Harz Red mountain cattle
Encyclopedia
Harz
The Harz is the highest mountain range in northern Germany and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The name Harz derives from the Middle High German word Hardt or Hart , latinized as Hercynia. The legendary Brocken is the highest summit in the Harz...
in 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...
. They serve the purposes of providing milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
and draught power.
History
This cattle breed stemmed from the red cattle breeds of South and Middle Germany and traced probably back to unicoloured red Germanic-Celtic Cattle. Out of them a local cattle breed developed under the tough conditions of the Harz mountain range.In the 1950s this cattle breed was crossed with Danish Red bulls
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...
to increase milk yields. Later they crossed in 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...
. Since 1980 the Harz Red cattle has been only a variety of the Angeln breed
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...
.
In the middle of the 1980s they took remaining animals of the old Harz Red cattle (that were already mixed) to synthesize a new population of "Red Cattle, breeding type Mountain Cattle".
Breed Farms
The Harz Red mountain cattle will be bred on only a few farms:- Mountainfarmer Wolfgang Beuse on the Farm of „Klein-Tirol“, 20 cows, 1 bull
- Thielecke, a farmer at the foot of Brocken in Tanne
- Claus and Katharina Kohlrusch, 21 cows, 5 bulls
Sources
- Association Harz Cows: Harz heardsmen, Harz Cows in history, present and future, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, 1998 ISBN 3-89720-139-9