Dutch Belted
An American dairy breed, black or red, with a wide white band around the middle
The Dutch Belted is a dairy breed from the United States, bred up from Lakenvelder cattle of the Netherlands and Germany. Its coat is black or red, broken by one wide white band over the back, flanks and belly, and grown bulls weigh about 760 kg against roughly 545 kg for cows.
- An American dairy breed whose Lakenvelder ancestors came from Germany and the Netherlands
- Usually horned, though some animals are polled, meaning naturally hornless
- Coat is black or red, crossed by one wide white band around the middle
- Bulls average about 760 kg; cows average about 545 kg
- Rated critical on the Livestock Conservancy watchlist in 2021
What do Dutch Belted cattle look like?
The Dutch Belted is an ordinary humpless cattle breed of the taurine kind, and it is kept for milk. Cows and bulls carry the same marking: a body that is either black or red, crossed by one wide white band that runs right round the middle, over the spine, down the flanks and under the belly. Horns are usually present, though a calf is occasionally born polled, which means naturally without horns. There is no hump on the neck. Bulls are the heavier sex, averaging about 760 kg, while cows average roughly 545 kg.
Where does the Dutch Belted come from?
Lakenvelder cattle kept in the Netherlands and Germany are the ancestors of this breed, and stock of that kind was shipped across to the United States from 1838. D.H. Haight brought the first of them to Goshen in New York. Others went to Orange County, further animals reached Pennsylvania in 1848, and a single cow arrived in New Jersey in 1906. During the 1840s P.T. Barnum put a few on display in his travelling circus. Sixteen head were exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
What the Dutch Belted is known for
By 1916 the animal was simply called the Dutch Belted and had a name as a reliable milker, found in roughly twenty-five states, though it was never numerous. It could not hold its ground once the Holstein-Friesian swept through American dairies in the middle of the twentieth century, and the breed association lay dormant during the 1970s. The next decade brought a further squeeze: a Department of Agriculture policy urged farmers to send dairy stock for meat so that milk would fetch a better price.
How the Dutch Belted is bred and kept
Registered animals are the core of the breed. Between 1981 and 1995 the yearly average was twenty-eight registrations, twenty-one cows and seven bulls, and in 1995 only thirty-four purebreds stood in the books. A conservation body surveyed the breed and from 1993 worked on its recovery. Registration lapsed for a period and began again in 2013. The breeding pool is small: roughly 700 cows kept for breeding and about 70 bulls were counted in 2010.
Dutch Belted, drawn
What the Dutch Belted is kept for
Milk is what the breed is kept for. It made its name in America as a useful dairy animal, but it never rose to real prominence, and the spread of the Holstein-Friesian pushed it to the side. In the 1980s a Department of Agriculture policy that encouraged turning dairy cattle into beef, in the hope of raising milk prices, added more strain. Animals are also shown at exhibitions.
At a glance: where it belongs
Celebrations
The Dutch Belted at fairs and festivals
The breed has been put on public view more than once. During the 1840s P.T. Barnum exhibited a few in his travelling circus, and in 1893 sixteen head were shown at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. A breed association, set up in 1886 or 1901, has looked after the breed's affairs; registrations with it, long lapsed, resumed in 2013.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
The breed has never been common. About 1,500 animals had spread across some twenty-five states by 1916. Numbers then fell away, and in 1995 just thirty-four registered purebreds were left. By 2010 the total had climbed back to roughly 1,500 head, among them about 70 bulls and 700 cows kept for breeding. A figure of 464 animals was reported to DAD-IS in 2016. The FAO called the breed endangered in 2007, the Livestock Conservancy rated it critical in 2021, and DAD-IS described it as endangered-maintained in 2022.
Questions people ask about Dutch Belted
Where does the Dutch Belted come from?
It is an American breed, but its ancestors were Lakenvelder cattle of the Netherlands and Germany. The first of that stock reached the United States in 1838, when D.H. Haight took animals to Goshen in New York.
What is the Dutch Belted kept for?
It is a dairy breed, kept for its milk. In the early twentieth century it had a name as a reliable milker, but it never built up large numbers and could not keep pace with the Holstein-Friesian.
What does a Dutch Belted look like?
The body is black or red, with one wide white band around the middle. Horns are usual, though some cattle are polled. Bulls average about 760 kg and cows about 545 kg.
How rare is the breed?
The total reported to DAD-IS in 2016 was 464 animals. The FAO listed it as endangered in 2007, the Livestock Conservancy called it critical in 2021, and DAD-IS described it as endangered-maintained in 2022.
Why did Dutch Belted numbers fall?
The Holstein-Friesian took over American dairies through the mid-twentieth century, the breed association went dormant in the 1970s, and a 1980s Department of Agriculture policy encouraged sending dairy cattle for beef to lift milk prices.
Good reading and sources
- Dutch Belted on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Dutch Belted", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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