The Holstein | ||
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The Holstein | ||
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When European migrant tribes settled in the Rhine Delta Region, now known as The Netherlands almost 2,000 years ago, they wanted animals that would make the best use of the land. The black and white cows of the Batavians and Friesians were bred and strictly culled to produce animals that were the most efficient, producing the most milk with limited feed resources. These animals genetically evolved into the efficient, high producing black and white dairy cows, known as the Holstein-Friesian. | ||||
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As the New World settlements began to take shape, the market developed for milk in American. Dairy breeders turned to Holland for their cattle. Winthrop Chenery, a Massachusetts breeder, purchased a Holland cow from a Dutch sailing master who had landed cargo at Boston in 1852. The cow has furnished the ship's crew with fresh milk during the voyage. So pleased with her milk production, Chenery imported more Holsteins in 1857, 1859, and 1861. Many other breeders soon joined the race to establish Holsteins in America. After about 8,800 Holsteins had been imported, a cattle disease broke out in Europe and importation ceased. There was enough interest in the late 1800's among Holstein breeders to form associations to record pedigrees and maintain herdbooks. In 1885 these associations merged to found the Holstein-Friesian Association of America. In 1994 the name changed to Holstein Association USA, Inc. | ||||
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Holsteins are quickly recognized by their distinctive color markings and outstanding milk production. Physical Characterisitics Holsteins are large, stylish animals with color patterns of black and white or red and white. A healthy Holstein calf wieghs 90 pounds or more at birth. A mature Holstein cow weighs about 1,500 pounds and stands 58 inches tall at the shoulder. Holstein heifers can be bred at 14 months of age, when they weigh about 800 pounds. It is desirable to have Holstein females calve for the first time between 23 and 26 months of age. Holstein gestation is approximately nine months. While some cows may live considerably longer, the average productive life of a Holstein is 3 to 4 years. Milk Production The average actual proction for all US Holstein herds that were enrolled in production-testing programs and eligible for genetic evaluations in 1998 was 20,610 pounds of milk, 752 pounds of butterfat, and 661 pounds of protein per year. Top producing Holsteins milking twice a day have been known to produce up to 67,914 pounds of milk in 365 days. | ||||
