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Breed History: The major historical development of this
breed occurred in what is now the Netherlands and more specifically
in the two northern provinces of North Holland and Friesland which
lay on either side of the Zuider Zee. The original stock was the
black animals and white animals of the Batavians and Friesians,
migrant European tribes who settled in the Rhine Delta region
about 2,000 years ago. For many years, Holsteins were bred and
strictly culled to obtain animals which would make best use of
grass, the area's most abundant resource. The intermingling of
these animals evolved into an efficient, high-producing black-and-white
dairy cow.
Holsteins were brought to the United States by the Dutch in 1621
but were not kept pure. Winthrop Chenery, a Massachusetts breeder,
purchased a Holland cow from a Dutch sailing master who landed
cargo at Boston in 1852. The cow had furnished the ship's crew
with fresh milk during the voyage. She proved to be such a satisfactory
producer, that Chenery made later importations of Holsteins in
1857, 1859 and 1861. Many other breeders soon joined the race
to establish Holsteins in America. After about 8,800 Holsteins
had been imported, cattle disease broke out in Europe and importation
ceased.
The Holstein-Friesian is the most popular dairy breed in the
United States. Nearly 90 percent of all dairy cows in this country
have the black and white markings characteristic of the breed.
Miscellaneous: The Holsteins exhibited at the Minnesota
Zoo Wells Fargo Family Farm are of two varieties. The traditional
black and white cow which is most often found on the farms of
the area and the equally attractive, but lesser common red and
white.
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