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.

🇵🇰 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 🇲🇳 Mongolia and 4 moreYakགཡག་ A shaggy, cold-hardy highland bovine kept across the Himalayas and Tibetan PlateauYak · Triple-purpose · Cold-hardy 🇬🇧 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 🇨🇭 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 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreAyrshire Red-and-white dairy cattle from south-west Scotland, hardy, long-lived and easy calversTaurine · Dairy · Easy calving 🇩🇪 Germany and 3 moreHeck A German type bred in the 1920s to recreate the extinct aurochsTaurine · Grazing · Cold-hardy 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreGalloway A polled black beef breed from south-west Scotland with a thick double coatTaurine · Beef · Cold-hardy 🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreDexter A small Irish dual-purpose breed, usually black or red, kept for milk and beef on poor land.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Thrifty foragers 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSanta Gertrudis A red American beef breed created from zebu and European cattle in Texas.Composite · Beef · Heat-tolerant 🇲🇳 Mongolia and 3 moreKalmykКалмыцкая A compact red beef breed of the old Soviet Union, noted for exceptional toughnessTaurine · Beef · Thrifty foragers 🇭🇷 Croatia and 5 moreBuša A little mountain cow of the Balkans with short horns, kept for milk, meat and workTaurine · Triple-purpose · Disease-resistant 🇮🇳 IndiaVechur The world's smallest cattle breed from Kerala, kept for efficient milk production.Zebu · Dairy · Thrifty foragers 🇸🇪 SwedenFjällSvensk fjällras A polled, mostly white dairy cow from the Swedish mountains, hardy on thin grazing.Taurine · Dairy · Polled 🇮🇹 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 🇮🇹 ItalyAosta Black PiedValdostana Pezzata Nera A short-horned, black-pied dual-purpose breed from the Aosta Valley in ItalyTaurine · Dual-purpose · Thrifty foragers 🇱🇹 LithuaniaLithuanian RedLietuvos žalieji A red beef breed from Lithuania, bred from Danish Red and local cattleTaurine · Beef · Thrifty foragers 🇦🇹 Austria and 1 moreTyrol GreyTiroler Grauvieh An alpine dual-purpose breed of the Tyrol, milked and fattenedTaurine · Dual-purpose · Cold-hardy 🇦🇹 AustriaTux-ZillertalTux-Zillertaler A stocky Alpine breed from Tirol, black or red, once bred for cow-fighting contests.Taurine · Beef · Spirited 🇸🇪 SwedenSwedish Red PolledRödkulla A hornless red Swedish cow kept for milk and meat, once reduced to about 20 animals.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Polled 🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreKerryBó Chiarraí A rare black dairy breed from southwest Ireland, one of Europe's oldest milk cattleTaurine · Dairy · Thrifty foragers 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreRed Poll A naturally hornless red English breed, kept for milk and beefTaurine · Dual-purpose · Polled 🇵🇹 PortugalRamo GrandeRaça Bovina Ramo Grande A large red-brown cattle breed from Terceira in the Azores, once used for work and milkTaurine · Triple-purpose · Thrifty foragers 🇫🇷 FranceCorse A small tan cow from Corsica, once the island's plough ox, now reared free-range for beefTaurine · Beef · Thrifty foragers 🇪🇸 SpainPajuna An endangered Andalusian breed, dark bulls and red-brown cows, once used for draught workTaurine · Draught · Cold-hardy 🇮🇪 IrelandIrish MoiledBó Maol A rare hornless Irish breed, red with a white back stripe, used for milk and beefTaurine · Dual-purpose · Polled 🇮🇳 IndiaKasaragod Dwarf A one-metre zebu from the hills of Kasaragod district, kept for its milkZebu · Dairy · Thrifty foragers 🇮🇳 IndiaKenkathaकेन्काथा A small grey and black zebu draught breed from the Ken river country of BundelkhandZebu · Draught · Thrifty foragers 🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreHinterwaldHinterwälder Rind A small Black Forest cow, white head and pied coat, kept for both milk and beefTaurine · Dual-purpose · Cold-hardy 🇫🇷 FranceBretonne Pie Noir A small pied black and white dairy cow from Brittany, once half a million strongTaurine · Dairy · Thrifty foragers 🇫🇷 FranceMirandaise A large, heat-tolerant draught breed from the Gers, now raised for vealTaurine · Draught · Heat-tolerant

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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.