Glan Cattle
Encyclopedia
Glan Cattle are a traditional cattle breed particularly found in the Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....

 region of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. 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.

Characteristics

Height: bulls 140 – 145 cm; cows 135 – 140 cm
Weight: bulls 1,000 - 1,200 kg; cows 600 – 750 kg

An important breeding aim is the unicoloured yellowish fur.

History

The modern type of Glan multipurpose cattle was established by Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...

 Christian IV
Christian IV, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken
Christian IV, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1735 to 1775. He was the son of Christian III, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken and Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrücken.In 1751 he married, morganatically, Maria Johanna Camasse...

, Count palatine of Zweibrücken through an inspection decree of 12 September 1773 that demanded the improvement of the local small red breed through using Simmental
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:...

 and Berne Mountain bulls. By 1762 the import of Swiss
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....

 cattle had already begun; this was the beginning of Glan cattle breeding.

In Donnersberg
Donnersberg
For the Czech mountain, see MilešovkaThe Donnersberg is the highest peak of the Palatinate region of Germany. The mountain lies between the towns of Rockenhausen en Kirchheimbolanden, in the Donnersbergkreis district, which is named after the mountain. The highway A63 runs along the southern edge...

 and Glan
Glan (Nahe)
The Glan is a river in southwestern Germany, right tributary of the Nahe River. It is approximately long. It rises in the Saarland, northwest of Homburg. It flows generally north, through Rhineland-Palatinate, and empties into the Nahe in Odernheim am Glan, near Bad Sobernheim...

, two different cattle breeds developed: the light, dairy "Glan cattle" and the heavy draught "Donnersberg cattle". In the 19th century the two breeds mixed and became the "Glan-Donnersberg cattle" that were exported to Hunsrück
Hunsrück
The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...

, Westerwald
Westerwald
The Westerwald is a low mountain range on the right bank of the River Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a part of the Rhine Massif...

 and Eifel
Eifel
The Eifel is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the south of the German-speaking Community of Belgium....

.

The first breed associations were founded 1880 in Meisenheim
Meisenheim
Meisenheim is a town in the district of Bad Kreuznach, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Glan, approx. 25 km south-west of Bad Kreuznach.Meisenheim is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Meisenheim....

 and Quirnbach, later followed in 1898 by the Glan-Donnersberg Breeding Association based in Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...

 and in 1912 the revived Association of the Rhenish Glan Cattle Breeding Cooperatives (later Association of the Rhenish Glan Cattle Breeders).

In the 1920s they began crossing with 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...

. One decade later they changed the breeding aim: the draught performance, once one of the advantages, became less important. Since 1950 they crossed in 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...

 that caused either the loss of milk performance or of beef performance. This was the beginning of the end of purebred Glan cattle. The crossing in of 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...

, 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 Angeln cattle
Angeln cattle
Angeln cattle are a breed of cattle originally from Angeln in Schleswig-Holstein where they are first mentioned around 1600. Breed management has been practiced since 1830. Angeln cattle are red in color and were one of the founders of the larger Danish Red Cattle breed. They are noted for the high...

 was continued. In 1967 the pure breed was abandoned, and in 1972 the Association of the Rhenish Glan Cattle Breeders closed.

In 1984 or 1985 an Association for the Conservation and Promotion of the Glan Cattle was founded. In search of old type Glan cattle they discovered 25 cows, among them only 4 purebreds. No living purebred bulls were found, but they found frozen sperm of purebred bulls. For the conservation of the breed they also used bulls of related breeds like 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...

.

Many associations breed Glan cattle today, with the main focus on the beef performance. Noteworthy populations are in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....

, Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...

 and North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

.

External links

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