Menoturals; Cattle Crew

It's Final Friday time, shared with Nature Friday, hosted by our pals, the LLB Gang.

Today, I bring you the final breed of cattle from the Westmoreland Show archives. I have been keeping this one for FFF because I think it has that something a little bit extra special, that je ne sais quoi... It is not a rare breed. Far from it, but it is up there with Highland cattle as being well-loved, deeply commercial, but adorable with it.

THE JERSEY  🐮

First, let me share the image from my show visit.

The first thing that the uninitiated are inclined to comment upon is the bony appearance. One can be forgiven for thinking that Jerseys often look skeletal on their spine and hindquarters. However, this is actually the ideal weight for a dedicated dairy animal. To have more fat on them would detract from milk production.

Jersey cows are the second-most prolific milk producers, after the ubiquitous Holstein/Fresian. That said, the breed is quite often adapted around the world and interbred. Here in the UK (and in some other parts of the globe), just as with the Herefords, there is a strict ruling about marketing. Anything claiming to be Jersey milk/butter/cream, etc, must be from a certified and verified bloodline Jersey heritage. In other countries, and specifically the USA, there has been 'development' of the breed and the lineage there is considered a sub-breed, being much larger and less refined in appearance. Product should be marked as American Jersey.

The original island cattle are small in stature, lightweight, very docile, and have a strict breeding code. Some herds have imported semen from other cattle, so the progeny cannot be recorded in the herd book, and the product from those cattle cannot be claimed as being Jersey dairy. 

Jerseys make good pet cows, too. My aunt was permitted one on the hill farm - Missy - and it is on her that I learned to milk by hand. It was a joy, then, when visiting the Sydney City Farm a few years back, that I got the chance to milk their pet Jersey, Jenny...

She took her time sniffing me to make sure I was the right sort of person to be manhandling her bits! Acquaintance made, things went well. There may have been a demand for hay...

Jersey milk is the champagne of milks. After tea and water, milk is what I love to drink, whether straight from the bottle/carton, warmed up, made into shakes or smoothies... or custard... I'm a proper milkaholic. When budget allows, I extend to purchase of Graham's Gold Top (pure Jersey), though they also do a fine organic range from their mixed herds. 

Oh slurperoonies!!! 

Interestingly, I am not much of one for cream, but I do enjoy the proper milk top clots that Graham's get into their Gold Top bottles. It takes me back to childhood and that fresh-from-Missy milk. 

Excuse me... I'm having a moment...

Let's finish off with just a wee video of Dr Graham telling us about his Jersey herd... and that's it - for now - on the farm animals. Thanks for coming along on these posts, and for showing enthusiasm!

Menoturals; Cattle Crew

Well, it's time to share for Nature Friday with the LLB gang, and I still have two breeds of cattle to show off.

Today's breed is the mighty fine Hereford. This is a breed that has been much developed and re-bred and has become favoured the world over. Most of the cattle with this name outside the UK are from modern (post-WW2) breeding programmes. Here in the British Isles, though, there is a move to retain and return to full use the Original Population (OP) standard of the breed.

It wasn't until the mid-eighteenth century, when many farmers were getting interested in the more scientific aspects of breeding, that a certain Benjamin Tompkins of Herefordshire introduced some of the white-faced Welsh Marches to his home herd of an undefined breed name. Those cattle were short in stature but very hardy. The work on the breed was taken up by the Hewers (father Wm and son John), and it was they who are credited with formalising the deep red colouring with the white markings.

The photo I have from the Westmoreland show is of a very fine bull from the OP family: note the shortish legs and compact body. I could look over the withers of this animal, so they are definitely not tall, but very, very solid.

Herefords are much-loved and are often to be found mingled with other breeds on many farms. I have previously told you of the terminology of the Highland Cattle, in that a collection of them is referred to as a Fold. Folds are not simply herds, but might also be considered as 'clans', so relationships can be traced via the breed books.

Well, Herefords are equally aristocratic: in their case, the terminology is 'Tribe'. In the OP family, there are some very clear tribes, traceable back to those early breeding regimes. First and foremost arises from John Hewer's prized cow, Old Rosabelle, and is called the Dainty Tribe. 

Then there is the Countess Tribe and the Belladonna Tribe. Some are grouped together, such as the Maria, Plum and Pretty Maid lines under the umbrella of the Wintercott Tribes. There are the Carwardine and Arkwright Tribes, again with sub-tribes... if anyone is really keen on reading about family trees for cattle, you can check out this page!

Herefords are primarily known as beef cattle, but are also good for boosting dairy herds when crossed in. They are considered among the more docile cattle for handling, just don't make any sudden movements!

Now to remind you all that next week is FFF time again - offer up something just a little bit different, informative, fun, awe-inspiring... 

Menoturals; Cattle Crew First Friday Filmclub

My word, it's that day again, the one where we share with the LLB gang our Nature Friday posts.

You were introduced to the Red Poll cattle last week. Today, we hear how farmer George Young from the county of Essex (one down from Suffolk, a little up and to the 'right' of London... for those less familiar with UK geography) has chosen to introduce the breed to his arable farm. He explains the ecological utility of the animal, its relative ease of care, the ethical place for the breed and how he will seek to utilise their yield. It's an informative and well-presented eight minutes, with some lovely shots of him patting his beasts! 

Menoturals; Cattle Crew

Well I never, it's Final Friday already and time to join up with the LLB gang for

Nature Friday!

How am I going to make this Friday extra special when sharing info about cattle? By sharing not one, but two different breeds with you today... Aren't you just bubbling with excitement at the thought? (If not, then trot on by and go check out what Rosy and Sunny have been getting up to.)

The first of the pair to share is a breed with which I was totally unfamiliar. When looking at this black cow, at very first glance, I thought 'hoorah, there's some Aberdeen Angus here... but wait a minute...' Looking closer, it was the wrong conformation, rather more buxom than an AA cow would be. It also had that white tail tip and some white ankle socks. Very confusing. Then I spotted the cow lying beside it. As they were together, I had to assume they were from the same herd...

Turned out I was correct. A bit of enquiry followed up with my usual research tactics, and I am now a bit wiser about the British Blue.

In the same manner that the Charolais landed here and was bred then to British requirements, so it was that in the 1980s the Belgian Blue cattle were imported and bred to meet the needs of the British farm and market. 25 years were spent establishing the British-type Belgian Blue, and in 2007, the British-only herd book and society were established, making this a really very 'young' breed at barely 20 years of existence. Similar adaptations have taken place in other parts of the world. As you may assume from the excess muscling, these are mainly bred for beef, although there are herds now that take a dual-purpose, with the milk proving of value when crossed with Holstein and other dairy cattle. The BB is also considered to be well-tempered and docile for handling.

The second breed I am sharing today is the Red Poll. 

Don't you just love that deep red colouring? They are among the prettiest of the cattle breeds, up there with the Highland, the AA, the Belted Galloway and the Hereford breeds (for me).

The Poll gets its name from its naturally hornless nature. This is a result of it being developed from crossing between the Norfolk Horn and the Suffolk Poll back in the eighteenth century. Thus, it is a fully British breed and fits the dual-purpose requirements of farming - beef and dairy. It is the dairy herd part of it that appeals to me, because this is one of the breeds that farmers like to keep on calf until weaning, rather than hauling the calves off the mothers at only two or three months. (Trust me, if you've ever heard the crying of the cows and calves as they are separated, you will never forget it... a grieving cow is one of the most heart and gut-wrenching sounds.)

These cows calve easily and are excellent mothers. The milk is considered high-quality for butter, so it is prized, although the yield may not be as high as from dedicated 'factory' milkers like the Holstein. 

Like the Highland and other older native breeds, the Red Poll is a hardy line that can survive on whatever fodder is available, with little need to supplement its diet. This makes them excellent for conservation grazing - and they are an advantage in public spaces such as country parks, as they tend to accept the presence of people well and are less threatening to the unfamiliar by virtue of being hornless.

These are also pretty much ideal cattle for smaller farms seeking to work more ethically and peel back to some older practices...  an example of that is lined up for next week's post, which will also be Filmclub day!

Menoturals; Cattle Crew

...and they're back! Continuing to share with the LLB gang's Nature Friday, the photos and a bit of info on cattle seen at the Westmoreland Show last September.

Today, I bring you the British Longhorn.

Now, I know that a lot of you over in the yooo ess of eh will immediately be thinking of your own longhorn cattle, but the Texas Longhorn is of a different lineage altogether. 

These cattle are easily recognised from other horned cattle by their white spinal colouring, the one constant in otherwise varied coat colours. The white is also seen on the underside. In earlier times, they served as draught cattle as well as for both meat and milk production. As with so many breeds, the current 'standard' was only started to be formalised in the mid-eighteenth century. The focus tended to be on beef growth, but as the milk of these cattle is also highly prized for butter making, there is a strong dairy strain in the breed, too.

Despite their appearance, these are considered to be among the more docile cattle for handling, though, of course, one must always be respectful of them, for they are also among the largest and heaviest! 

I mentioned the milk quality - these are also known as good mothers, and it was with sheer delight that I was able to witness a suckling calf... Nothing screams nature more than the mum-and-bub cycle of life...

Menoturals; Cattle Crew

It's that one day of the month when my own Final Friday Feature post coincides with the LLB gang's Nature Friday!

FFF is about something just a little different, offering just a little bit more. So, in keeping with my current miniseries on cattle breeds, I thought, perhaps, it might be fun to learn a little bit more about cattle in general... Before you watch this wee video, let me say that it's a little quirky and, despite the accent, actually focused on American stats. There is a tendency there to use the term 'cows' in place of cattle. Within the film, it is stated that all cows are female. Absolutely true - what it fails to define is that the male of the species is called a bull. A little blurry. There were a couple of other 'blurry facts', but I am not going to over-critique what is an entertaining fifteen minutes, which, more importantly, has lots and lots of lovely cattle pictures!

For those who would like something a little more substantial, I would direct you to this longer video, which focuses on three individuals in a 'soap story'! Or, how about a BBC Scotland doco on the Private Life of Cows? Lots of lovely, heart-tickling viewing to cheer up your winter day(s)... or if feeling a little more academic/read-y, how about brushing up your knowledge on the handling of cattle?

That should keep you out of mischief for a while!!!

Menoturals; Cattle Crew

Here we are at Nature Friday again, joining in with the LLB gang. I'll take this moment to remind you that we start another set of twelve Final Friday Features next week - here's the 2026 'badge'!

Now, on with the next in our cattle breed miniseries. 

Last week, you saw the giant French Limousin; this week, I share another French breed, the Charolais. This was actually the first of the French to arrive on British Shores (via Scotland, as it happens) and has become so much a staple of beef farming management that there is now a distinctly British line.

I can remember my uncle getting a Charolais bull to breed with his small herd of mixed-breed heifers - and how it brought forth words to cause blushes. These are not 'beginner' cattle! If that bull decided it was headed one way, it took everything Andrew had to persuade it otherwise. Those who do know the breed well become very fond of them. If handled well, they are quite docile, but I think you really need to be with them from birth to form bonds and trust. The cow in this photo, though, was thoroughly enjoying her brush and massage!

They are bred almost entirely for their meat, though setting a 'Charlie' sire to a dairy herd is thought to improve milk quality. Although known as the white cattle, they do vary somewhat and quite often display a 'rose' colouration too - as you can see in the second photo. Not my favourite cattle, but still good looking, no denying!

Menoturals; Cattle Crew

Joining in with the LLB gang for Nature Friday, with the second in my miniseries on cattle breeds shown at Westmoreland.

You may recall in the Art Vibe series, there was a painting with an oversized bull depicted. That was boastful... but there is a breed from France that comes close to being exactly what that image displayed. Meet the Limousin (limb-ooh-sun)...

It is thought that this breed has some of the closest resemblance to the Aurochs that once roamed Europe and are depicted on many cave paintings. It is bred entirely for its meat production, and the great majority of the beef in the UK market (at least) is derived from Limousin stock. This is not what you would call an attractive breed, but it certainly fulfils the utility for which it is farmed.

Working with cattle always demands respect from the farmer, but this breed has been much engineered to bring in docility, which is essential for such a large beast. Handling from the calf stage on a regular basis, right through to breeding and showing, ensures building bonds of trust between handler and animal. 

Menoturals; Cattle Crew

So, we begin another year of sharing Nature Fridays with the LLB gang!

As threatened promised, there now begins a series on the cattle I saw at the Westmoreland Show in September last year. It will not be anything like as populated as the sheep series was - not because of lack of interest on my part, but because there were only a few there on the first day. The main cattle show was on the second day, and I did not attend that. However, there are some mighty fine beasts to share with you here... and what better than to begin with Highland Cattle?!

These have featured here quite a bit, as they are, naturally, my favourite of all. I believe I have also told you in the past that the famous red-haired beastie that so many think of as quintessentially 'hielan' coo', is in fact a result of Queen Victoria's preference and intense breeding plans to promote dominance of the colour. In truth, the original breed came in two colours: black, mainly from the islands, and brindle/rust, from the mainland. That rust in the brindle is what was desired, so crossing in from Hereford cattle enhanced the ginger tones, bringing us the much-favoured red cattle we all know and love. Now, it is not uncommon to also find 'blondes'!

While a gathering of cattle is referred to as a herd, for the Highlands, the term fold is used. It dates back to the original crofting practices of protecting the cattle with circular stone walls into which one 'folded' the cattle. It is not wrong to refer to a group of Highland cattle as a herd - but it would be wrong to use the term fold for any other than Highlands.

Here is a drop-dead gorgeous bull displaying the pure brindle colouring.

As cute as they look, like all true Scots, you need to approach them with respect! Handled with quiet calmness, confident but gentle touch, no surprises, and regular routines, they can become quite 'petted'. However, they are also highly independent, can be stubborn to the point of damming rivers, and, as has been observed about many a Taurean, can charge at unexpected moments. Learn when to push, and know when to just let them get on with it.