Carter

Charlie Carter still keeps a herd of the original Carter strain. These herds began when his grandfather, Print Carter, was 16 and an orphan after the War Between the States. In 1877 he swam a group of red cattle across the Pearl River, and began the Carter herds. Very few bulls were added over the years, and none since the late 1890s.

Print Carter’s son was Luther Carter, and he referred to small, typicallly horned light red cows as the “Peal River Reds.” This type still persists in a number of herds, generally going back to the Carter line. The present Carter herd varies from this type to a larger type. Most are light to medium red, either linebacked, colorsided, or more rarely roan. A few yellow cattle with white spots are still in the herd. A few calves that blacken with age tend to occur even today in the herd.

Carter cattle are usually medium sized. The cows are moderate, being neither very rangy nor very blocky. Horns are usually medium to somewhat long, with a broad twist in some but more of an upright turn in most. Color is usually light to dark red, and most are marked with white. Most are linebacked or colorsided, while a few are roan. A few other colors persist in the herd, and seem to have been in it for considerable time as these were seen both in 1992 and in 2005. These include yellow, and a few are brown or brindle, with some very few nearly black. The blacker ones are selected against, though, and remain rare in the line, although it is interesting that they still occur in the calf crops.

--- Phil Sponenberg