Cow Breeds
The Major Cow Breeds In The United States
There are several hundred cow breeds in the world today, many of which can be found in the United States, dairy cattle breeds, beef cattle breeds, and dual breeds. A majority of these breeds exist in small numbers; in fact some are quite rare. We'll focus on the best known breeds, looking at the dairy cow first.
Two of the more familiar dairy cow breeds were imported from the Channel Islands, which lie between England and France. The cows came from the Isles of Jersey and Guernsey, and the breeds carry the names of the islands. The Jersey cow, which has been raised on the Isle of Jersey for at least 1,000 years, is fawn colored with light markings, and is the smallest in size of our dairy breeds, seldom weighing more than 900 pounds. The Jersey's milk is highest in butterfat and protein of the major breeds. It is quite docile, intelligent, and quite heat tolerant. The Isle of Guernsey gave us the Guernsey breed, which may have originally come from France over 1,000 years ago. The Guernsey is also fawn colored, though some are more brown, with white spots. They provide a rich, golden milk, noted for containing beta carotene. The Guernsey cow weighs about 1,000 pounds with the bulls weighing about 600 pounds more.
Holsteins are certainly one of the better known dairy cow breeds, brought to the United States by Dutch immigrants early in the 17th century. The Holstein is a white cow with large black spots. Some Holsteins are pure white, others are all black, but most are about 50-50. The Holstein produces a greater quantity of milk per cow than any other breed, which obviously accounts for its great popularity among dairy farmers. The Brown Swiss breed came to the United States more recently (1869) than the other breeds. They are larger cows, averaging 1,500 pounds and have been used as a beef cow, draft work, and as a dairy cow. In the United States it is used strictly as a dairy cow. The Brown Swiss is a prolific milk producer, second only to the Holstein.
Of the 20 or so cow breeds in the United States used for beef production, two breeds, the Black Angus and the Hereford, dominate in terms of sheer numbers. The Black Angus was imported from Scotland in the late 19th century. At first it was not favorably received, one reason being that cattlemen were not used to seeing all black cows, at least not black beef cattle. There were other reasons as well, but it was not until the Angus was cross-bred with the Texas Longhorn, producing calves highly appealing to the critics, that the breed began to gain acceptance. More Angus were imported from Scotland and the breed soon became firmly established in the cattle industry. Angus beef is known for its excellent taste and tenderness, and fine marbling texture. It is a hardy breed, and fairly easy to raise.
The Hereford has been a long-time favorite of the beef cattle industry. The first of the breed came to the United States form England in 1817, became popular in the New England states, and soon spread westward to the Plains states. A cross between the Hereford and Angus produced a cross-breed called the Black Baldie, which has the best features of both breeds.
There can be no discussion of American cow breeds without mention of the Texas Longhorn. The Longhorn was a favored breed of the Old West, and at one time numbered in the millions. The breed was nearly wiped out through cross breeding, and 40 years ago there were under 2,000 still in existence. Since then it has rebounded, and there are roughly 100,000 Texas Longhorns in North America today.
We've touched upon only a few of the many cow breeds in existence, but the ones mentioned account for the vast majority of cattle found throughout the United States today. Most of the cows you see in pastures or open country will be the Jersey, Guernsey, or the Holstein, the Black Angus, Hereford, or, if you're lucky, the Texas Longhorn.