Beefmaster (BBU) is a breed-up breed in SteerJock — there are no Gen 0 Beefmasters. You build them through breeding, either by hitting the historical Lasater foundation ratio or by grading up on Beefmaster percentage. It has its own registry with two tiers. Here's how it works.
The Tiers
Purebred Beefmaster. The top tier, reachable two ways: an animal at exactly 1/2 Brahman + 1/4 Hereford + 1/4 Shorthorn (the original Lasater foundation ratio), or any animal at 87.5% or higher Beefmaster on paper (graded up). Both parents must be registered. Carries forward as 100% Beefmaster.
Beefmaster Advancer. The grading tier — 50% to 87% Beefmaster on paper, with at least one registered Beefmaster parent. This is the stepping stone between a first cross and a full purebred.
The Two Paths to Purebred
The foundation ratio (building the first one). Since there are no Gen 0 Beefmasters, you bootstrap the first purebred from its three founding breeds. Cross registered Brahman, Hereford, and Shorthorn until the paper percentages land on exactly 1/2 Brahman + 1/4 Hereford + 1/4 Shorthorn. A red animal at that ratio with two registered parents registers as Purebred — representing the original Lasater foundation cattle.
Grading up. Once a purebred exists, you grade other cattle up to purebred by Beefmaster percentage. A purebred crossed onto another breed gives 50% (Advancer); breed that back onto a purebred for 75% (still Advancer); breed again for 87.5%, which graduates to Purebred. Three generations of top-crossing onto purebreds takes you from Advancer to full purebred.
How the Tiers Stack
The game keys off Beefmaster percentage, plus the foundation ratio for the first one:
Purebred → Advancer
Once a purebred exists, everything runs on Beefmaster percentage. The 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/4 foundation ratio only matters for bootstrapping that very first purebred.
Things to Know
No color or horn requirements
Beefmaster registers any color, polled or horned. The breed is built on performance, not appearance — so unlike Brangus (black/red, polled/scurred) or Santa Gertrudis (red only), there are no color or horn gates here. Breed for production.
The foundation ratio has to be exact
Purebred-by-ratio means exactly 1/2 Brahman + 1/4 Hereford + 1/4 Shorthorn — not close. An animal partway there doesn't qualify; keep crossing until the paper percentages hit the exact split.
Advancer needs a registered Beefmaster parent
The grading tier requires at least one registered Beefmaster parent. A 50% animal with no papered Beefmaster parent won't certify — the percentage alone isn't enough.
Three foundation breeds, then it runs on itself
You need registered Brahman, Hereford, and Shorthorn to bootstrap the first purebred. After that, the breed grades up on its own Beefmaster percentage and you don't need fresh three-way crosses anymore.
It's paper percent, not genetics
Everything keys off the parents' registration papers, not raw genetic makeup. An unregistered Brahman contributes 0% to the ratio. Register your foundation stock first.
Summary
There are no Gen 0 Beefmasters — build them up, with no color or horn restrictions. To make your first purebred, cross registered Brahman, Hereford, and Shorthorn until you hit exactly 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/4. After that, grade cattle up by breeding Advancers (50–87%) back onto purebreds until they cross 87.5% and graduate.