Temperate lowland: its breeds

Grass as the engine

In a temperate climate grass grows for most of the year, with a flush in spring and a second smaller one in autumn. Farmers plan the herd around that curve. In Ireland and New Zealand many dairy herds calve in late winter or early spring, so that the cows' greatest need for feed meets the spring flush, and graze outdoors on rotated paddocks for most of the year. In colder parts of Europe and North America, cattle are housed through the winter and fed hay and silage.

The breeds that spread

The black and white cattle of Friesland and North Holland became the Holstein Friesian, now the most numerous dairy cow in the world. The Jersey came from the island of that name, the Hereford from Herefordshire on the Welsh border, the Aberdeen Angus from northeast Scotland and the Shorthorn from the Tees valley of northern England. Herd books, agricultural shows and breed societies in the nineteenth century fixed these breeds and sent them abroad.

Housing and fodder

Winter housing shaped temperate farming as much as grass. The byre, cowshed or loose barn kept cattle dry, and the muck from it fed the fields. Hay was the great winter fodder until silage, grass preserved by fermentation in pits, clamps or bales, became common in the twentieth century. Root crops such as turnips and mangolds were once grown to feed cattle through the winter on mixed farms in Britain and northern Europe.

Temperate breeds in hot countries

Temperate breeds have been taken everywhere, but they often struggle in heat. In India, crossbreeding programmes have crossed Holstein Friesian, Jersey and Brown Swiss with native breeds to give cows such as the Karan Fries of Haryana and the Sunandini of Kerala. In Brazil, the Girolando blends Gir and Holstein. In each case the aim is a cow that gives more milk than the native breed but copes with heat and disease better than the imported one.

Worth knowing

• Holstein Friesian: The most numerous dairy breed in the world
• Jersey: Small dairy cow with rich milk
• Aberdeen Angus: Polled black beef breed of Scotland
• Hereford: Red and white-faced beef breed of England
• Shorthorn: Old dual-purpose breed of northern England
• Charolais: White beef breed of central France
• Karan Fries: Indian cross of Tharparkar and Holstein Friesian

Good to know

• Rotate paddocks so grass is grazed at the right height and rested.
• Make hay or silage in summer for the winter months.
• Keep winter housing well ventilated and well bedded.
• Watch for lameness on wet ground and on tracks to the milking parlour.

Sources and further reading

• Holstein Friesian on Wikipedia
• Hereford cattle, Wikipedia
• Silage, Wikipedia