Breed news
HerdingStarted by a grandfather in 1937, this Florida ranch now covers 50,000 acres, feeds local communities and...BreedsKasaragod Kullan set to be Keralam’s third indigenous cattle varietyHistoryAncient cattle love affairs: East Asian cattle genomes reveal Tang-Song dynasty mixing and wild bovine introgressionHealthState announces public comment period for proposed bovine tuberculosis testing areasShowsNortheast 4-H Livestock Show celebrates 91 years of traditionShowsAnnual Webster Parish 4-H Livestock Show set to begin next weekBreedsA Leap Forward in Indigenous Breeding: ICAR–IVRI’s Breakthrough in Producing Sahiwal Calves through Advanced Reproductive TechnologiesBreedsBoyd Beef Cattle to Donate 2027 Angus Foundation Heifer PackageBreedsU.P. State Fair dairy show highlights youth, dairy cattle and communityBreedsHereford Cattle Society wins landmark court case over breed statusHerdingStarted by a grandfather in 1937, this Florida ranch now covers 50,000 acres, feeds local communities and...BreedsKasaragod Kullan set to be Keralam’s third indigenous cattle varietyHistoryAncient cattle love affairs: East Asian cattle genomes reveal Tang-Song dynasty mixing and wild bovine introgressionHealthState announces public comment period for proposed bovine tuberculosis testing areasShowsNortheast 4-H Livestock Show celebrates 91 years of traditionShowsAnnual Webster Parish 4-H Livestock Show set to begin next weekBreedsA Leap Forward in Indigenous Breeding: ICAR–IVRI’s Breakthrough in Producing Sahiwal Calves through Advanced Reproductive TechnologiesBreedsBoyd Beef Cattle to Donate 2027 Angus Foundation Heifer PackageBreedsU.P. State Fair dairy show highlights youth, dairy cattle and communityBreedsHereford Cattle Society wins landmark court case over breed status

All breeds

146 breeds so far, best known first. 294 more are on the list to be written.

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreWild yak A massive, shaggy wild bovine native to the high plateaux and peaks of the HimalayasYak · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 5 moreZebu Humped, heat-tolerant cattle of South Asia, kept for milk, meat, work and ridingZebu · Dairy · Heat-tolerant 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreBali cattle A small humped breed from Indonesia, descended from wild banteng, kept for meat and plowing.Banteng · Beef · Disease-resistant 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreBantengbanṭéng (Javanese/Sundanese) A wild Southeast Asian ox; its tame form, Bali cattle, runs feral in northern AustraliaBanteng · Beef · Drought-hardy 🇲🇳 MongoliaDzoམཛོ་ A yak-cow hybrid from Tibet and Mongolia, bigger than either parentYak · Dairy 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreGayal A semi-domesticated bovine of the Eastern Himalayas, kept for meat, milk and ceremonyMithun · Beef 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 3 moreHolstein Friesian A black and white dairy breed kept worldwide, with red and white lines tooTaurine · Dairy 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreHereford A red and white beef breed from Herefordshire, England, known for its white face and hardiness.Taurine · Beef · Docile 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBrahman An American beef breed with a hump and grey or red coat, bred from Indian zebu cattleComposite · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇫🇷 France and 3 moreCharolaisCharolaise A large French taurine beef breed from eastern France, white to cream with pink noses and curved horns.Taurine · Beef · Docile 🇧🇪 Belgium and 3 moreBelgian BlueBlanc-Bleu Belge / Belgisch Witblauw A muscular beef breed from Belgium known for its blue-grey coat and double-muscling gene.Taurine · Beef · Docile 🇺🇸 United StatesTexas Longhorn American beef cattle, once feral on Texas ranges, with horn spreads beyond 2.4 mTaurine · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreChianina A massive white Italian breed known for beef production and historic draught work in Tuscany.Taurine · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreGalloway A polled black beef breed from south-west Scotland with a thick double coatTaurine · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreBraunvieh A large Alpine brown dairy breed from Switzerland, known for its strength and high milk yield.Taurine · Dairy · Rich milk 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBeefalo A cattle and bison hybrid raised for beef in the United StatesComposite · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇭🇺 HungaryHungarian GreyMagyar Szürke A tall, long-horned Podolic breed from the Hungarian plains, kept for beef and draught work.Taurine · Beef · Marbled beef 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreGir A humped dairy breed from Gujarat, red and white with long drooping ears and a domed foreheadZebu · Dairy · Heat-tolerant 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreSahiwal A heat-tolerant zebu from the Punjab, kept for milk, meat and draught workZebu · Dairy · Heat-tolerant 🇦🇹 Austria and 1 morePinzgauer Chestnut Austrian cattle with a broad white stripe along the back and bellyTaurine · Triple-purpose 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSanta Gertrudis A red American beef breed created from zebu and European cattle in Texas.Composite · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇮🇹 Italy and 2 morePiedmontesePiemontese A white Italian beef breed known for double muscling and premium lean meat.Taurine · Beef · Marbled beef 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreNelore A large humped beef breed from India, now dominant in Brazil and known for heat tolerance and parasite resistance.Zebu · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreBlonde d'Aquitaine A big wheat-coated beef breed from south-west France, born of three old draught linesTaurine · Beef 🇲🇳 Mongolia and 3 moreKalmykКалмыцкая A compact red beef breed of the old Soviet Union, noted for exceptional toughnessTaurine · Beef · Thrifty foragers 🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreHanwoo한우 A small, brown taurine breed from Korea, once used for work and now prized for its premium beef.Taurine · Beef · Docile 🇿🇦 South Africa and 2 moreAfrikaner A Sanga-type breed from South Africa, deep red with long horns, kept for beef and draught work.Sanga · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreAbondance A red and white dairy breed from the French Alps, kept for milk and mountain grazing.Taurine · Dairy · Heat-tolerant 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreBelted Galloway A polled Scottish beef breed with a distinctive white belt around its black body.Taurine · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan and 1 moreKazakh WhiteheadedҚазақтың ақбас сиыры A Hereford-like beef breed from Kazakhstan and the lower Volga, horned and hardyTaurine · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇺🇦 Ukraine and 2 moreUkrainian GreyСіра українська порода An ancient grey Podolian breed from Ukraine, kept for draught work and meat.Taurine · Beef · Drought-hardy 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreEnglish Longhorn A large horned beef breed from northern England, marked by a white line along the spineTaurine · Beef · Long-horned 🇯🇵 JapanJapanese Black黒毛和種 A black-coated Japanese beef breed whose Tajima strain supplies Kobe beefTaurine · Beef 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMaine-AnjouRouge des Prés A red and white French beef breed from the Maine country, once a milk and meat animalTaurine · Beef 🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreMarchigiana A large white or grey Italian beef breed from the Marche, once worked as an oxTaurine · Beef 🇮🇹 ItalyMaremmana A big grey Podolic beef breed from the old marshes of the Maremma in central ItalyTaurine · Beef · Thrifty foragers 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreTarentaise A French alpine breed from the Tarentaise valley, kept for cheese and for crossingTaurine · Dairy · Docile 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreBrangus A black polled beef breed from the United States, combining Angus meat quality with Brahman heat tolerance.Composite · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇵🇹 Portugal and 1 moreCachena A small Iberian breed from northern Portugal and Galicia, kept for beef and formerly for draught work.Taurine · Beef · Docile 🇯🇵 JapanJapanese Polled無角和種 A small black Japanese beef breed, hornless in both sexesTaurine · Beef · Polled 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSenepol A polled red beef breed from St Croix, built for heat and insectsTaurine · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreMurnau-Werdenfels A long-lived brown dairy breed of the Bavarian uplands, milk and beefTaurine · Dairy · Long-lived 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreLuing A hardy red or dun beef cow from Luing, a Hebridean island, first made in 1947Composite · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreRed Poll A naturally hornless red English breed, kept for milk and beefTaurine · Dual-purpose · Polled 🇫🇮 FinlandWestern Finncattle A red, hornless dual-purpose breed from western Finland, kept for milk and beefTaurine · Dairy · Polled 🇯🇵 JapanJapanese Brown褐毛和種 A small brown beef breed from Kōchi and Kumamoto, one of the four wagyūTaurine · Beef 🇧🇷 BrazilGuzerá A Brazilian humped breed from Kankrej and Crioulo stock, usually grey or whiteZebu · Beef · Polled 🇦🇹 AustriaTux-ZillertalTux-Zillertaler A stocky Alpine breed from Tirol, black or red, once bred for cow-fighting contests.Taurine · Beef · Spirited

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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven cattle breeds you may not know, the cattle days of the week ahead, and one product explained step by step.