Montbeliarde Cattle
Encyclopedia
Montbéliarde cattle are a red and white pied cattle
breed from the Montbéliard
region of France
, used mainly for dairying and particularly for cheese making.
agricultural competition. Before this the local stock from indigenous multipurpose breeds such as Fémeline and Tourache (later known as Comtoise) had been improved by Mennonite
farmers from Switzerland
, and named Franco-Swiss. In 1889 the breed was accepted officially, and a stud book was founded. Since 1980 the breed has been selected for good roughage conversion. After 1900 many cattle were sold to the Midi region and Algeria
.
In the 1970s Red Holstein was crossed in. At the same time they sporadically crossed with Fleckvieh
bulls but this was not very successful. In the 1990s Montbéliarde cattle were used for crossing into the Danish Red cattle
and Vorderwalder breeds.
The animals are red pied with a white head and short horns, and of dairy type. Mature cows weigh 600 to 700 kg and stand about 145 cm tall at the withers, and mature bulls weigh 900 to 1200 kg. The milk is particularly well suited to cheese making because of a high frequency of Kappa Casein BB variants, giving higher yields of cheese. Being of less extreme dairy type than modern Holsteins the cows have lower milk yields but better longevity and fertility and lower cell counts in the milk indicating lower mastitis incidence.
characteristics than Holstein cattle. There are nearly 400,000 milk recorded Montbéliarde cows in France with an average adult lactation of 7486 litres at 3.9% B.F. and 3.45% P. The milk protein is of a type well suited to cheese making and some herds are fed a hay based diet to produce milk specifically for this purpose. Cull cows and bull calves are worth more than Holsteins. The breed has spread to many countries and is becoming popular for crossing with Holsteins to give improved longevity and fertility.
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
breed from the Montbéliard
Montbéliard
Montbéliard is a city in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department.-History:...
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, used mainly for dairying and particularly for cheese making.
History
The name Montbéliarde was first used by Joseph Graber in 1872, when exhibiting a group of cattle at the LangresLangres
Langres is a commune in north-eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne region.-History:As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, then Lingones, and now Langres.The town is built on a limestone...
agricultural competition. Before this the local stock from indigenous multipurpose breeds such as Fémeline and Tourache (later known as Comtoise) had been improved by Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
farmers from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and named Franco-Swiss. In 1889 the breed was accepted officially, and a stud book was founded. Since 1980 the breed has been selected for good roughage conversion. After 1900 many cattle were sold to the Midi region and Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
.
In the 1970s Red Holstein was crossed in. At the same time they sporadically crossed with Fleckvieh
Fleckvieh cattle
Fleckvieh cattle started in 1830 when original Simmental Cattle from Switzerland were imported to Bavaria and to Austria to improve the local dual-purpose breeds. At these times, the Simmental cattle were famous for their milk production and draught capacity but were late maturing with little depth...
bulls but this was not very successful. In the 1990s Montbéliarde cattle were used for crossing into the Danish Red cattle
Danish Red Cattle
Danish Red cattle, also known as Red Danish or Red Dane, are a major dairy cattle breed in northern Europe.The breed was developed in Denmark based on local breeds bred with Angeln cattle from Angeln, Schleswig...
and Vorderwalder breeds.
Characteristics
The animals are red pied with a white head and short horns, and of dairy type. Mature cows weigh 600 to 700 kg and stand about 145 cm tall at the withers, and mature bulls weigh 900 to 1200 kg. The milk is particularly well suited to cheese making because of a high frequency of Kappa Casein BB variants, giving higher yields of cheese. Being of less extreme dairy type than modern Holsteins the cows have lower milk yields but better longevity and fertility and lower cell counts in the milk indicating lower mastitis incidence.
Uses
Montbéliarde cattle are mainly a dairy breed but have better beefBeef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
characteristics than Holstein cattle. There are nearly 400,000 milk recorded Montbéliarde cows in France with an average adult lactation of 7486 litres at 3.9% B.F. and 3.45% P. The milk protein is of a type well suited to cheese making and some herds are fed a hay based diet to produce milk specifically for this purpose. Cull cows and bull calves are worth more than Holsteins. The breed has spread to many countries and is becoming popular for crossing with Holsteins to give improved longevity and fertility.
Artificial breeding
Recently, crossbreeding of Montbéliarde and Holstein has become quite popular in the US. Studies have shown that the crosses enjoy many benefits over their respective purebreds. For the Holsteins, this includes many benefits in health traits such as fertility, longevity and calving ease. For the Montbéliarde, improved milk production is shown with the average from one study in particular being above 25,000 lbs of milk per cow. Sierra Desert Breeders supplies Montbéliarde semen and embryos in the US.External links
- Montbéliarde Article on montbéliarde cattle.