would be 1-3 years, a little longer than modern beef breeds. There is
no need to eat a steer at 20 years age! Not too many people would want
to, except maybe in a hamburger.>>>>

There are many "old cow/bull" products on the market, but most are in the form of processed meats, such as cold cuts, Vienna sausage, beef smoked sausages and beef hot dogs.  When a cow becomes a poor breeder, ranchers send them to the auction and they are called "cutters and canners".  We culled all cows that tended towards being wild or difficult to handle, or if they were undaunted by cattleguards or fences.  If we had a bull who was not a good breeder or threw inferior calves, we gave him the name of "hamburger" and hauled them to the sale barn.   

Back to lurkdom,
Jan in Colorado