Holstein (cattle)

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Holstein Cow

The Holstein or Holstein-Friesian (the latter referring to a smaller, heavier breed) is a cattle breed used in dairy farming. This use of Holstein is found twice in history:

In Britain it was used (with "Dutch" as synonym) to indicate the imported cattle ancestral to the shorthorn; a significant proportion of those animals did come from Holstein.
In modern US English it refers to animals based almost exclusively on stock from the Netherlands. This use goes back to the use of "Holstein" in the title of a very influential article by Winthrop W. Chenery, the Massachusetts resident who purchased the US's first Holland cow from a Dutch sailing master in 1852.

At least in the United Kingdom, whereas the Friesian and Holstein breeds are considered separate, they are also considered so similar that it is not possible to distinguish between them for statistical purposes.^[1] Friesian is much the more common term in the UK.

1 History
2 Specifications
- 2.1 Weight
- 2.2 Appearance
3 Stereotypical cow
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Developed in the United States of America from "purebred" Friesian (-Holland) stock imported for the largest part from the provinces Friesland-the main purebred breeding area in the 19th century- and North Holland-the secondary breeding area- in The Netherlands, the Holstein is sometimes also known as the Friesian Holstein or the Holstein Friesian.

The Holstein is now the most common breed of dairy cattle around the world - in the U.S., Holsteins constitute 90% of the 10 million dairy cow population. The Holstein's most outstanding characteristic is its combination of a high volume of milk production at an acceptable milk fat percentage. Typical Holstein milk is 3% to 4% milk fat (the Jersey, another popular dairy breed, produces about half the volume of milk per cow per day, but at 4 to 4.5% milk fat). European Holstein herds (especially in Denmark and the Netherlands) can produce much higher fats - some as high as 4.6% - even with yields per cow per year of 8,000 litres.

Although the ancestral Holstein and Friesian herds are merged in parts of the world, breeding records are often kept by the industry to indicate the percentage of Holstein and Friesian ancestry in a particular animal.

[edit] Specifications

An average Holstein cow in the United States produces about 22,000 pounds (10,000 kg) of milk per annum. This is roughly equivalent to 2650 U.S. gallons (10,000 litres). European Holstein cows tend to average 7,000 - 8,000 litres per year. The difference is due to the American practice of dosing the dairy cattle with hormones, which is outlawed in Europe^{[citation needed]}. Lifetime yield of Holstein cows tends to average around 30,000 litres regardless of the country or the system of milk production that is being used. The Holstein breed has one of the biggest gene pools world-wide and thus genetic progress has been faster than in other dairy breeds. For this reason it is the breed of choice for most dairy farmers worldwide. Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation, a Holstein bull born in the United States in 1965, fathered over 70,000 offspring through artificial insemination. His descendants were selected for their conformity to the breed's standards and their ability to produce large quantities of milk. Elevation's genes are representated in a large percentage of the Holstein population worldwide. Cross breeding with other breeds is popular in some countries (New Zealand for example) to avail breeders of the benefits arising from hybrid vigour.

Hanoverhill Starbuck (1979-1998) was a star of the agricultural community. He was proclaimed "Premier Sire" 27 times at North America's largest Holstein shows. Over his lifetime, Starbuck's semen generated almost $25 million in sales. He sired some 200,000 calves in 45 countries. It is said that most of the world's Holstein cows are related to Starbuck. In April 2003, the world's most famous Holstein bull is "reincarnated" via cloning two years after his death. Starbuck II not only looks like his predecessor, he acts like him. The development of Starbuck's clone was a joint effort between the researchers, headed by Dr Lawrence Smith, at the Centre for Research in Animal Reproduction (CRRA) at the Veterinary Faculty in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec and researchers, headed by Dr Daniel Bousquet, at L'Alliance Boviteq inc. Prior to Starbuck's death on September 17, 1998, Dr Bousquet and his laboratory staff collected and preserved samples of his body cells.

[edit] Weight

Most Holsteins weigh 90 pounds (40 kg) at birth. Holstein cows will mature to approximately 1,400 pounds (600 kg) and can weigh as much as 1,750 pounds (800 kg). Holstein bulls may reach over 2,000 pounds (900 kg).

[edit] Appearance

The primary color pattern for this breed is black and white, but a red and white variety, called "Red Holstein", is also maintained. Red factor (as it is called) is a recessive gene and thus black-and-white cows can be carriers of this gene without exhibiting the red and white colouration. There is also a second form of this red gene, known as "dominate red" which is a mutated form of the recessive gene. The mutated gene can make it possible for a cow with no "red factor" to bare red offspring. Though this gene makes the colouration of the next generation very unpredictable. There is also a third colour pattern known as "black red". This colour pattern ocurrs when the calf is born "red" and at approximately 6 months of age changes to black leaving only traces of red around the nose, ears and top line (back).

[edit] Stereotypical cow

Holstein dairy cows

Although there are many different kinds of cattle, in many countries, including the UK and the U.S., when most people hear 'cow', they immediately think of the distinctive black-on-white pattern marking Holstein cattle. These markings are often called "cow spots", even though they are only found on four breeds of dairy cattle: black and white on Holsteins, red and white on Ayrshires and Milking Shorthorns and brown and white on Guernseys. Spotted reddish-brown patterns are also rarely seen on Jersey cattle.

Colored "spots" on dairy cattle are like fingerprints or snowflakes; no two cows have exactly the same pattern. Cloned Cows have roughly the same patterns.

The computer company Gateway, Inc., uses a Holstein print on their shipping boxes, as a nod to the company's Midwestern roots. The "black and white spot design" is a registered trademark of Gateway, Inc.

The Chick-fil-A chain of fast-food restaurants uses upright-walking Holstein mascots and the trademark line, "Eat Mor Chikin," to convince people to eat chicken instead of beef, even though Holsteins are rarely used for beef.

The Pee-wee's Playhouse character Cowntess the Cow is a Holstein.

Ben & Jerry's ice cream features images of Holstein cattle on its packaging.

See Cattle in popular culture for more examples.