French Simmental is a French cattle breed.
The breed originates from Simmental cattle from Switzerland. They were imported to France at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1930, the stud book was opened. The breed was named Eastern red pied. (in French, pie rouge de l'est).
During the 1970s, the French authorities tried to cross this breed with Montbeliard, but Montbeliard's breeders refused. French simmental are crossed with Fleckvieh cattle and Swiss Simmental. The breed is named French Simmental at this moment. First bred in Franche-Comté, the breed is now found in the Auvergne. There are about 35,000 cows.
The colour is red pied, with white head and legs. The red is a clear tan.
Mature cows weigh 700 kg at 140 cm tall. Mature bulls weigh 1,100 kg at 150 cm tall.
They are used in both beef and milk production, but primarily for dairy. The cows give about 6,400 kg of milk every year. (4% fat and 3.3% of proteins) The milk is used for AOC cheeses, such as comté and laguiole. This breed is also used crossing with beef cattle such as charolais and limousin.
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The Brahman is an American breed of zebuine-taurine hybrid beef cattle. It was bred in the United States from 1885 from cattle originating in India, imported at various times from the United Kingdom, from India and from Brazil. These were mainly Gir, Guzerá and Nelore stock, with some Indu-Brasil, Krishna Valley and Ongole. The Brahman has a high tolerance of heat, sunlight and humidity, and good resistance to parasites. It has been exported to many countries, particularly in the tropics; in Australia it is the most numerous breed of cattle. It has been used in the creation of numerous taurine-indicine hybrids, some of which – such as the Brangus and Brahmousin – are established as separate breeds.
The Simmental or Swiss Fleckvieh is a Swiss breed of dual-purpose cattle. It is named after the Simmental – the valley of the Simme river – in the Bernese Oberland, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is reddish in colour with white markings, and is raised for both milk and meat.
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Comté is a French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France bordering Switzerland and sharing much of its cuisine. Comté has the highest production of all French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) cheeses, at around 66,500 tonnes annually. It is classified as an Alpine cheese.
The Herens is a breed of cattle named after the Val d'Hérens region of Switzerland. These small, horned alpine cattle are coloured black, brown or dark red, often with a lighter stripe along the spine. The cows are used in organised cow fights.
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Glan cattle are a traditional cattle breed particularly found in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. At one time they were almost extinct, but today there are about 2,000 animals. Originally multipurpose, they are nowadays mainly used for beef production.
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The Montbéliarde is a breed of red pied dairy cattle from the area of Montbéliard, in the département of Doubs, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. It is used mainly for dairying and particularly for cheesemaking.
Murboden Cattle are bred primarily in Carinthia, Styria and Lower Austria in Austria, and in the bordering Slovenia. They are a mountain breed used as beef and milk producers, as well as being draught animals. Hair colour varies from yellowish to light red or grey, with deeper red areas around the horns, eyes, and along the nose. In Slovenia the breed is called Pomurska, and some small purebred herds have survived.
The Original Braunvieh is a dual purpose dairy and beef breed from the Switzerland. Braunvieh means "brown cow" and the animals are coloured grey to brown with white ears and muzzle and have horns. These cattle have been maintained as a pure breed, while the modern Swiss Braunvieh have been crossed with Brown Swiss. They have contributed to the American Brown Swiss breed. In the 1980s breeding associations were formed in Germany and Austria to conserve the breed.
Jutland cattle are a rare Danish breed of cattle used in both dairy and beef production. Bred from the indigenous cattle of Jutland the breed could be light grey, dark grey or black pied with upward curving horns. The first herdbook published in 1881 had a small dairy type and a larger beef type. The dairy cows were small, averaging 120 cm high and weighing 350 kg, producing between 800 and 1000 kg of milk per lactation.
The Armoricaine or Armorican is an endangered French breed of domestic cattle. It originated in Brittany in the nineteenth century. It has a red coat with white markings, and has short horns.
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The Valdostana Pezzata Rossa is an Italian breed of cattle from Valle d'Aosta region in north-western Italy. It is red-pied, usually with white legs, stomach and face. It is one of three regional breeds in the area, the others being the Valdostana Castana and the Valdostana Pezzata Nera. Like them, it derives from inter-breeding of various local breeds and types of cattle. The most important of these were Swiss Simmental cattle, which came into the Valle d'Aosta over the Great St. Bernard Pass. The Valdostana Pezzata Rossa is a dual-purpose breed, raised mainly for milk, but also for meat. Management is normally transhumant: the cattle are stabled only in winter, and spend the summer months on the mountain pastures of the Alps.