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.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreHereford A red and white beef breed from Herefordshire, England, known for its white face and hardiness.Taurine · Beef · Docile 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreSimmental A large dual-purpose breed from the Swiss Simme valley, red and white with strong growth rates.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Docile 🇫🇷 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 Kingdom and 5 moreShorthorn A historic British breed from north-east England, kept for milk and meat with red, white or roan coats.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Docile 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBeefalo A cattle and bison hybrid raised for beef in the United StatesComposite · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇺🇸 United StatesGuernsey A fawn dairy breed from Guernsey, its milk tinted gold by beta-caroteneTaurine · Dairy · Docile 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreMontbéliarde A red and white dairy breed from eastern France, prized for cheesemaking milk.Taurine · Dairy · Rich milk 🇰🇷 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 🇱🇻 LatviaLatvian Brown A red dairy breed from Latvia, developed from Angeln stock and once numbering over a million head.Taurine · Dairy · Docile 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreBelted Galloway A polled Scottish beef breed with a distinctive white belt around its black body.Taurine · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇫🇷 FranceSalersrace de Salers A large dual-purpose breed from the Cantal mountains of France, red or black with lyre-shaped horns.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Docile 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 1 moreTharparkarٿرپارڪر A hardy zebu breed from the Thar Desert, white to grey with a firm hump, kept for milk and work.Zebu · Dual-purpose · Heat-tolerant 🇦🇹 Austria and 5 moreFleckvieh A large Central European dual-purpose breed, red and white pied or solid red, kept for milk and beef.Composite · Dual-purpose · Docile 🇭🇷 Croatia and 1 moreBoškarin A gray dual-purpose breed from the Istrian peninsula, kept for milk and gourmet beef.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Docile 🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreLakenvelder A small Dutch dual-purpose breed with a black or red coat and a broad white belt around the middle.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Docile 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandHérens A small black or red Swiss alpine breed kept for cow fighting and mountain grazing.Taurine · Sport · Quick and strong 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreTarentaise A French alpine breed from the Tarentaise valley, kept for cheese and for crossingTaurine · Dairy · Docile 🇮🇳 IndiaMalnad Giddaಮಲೆನಾಡು ಗಿಡ್ಡ A small, dark humpless breed from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, kept for milk and draught work.Taurine · Dairy · Disease-resistant 🇵🇹 Portugal and 1 moreCachena A small Iberian breed from northern Portugal and Galicia, kept for beef and formerly for draught work.Taurine · Beef · Docile 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSenepol A polled red beef breed from St Croix, built for heat and insectsTaurine · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇮🇳 IndiaHallikarಹಳ್ಳಿಕಾರ್ A draught breed from Karnataka, India, known for strength and the ability of both oxen and cows to plough.Zebu · Draught · Docile 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreRed Poll A naturally hornless red English breed, kept for milk and beefTaurine · Dual-purpose · Polled 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreLuing A hardy red or dun beef cow from Luing, a Hebridean island, first made in 1947Composite · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇮🇳 IndiaJavariಜವಾರಿ A medium-built dual-purpose zebu from Kalyana-Karnataka, gentle and heat-tolerantZebu · Dairy · Heat-tolerant

Photo credits on this page

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.