Latvian Brown Swiss
Latvian Brown Cattle (Lat .: Latvijas brūnā) is a breed of domestic cattle (Bos primigenius taurus), which was bred for the purposes of milk and meat production. It is the basic breed of 75% of today's dairy herd in Latvia.
history
The history of the breed began in the late 19th century. In 1910 Paulis Lejins, the first president began the Latvian Academy of Sciences with the selective breeding on the farm in the countryside Luste Semgallen . By crossing the local land races with the angler cattle and red Danish dairy cattle , milk yield and growth were improved. In 1922 the breed was recognized. In the course of time various other red cattle breeds were crossed. In the 1980s the population peaked at 141,700 cattle. Today there are only a few pure-bred "Latvian browns" left, which is why a "Program for the Conservation of Genetic Resources" was set up.
description
The cattle have a reddish brown fur and smaller curved horns. The medium-sized cattle have strong bones. The height at the withers is 153 cm (weight: 1013 kg) for the bull and 131 cm (weight: 540 kg) for the cow. The breed is frugal in poor feeding conditions. The average milk production is 3,000 - 6,000 kg per year. Maximum values are 13,000 to 14,000 liters with 305 milking days a year. Insemination and calving usually go smoothly.
Others
- The "Latvian Brown" is depicted on the Latvian 2- Lati coin.