Loyal farmers promote rare Dutch Belted dairy breed

DE WEERE – The Lakenvelder dairy cattle breed has been a fixture in the Dutch landscape for centuries but has been overtaken by the Friesian Holstein breed so that it is now a rare breed in the Netherlands. While its pure breed registry was closed in the 1930s, some farmers continued with the breed and are even promoting its. The breed got its name from the laken-type (belt or sheet) of pure white hair extending from the shoulders to the hip bones that should encircle the animal's body completely. The remainder is usually black but can be red as well. The Lakenvelder's yield is comparable to that of the FH-breed and was exported to the U.S.A. as far back as 1838 from where the Dutch Belted breed spread to Canada and Mexico. Dutch Belted? The breed's origin has been traced to Austria and Switzerland where it is known as the Gurtenvieh breed. This breed was evidently moved by Dutch nobility from the mountain farms of canton Appenzell and County of Tyrol Mountains during or soon after the feudal period. A Dutch Lakenvelder breeder teamed up with a regional agricultural nature society for an open house to showcase his specialty.