Braunvieh is a breed of cattle

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...

 originating 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....

. Braunvieh cattle imported to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in the 19th century were the origin of the modern, (American) Brown Swiss

Brown Swiss

Brown Swiss is a breed of dairy cattle that produces the second largest quantity of milk per annum, over . The milk contains on average 4% butterfat and 3.5% protein, making their milk excellent for production of cheese. The Brown Swiss is known for a long gestation period, immense size, large...

 cattle breed. Since the 1960s, Brown Swiss cattle have been crossed back into the Braunvieh stock of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. Original Swiss Braunvieh were imported directly from Switzerland in 1983, for the first time since 1880, by Harlan Doeschot of Firth, Nebraska, who had been in Switzerland looking for Simmental cattle

Simmental Cattle

Simmental cattle are a versatile breed of cattle originating in the valley of the Simme river, in the Bernese Oberland of western Switzerland.-European origin:...

 to import and was greatly impressed by the uniformity and reproduction efficiency of Braunvieh. They are known for their excellent milking abilities and meat quality. They are also very docile and easy to work with.

Braunvieh come in many shades of brown, with the most common being a mousy brown. They can be lighter or darker and always have a lighter colored ring around their nose. This characteristic enables the Braunvieh to be easily distinguishable when looking at other breeds of cattle. It should never be confused with the Gelbvieh

Gelbvieh

Gelbvieh is a dual-purpose cattle breed originating in Bavaria, Germany around the end of the 18th century. The breed is known as the "German Yellow" and "Einfarbiges gelbes Hohenvieh." In spite of the name, the breed is a honey gold to red color, but due to crossbreeding with Angus cattle, a...

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