Every country in the world has their own mix of cattle breeds which are used for the production of milk, beef, hide and other by-products. As extreme examples you could compare the barrel-chested, small and thick-furred Yakutian cattle of Russian Siberia to the slender, smooth-haired cows raised in Africa. Or think of the extremely demanding modern Holsteins with their exact dietary requirements and high milk yield, and their colleagues in developing lands who get by with the occasional tuft of grass, but produce only a fraction of the milk amount.
Today we'll look at the selection of the Netherlands. The Netherlands is a small country, but boasts a large selection of breeds used for milk, beef or both. Of course there are the well-known breeds like Holstein, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss and the tiny Jersey. They are mixed with some more exotic but just as interesting breeds, just read on!
Fleckvieh
This exotic name belongs to a very commonly used breed, which was established in 1920. It's known for it's udder health, longevity, calving ease and fertility. Originally the race is based on the Simmenthal, which still shows in the robust build and white head. The color is always red or white with red markings (red pied). Males are approximately 1200 kg and females 750 kg. Fleckvieh bulls can increase the health in milk production or serve as a basis for a beef herd.
Blaarkop
This dual-use breed is native to the Netherlands, and was established already in the 1400's. Blaarkop means literally "blister head" and gets it's name from the dark spots on it's otherwise white head. Like many native breeds they're slow in maturing, but very resilient and easy to handle. The bulls are about 800 kg and the cows 600 kg. It's known for the leg and hoof health as well as high protein count in the milk.
Lakenvelder (The Dutch belted)
This old Dutch breed is easy to recognize from it's color: it's black or white with a white belt in the middle. Lakenvelders are curious and trainable, and can be used for milk or beef production. Bulls can reach 900 kg, while cows stay at 450 -600 kg. It's well known for it's resilience, easy calvings and good meat quality.
Mrij (Meuse Rhine Issel Cattle, MRI Cattle)
Another old Dutch breed, which has some impressive qualities: high protein content in the milk, easy calvings, excellent leg structure and high productivity! The name of this resilient cow is a combination from the two rivers in it's origins, Maas, Rijn en IJssel. Bulls can weigh a 1000 kg, while the cows stay at 670 kg, approximately. Did you know that when costs of milk production are counter per kilo of cow's weight, the mrij is more effective than the Holstein?
Fries Roodbont (Friesian red)
The friendly red Friesian is from the northern part of Netherlands, in Dutch the
Fryslân. They're used for milk production, and come from two separate lines: from the last original roodbont bull Vondeling 1 and from a cross of two Fries-Hollandse, who had red calves. It is equally fleshy, has healthy legs and hooves, and stands 130-145 cm high at the withers. This race almost died out when there was strong selection only for the black calves.
Fries Hollandse
Yet another breed from the
Fryslân. The original cattle, which survived from being mixed with Holstein cows into Holstein-Friesians, are smaller but wider than the Holstein-mixes. As many of the other original Dutch breeds also the compact Fries Hollandse is used for both meat and milk production.
Sources
https://www.crv4all.nl
http://www.thecattlesite.com
http://www.wikipedia.com
https://www.levendehave.nl/
http://www.roodbontfriesvee.nl/
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