Canadian #3 Cattle Breeds

1-The Beef Synthetic was developed at Alberta University in Alberta and displays a variety of coat colors. The Beef Synthetic is a combination of: the Aberdeen-Angus the Charolais the Galloway the Brown Swiss 2-The Beef Brown Swiss (aka Braunvieh) began with authentic Swiss Brown cattle imported from Switzerland. In 1968, a Swiss Brown bull named ‘Aron’ was imported into Canada. Aron was impressively muscular — so the Canadians started a breeding program using Aron as a foundation sire and selecting for beef purposes. Beef Brown Swiss’ appears to be primarily a descriptive name because both associations (in the USA and Canada) use ‘Braunvieh’ as the breed name: Canadian Brown Swiss & Braunvieh Association (the Brown Swiss is a dairy breed) Braunvieh Association of America 3-According to the Canadian Charolais Association, the first Charolais were imported into Canada from the United States in 1956. Only later were Charolais imported directly from France. 4-The Gelbvieh originated in Germany as a triple-purpose breed. Today they are raised mainly for beef. 5-Lineback Dairy Cattle also known as Witrick is a dual breed of cattle, derived from the Holstein breed, and to whom the Randall cattle bear a strong resemblance. While not a commonplace breed, they are found in small numbers as "productive pets" amid larger numbers of other dairy cattle breeds on dairy farms throughout North America. Known for their distinctive colour-sided coloration, the Lineback has a black base and nose with a skunk-like white stripe or finching along the spine. Due to the rarity of the pure-strain breed, variations such as red lineback and animals with a heavily speckled pelt instead of a distinct stripe occur from time to time. The breed is often cross bred to other dairy cattle, though the coloration trait is generally dominant in offspring History of Lineback Dairy Cattle-“A Well-Marked Breed” Cattle with "Lineback" color patterns have occurred throughout the world in many breeds. In the Texas Longhorn and some African breeds, the Lineback patterns occur randomly. In breeds such as the English Longhorn, Gloucester, Pinzgauer, Vosgienne, and the Moiled cattle of Ireland, the Lineback pattern in some form is their identifying characteristic. And still others, such as the native Welsh breed, consistently display several “color phases“, of which the "Lineback" is one. Geneticists recognize two variations of the Lineback Dairy Cattle. The first, is known as Gloucester, in which the animal has a dark, usually black or red body with a white dorsal stripe, possibly a star on the face, white tail and belly, and perhaps one or more garters or white bands around the legs, where they join the body. The other, known as Witrick separates into 3 major types of “Witrick’s” the White classic Witrick, Dark-Sided Witrick, and Dark Specked Witrick. The White Classic Witrick is more prevalent type and has a lot more white on the body and face, followed with black or red eyes, nose and ears, but Witrick’s of all patterns can be found with much "speckling or brockling" on the face, body, and legs. The brockling may be in the form of round or elliptical spots or roaning or both. Of the variations found, the Witrick variety predominating over the Gloucester. The English Longhorn, Irish Moiled, Norwegian Telemark, Swedish Mountain, and Dutch Witrick have the Witrick as their characteristic marking, while the Gloucester pattern in which brockling does not occur is exemplified by the English Old Gloucester and the Austrian Pinzgauer. It is reasonable to assume that Linebacks were among the cattle imported into the U.S. in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Dutch were bringing their Witrick cattle into New York at a time when the Witrick was plentiful. The name Witrik (Without a "c") is a compound word derived from dialectal Dutch Wit (White) and Rik ("Rug" in standard Dutch, meaning "Back") and means "White Back". Additionally, many British ships coming to America were sailing from Bristol, a geographically convenient port for the export of Gloucester and Welsh cattle. Considering that livestock of all classes has been imported to the United States, it is not surprising that we have our own "Dairy Lineback breed". During the 19th century progressive American farmers began to look again to Europe for improved stock, including Ayrshires, Friesians, Herefords and Milking Shorthorns, all of which were capable of throwing occasional linebacked offspring. There breeds, plus the English Longhorn, probably contributed to the Lineback presence in the United States. Following World War II, in the stampede for bigger yields, dairy farmers increasingly began to use Holstein bulls to "upgrade" their herds. In New England these herds were often the old unimproved Durhams or Milking Shorthorns, but in New York and the Midwest, as well as much of northern Vermont and neighboring Canada, there were many herds of Linebacks of both types which were graded up with Holstein bulls. Because the Lineback patterns are genetically strong and the Holstein pattern is weak, the Lineback will often persist through many generations of outcrossing. The sources from which our stock derive and the periods when their ancestors entered our agricultural history are conjectural and likely not be resolved fully, as documentation is almost nonexistent. Today there are several thousand Lineback dairy cows in the United States, some of them essentially Holsteins, some from Milking Shorthorn or other backgrounds, and some quite unique! History of "The Lineback Dairy Cow" Originating mainly from Holland, Europe in the 1700-1800's, Lineback’s first appeared in America when English and Hollanders settled in the country. Lineback’s were a very dual-purpose animal, fulfilling the owners' needs for both milk and meat. As time went on into the 1900s, farmers started to specialize in either beef or dairy production. The Lineback has over time been selected for improved dairy production due to there “high components“, although it remains a very versatile breed, that was and is heavily influenced by Holstein Blood. The current "Idealistic Lineback Cow" The “Lineback cow” has been up-bred to be a very productive dairy cow. Still occasionally influenced by Holstein blood this genetically superior breed has remained versatile enough to be prevalent in these demanding modern times. Today there are several thousand Lineback dairy cows in the United States. The term “Lineback” The use of the word “Lineback” refers to both appearance and breed. The common factor of all the patters is the white line across the back, the dark solid color of the ears and nose, outlining of the eyes and one or more dark hooves. “Red and white” or “Black and white” are the predominant “color” patterns. Characteristics of “The Lineback Dairy Cow” Longevity Durability Good Feet and Legs Super Mammary systems Good Dairy Character Suited well for Grazing and Free-stall housing Capable of; High Production High Protein and Fat Lineback Color Patterns There are various color patterns found in the Lineback breed, Classic White Witrick (most dominate pattern) Dark-Sided Witrick Dark-Speckle Witrick Gloucester (white garters at top of legs) 6-The Canadienne (aka La race bovine Canadienne; Canadian and Black Canadian and Black Jersey and French Canadian and Quebec Jersey in English), along with the Texas Longhorn, is one of the oldest breeds found on the North American Continent. Canadienne cattle, also known as Black Canadienne, French Canadienne, and Black Jersey, are the only breed of dairy cattle developed in Canada. They originated in the 16th century, when French settlers brought cattle over for foundation stock to settle Canada. The Canadienne were the most common breed of domestic cattle in Canada until the late 19th century, when other breeds began to displace them. Today, the Hereford and Holstein have become the most common types of cattle in Canada. The Canadienne, though still found on farms and ranches across the nation, is now comparatively rare except in certain areas of the province of Quebec. Efforts by an active breed society and the Quebec government have been made in recent years to preserve the breed from extinction. History The Canadienne breed can be traced back to cattle in present-day Quebec that came from the Normandy and Brittany regions of France in the 1600s. The breeds that came in are unknown; the melting-pot effect took over until the breed took on its own appearance and type. It is believed that Canadienne cattle come from the same general ancestry as Guernsey, Jersey and Kerry cattle. They developed into a hardy, compact dairy breed that could survive the harsh environment of Quebec. The cattle also provided draught work and meat, which was important to the colonists. In 1850, the Canadian Parliament discovered that the vast majority of cattle in Quebec were Canadienne, so they began to discourage its breeding and soon the breed received competition from other breeds. In 1886, a couple of men created a herd book; the French Canadian Cattle Breeder's Association was formed in 1895 to prevent the breed from becoming extinct. The breed later gained recognition in 1901 for being the most profitable dairy breed in the Pan-American show in Buffalo, New York. In the early 1970s, the Ministry of Agriculture became concerned about inbreeding within the Canadienne breed and the lack of improvement in milk production, so they introduced Brown Swiss genetics. The use of Brown Swiss genetics was uncontrolled and had to be stopped to preserve the purity of Canadienne cattle. In 1999, the Canadienne cow was given official heritage status by the Government of Quebec and its breeding program is supported to preserve the breed. Uses The main use of Canadienne cattle is for milk production. They are efficient milk producers; their milk contains high levels of butterfat and protein, making it an excellent choice for cheese production. They have also been raised for meat production; meat produced by these animals tends to be lean. Their hardiness and quiet nature made them good animals to use for farmwork. Characteristics The Canadienne breed is small to medium-sized; cows weigh between 400 and 500 kg and bulls weigh on average 800 kg. This breed has been developed to survive in the harsh Canadian environment. Their small size makes this breed an excellent candidate for intensive pasture management as well as it allows for the animals to remain on pasture for longer periods of time in early spring and late fall because their light weight does not cause as much damage to the soil compared to heavier breeds. If horns are present, they will be long and upturned with darker coloured tips. Most cattle have black, brown or russet coats with a lighter coloured topline, udder and muzzle; shades varying between black and brown comprise the colouring for other parts of their bodies. When calves are first born they have light coat colours, and following 4 months of age coat colouration, the colour becomes permanently established. 7-The Hays Converter is a breed of cattle native specifically to Alberta, Canada. Named for Harry Hays, the agriculturalist and politician who developed the breed, it was the first pure breed of cattle created in Canada. Work on breeding the Hays Converter began in 1959, and it was officially recognized by the Canadian beef industry under the Canada Livestock Pedigree Act in December 1975. Senator Hays wished to create a cattle breed that would be based solely on production, and as such would mature to market weight as fast as possible. Characteristics The Hays Converter is a hardy beef cattle breed, meant to stand up to the harsh conditions in Alberta. They are equipped with strong legs and good feet giving this breed increased hardiness. By appearance, they are generally black with some white markings on the face, legs and underbelly. They can also be red and white in colour, but this is a more rare occurrence. Cows typically weigh 1250 to 1500 pounds while bulls can reach a weight of 2300 to 2800 pounds. Hays Converters are an early maturing breed, this feature allows them to breed and produce offspring sooner than other breeds of cattle. Hays chose three particular breeds of cattle in order to achieve the optimal breed of cattle. He achieved this by combination crosses of Holstein cattle on Hereford cattle and Brown Swiss cattle. These three existing breeds were chosen specifically for certain traits they carried. The Holstein cattle were chosen due to their good strong feet and ability to produce milk with a high butter-fat content, allowing calves to grow faster. The Hereford cattle were chosen due to their high fleshing rate, meaning that their ability to mature quickly would also be passed onto their offspring. Lastly, the Brown Swiss cattle were chosen due to their perfectly shaped udder and ability to produce milk up until the end of lactation. Once the crosses began, Hays selected for the traits he wanted, and any offspring that did not make the cut in one way or another would have their tails docked and were shipped off to a processing plant. Once all desired traits were achieved in the offspring, the breed was closed off to mating with any outside breeds. By the time the breed achieved pedigree status in 1975, it had achieved all of the traits Hays had hoped it would. These traits included, high growth rate, sturdy build, good carcass quality, easy calving and excellent milk production. 8,9,10-The Holstein (aka American Holstein, Canadian Holstein) saga begins in Massachusetts in 1852 when Winthrop W. Chenery bought a single black pied ‘Holland’ cow off a Dutch ship. Several years later, in 1857 and 1859, Chenery imported more black pied cattle from the Netherlands – BUT – these animals introduced pleuropneumonia to his herd and all of them were destroyed (except for one bull named ‘Dutchman 37’ ). Two years after that, healthy new black pied cattle arrived again from the Netherlands. Four new cows and one new bull joined Chenery's ‘Dutchman 37’ and it was then, in 1861, that the first herd of Dutch black pied cattle in North America was officially established. This initial herd became famous for its milk productivity. So Chenery and other breeders imported even more Dutch black pied cattle (and also some black pied cattle from the German region of Schleswig-Holstein). It is very important to remember that, at this point in history, there was no consistency standard or herdbook for any black pied cattle anywhere – not even in the Netherlands or in Germany. Sometime around the year 1862, Chenery wrote an article about his ‘Dutch’ cattle for the newly-founded US Department of Agriculture and – for reasons unknown – the name ‘Holstein’ was highlighted in his article. It was ten years later though, in 1872, that the first herdbook using the name ‘Holstein’ was published in Massachusetts. But this first herdbook had no detailed color standard or consistency yet expected of this new American breed called ‘Holstein’. Then, in 1877 (five years after the initial ‘Holstein’ herdbook), another gentleman named Thomas E. Whiting also began importing black pied cattle directly from the Netherlands. But, he registered them as ‘Dutch-Friesian’ cattle in a completely new and different herdbook. Now, three years after that, starting in 1880, the Dutch began complaining about all the US breeders that were using the name ‘Holstein’ for their Dutch imports. Why? Because Holstein is not a province in the Netherlands. However, the name ‘Holstein’ remained – not due to malice – mainly because the American ‘Holstein’ breed was not expanding much. American ‘Holstein’ milk quality was in question and sometimes called (as a slur) ‘blue milk’. Additionally, their reputation as a beef breed was unremarkable. Keep in mind that, at this point in its history, the American ‘Holstein’ breed was still being raised as a dual-purpose dairy/beef animal. Anyway, in 1881, a year after the Dutch complaints started piling up, a Canadian gentleman named Michael Cook (and his son) imported some American ‘Holstein’ cattle to his farm in Aultsville, Ontario. Then, in 1882, surprising the American breeders, Friesland (which is a province of the Netherlands) exported over a thousand pre-registered black pied cattle to the US. Cattle were finally being registered in the Netherlands before export because registration brought the Dutch a higher price. To confuse things further, only the Canadian breeders eventually adopted the name ‘Dutch-Friesian’ for their Dutch imports. Six more years went by and, in 1888, the American ‘Holstein’ and the Canadian ‘Dutch-Friesian’ herdbooks were joined. In addition, American and Canadian breeders together decided that, from that point on, they would use only the name ‘Holstein-Friesian’ for their black pied breed. However, this event obviously still wasn't the end of the naming business. The rest of this long and twisty tale, in a nutshell, is this: 1925 – Canada established breeding standards which America also decided to adopt. 1926-1960 – Canadian and American breeders selectively bred their ‘Holstein-Friesian’ to be a single-purpose dairy animal that provided the highest capacity for milk production ever known. 1960's – Europe began importing Canadian and American ‘Holstein-Friesians’ to either start, improve or transform their dual-purpose herds into single-purpose high-producing dairy herds. Finally, by 1983 – to avoid confusion with the European born-and-bred Holstein-Friesians – Canada and the US officially dropped ‘-Friesian’ from their breed name and formally began to use just the name ‘Holstein’. So, the Holstein you hear about now, which finally got a name for itself that everyone could agree on in 1983, is today a single-purpose high-producing dairy breed. And it is this breed – the Holstein (originating from the US and Canada) – that is, and has been, regularly used and imported worldwide to achieve high milk productivity.