Nelore Cattle
Nelore or Nellore beef cattle originated from Ongole (Bos indicus) cattle originally brought to Brazil from India. They are named for the district of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. The Nelore has a distinct large hump over the top of the shoulder and neck. They have long legs which help them to walk in water and when grazing. The Nelore can adapt to all except very cold climates. They are very resistant to high temperatures and have natural resistance to various parasites and diseases. Brazil is the largest breeder of Nelore. Nelore have the shortest ears of most Bos indicus types. There is a naturally polled strain of the breed.
Nelore stock have been exported to many South American countries and the United States. In the first decades of XX century, the main used race of zebu in Brazil was the indubrasil or Indo-Brazilian. From the 1960 onwards, Nelore became the main race of beef cattle in Brazil, because it is productive, has fast growing and the calf can milk its mother since its born. More than 80% of beef cattle in Brazil has blood of Nelore or is pure Nelore. This race of beef cattle is the most created in the world, with more than 180,000,000 pure or mixed oxen, only in Brazil. Bulls of this race are being exported to many other countries, such as United States, Venezuela, Latin America, and Europe in the last decades.
Jersey Cattle
Jersey cattle are a small breed of dairy cattle. Originally bred on the British Channel Island of Jersey, the breed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs incurred by its lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition.
The Jersey cow is quite small, ranging from only 360 to 540 kg (800 to 1200 pounds). The main factor contributing to the popularity of the breed has been their greater economy of production, due to:
- the ability to carry a larger number of effective milking cows per unit area due to lower body weight, hence lower maintenance requirements.
- high butterfat conditions, 6% butterfat and 4% protein and to thrive on locally produced food. Bulls are also small, ranging from 540 to 820 kg (1200 to 1800 pounds).
Castrated males can be trained into fine oxen which, due to their small size and gentle nature make them popular with young teamsters. Jersey oxen are not as strong as larger breeds however and are generally out of favor among competitive teamsters.
Due to the small size, docile and inquisitive character and attractive features of the Jersey cow, small herds were imported into England by aristocratic landowners as adornment for a esthetically landscaped parks.
Jerseys are adaptable to hot climates and are bred in the hottest parts of Brazil.
Jerseys come in all shades of brown, from light tan to almost black. All purebred Jerseys have a lighter band around their muzzle, a dark switch (long hair on the end of the tail), and black hooves, although in recent years color regulations have been relaxed to allow a broadening of the gene pool.
Holstein Cattle
The Holstein (US and Canada) or Friesian (UK, Australia, Europe) is a breed of dairy cow known today as the world's highest production dairy animal. Originating in Europe, Holsteins were developed in what is now the Netherlands and more specifically in the two northern provinces of North Holland and Friesland. The original animals were the regional cattle of the Batavians and Frisians, two tribes who settled in the coastal Rhine region around 2,000 years ago.
The Dutch breeders bred and oversaw the development of the breed with the aim of obtaining animals which would make best use of grass, the area's most abundant resource. The result, over the centuries, was an efficient, high-producing black-and-white dairy cow. It is black and white due to artificial selection by the breeders.
In Europe, the breed is used for milk in the North, meat in the South - Since 1945, European development has led to cattle production becoming increasingly regionalized. Over 60% of the cattle herd and under 50% of the usable agricultural area, but over 80% of dairy production, is to be found to the north of a line joining Bordeaux and Venice. This change led to the need for specialized animals for dairy (and beef) production. Until this time, milk and beef had been produced from dual-purpose animals, and the leading breeds, national derivatives of the Dutch Friesian, had become very different animals from their American counterparts. It was the obvious choice to import superior production animals to cross with the European black and whites. For this reason, in modern usage of the word Holstein is used to describe North American stock and its use in Europe. Friesian, denotes animals of a traditional European ancestry. Crosses between the two are described by the term Holstein-Friesian.
Holsteins, have very distinctive markings and outstanding milk production, are large animals with color patterns of black and white. In the strictest definition, a Holstein cow usually has black ears, white feet, and white end of the tail.
Size: A healthy calf weighs 30 to 35 kg (about 65-80 lbs.) or more at birth. A mature Holstein cow weighs 1,750 lbs, and stands 130 cm (about 4.25 feet) tall at the shoulder. Holstein heifers can be bred at 15 months of age, when they weigh over 360 kg. Generally, breeders aim for Holstein heifers to calve for the first time between 23 and 26 months of age. Gestation period is about nine months.
Girolando Cattle
The Girolando is a breed of dairy and beef cattle created in Brazil by crossing Gir cattle, a Bos indicus breed which is resistant to hot temperatures and tropical diseases, with Holstein cows.
The Gir or Gyr is one of the principal Zebu breeds originating in India. It has been used locally in the improvement of other breeds including the Red Sindhi and the Sahiwal. It was also one of the breeds used in the development of the Brahman breed in North America.
In Brazil and other South American countries the Gir is used frequently because, as a Bos indicus breed, it is resistant to hot temperatures and tropical diseases. It is very known for its milk producing qualities and is often bred with Friesian cows to make the Girolando breed.
The Gir is distinctive in appearance, typically having a rounded and domed forehead (being the only ultra convex breed in the world), long pendulous ears and horns which spiral out and back. Gir are generally mottled with the color ranging from red through yellow to white, black being the only unacceptable color. They originated in southwest India in the state of Gujarat and have since spread to neighboring Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
The females average 385 kg with a height of 130 cm and the males average 545 kg with a height of 135 cm. The average milk yield for the Gir is 1590 kg per lactation, with a record production of 3182 kg at 4.5% fat in India.
In Brazil they average 3500kg per lactation, with a world record production of 17.120 kg by the cow Profana de Brasília.