breeding operation.

Traits currently analysed through the Murray Grey BREEDPLAN analysis include: