Did
you know that the black and white pattern on each Holstein cow is as unique as
a human fingerprint?Neither did
we!It seems that no two cows have the
same spot pattern, so although we might feel like we can’t tell one from the
other when they’re in a herd, we most certainly can!
Today,
Holsteins are known as the cattle most efficient in milk production.Originating in the North Holland and
Friesland, they were a cross breed of the black Batavian cattle and white
Frisian cattle; these tribes, both residing near the Rhine around 2000 years
ago, succeeded in creating a highly achieving breed- indeed, it has been noted
that when milked twice daily, a top producing Holstein can provide up to 67,
914 pounds of milk a year.On milking, there
are 350 squirts per gallon- that’s a whopping 23, 769, 900 squirts a year!
Imagine doing that without a machine!!The Holsteins were introduced to Britain
from the Netherlands in the 17th-18th century, and were
used as the basis for many other British cattle breeds.
Holsteins
are extremely sociable animals.Like
humans, they bonds with each other to varying degrees.It is not uncommon within a herd for some
cows to get on better, and for them to avoid those that they do not communicate
with as well.Their “mooing” noises vary
depending on who they are trying to talk to, and different body positions and
facial expressions are used in order to do this.
You may have heard about
resident Holstein at H@ME Interiors-Silly Cow and her baby, Silly Calf, who are
doing a fantastic job working for the Herts and Essex Air Ambulance, raising
the vital funds needed to keep their crucial work going month by month.For more information on her, please visit www.sillycow.org.In the meantime, why not start your very own
dairy farm in your back yard and treat yourself to a Holstein or three.It’s very fashionable to be a farmer these
days. Mooooove with the times!!
Picture the scene; we're
in Castilla, Spain, it's hot, it's the twelfth century B.C. A Spanish shepherd, tending to his flock of
churras, is suddenly hit with a dizziness, and he sits down for a moment to
wipe the perspiration from his brow. On
looking up, he realises that there is something wrong with one of his
sheep. He can't believe it, surely his
eyes must be deceiving him, so he blinks and looks once more. No, it is true. One of his sheep no longer has the black
colouring and bald head of the churra that he has been so used to seeing for so
long. This sheep is pure and white,
smaller than the rest, with a curly thick coat.
He jumps to his feet as if he were twenty years younger and dashes down
the hill to investigate. It is indeed
true! The sheep standing in the middle of the flock is different from the
rest. As the shepherd sinks his palm
into the dense coat of his new find, he is overcome with the thickness and
sumptuousness of the wool, and quickly decides to separate this animal from the
rest of the flock. Taking the little
sheep to the top of the hill, he racks his brains with what to call the
creature. The name "churra",
which derives from the term "filth" does not seem fitting for an
animal of such beauty, and yet he cannot decide upon a name. The cool breeze of the evening comes upon him
and he settles down to rest, still pondering.
As he falls into a fitful sleep, the merino mayores, the Mayor of his
region suddenly appears to him in a distorted vision, instructing him in a
booming voice to take care of the sheep, preventing him from mixing with the
peasant-like churras. The shepherd sits
up in a cold sweat. He's got it! The
sheep will be called the 'Merino'.
This story of course is completely fictitious, however it does give you a
sense of the history behind the Merino.
Introduced to Spain in the twelfth century by the Beni-Merines, an
Arabic tribe, the Merino was soon recognised as having extremely fine wool, and
came to be the prize flocks of nobility and royals. The breeding of the Merino was strictly
monitored, with their coats being woven into the finest garments, and used as a
sign of luxury and privilege. It soon
became apparent that Merino wool was as highly sought after, yet the Spanish
kept their grip on the breed, making transporting the sheep to another country
an offence that that could warrant a death penalty until the eighteenth
century. The popular Spanish idiom
"no mezclar churras con merinas" or "don't mix the churras and
the merinas" along with their strict trading laws could have been a
goldmine for the Spanish economy had it continued, yet in 1765, King Ferdinand VI decided to gift a
flock of his prize Merinos to Prince Zavier the Elector of Saxony in Germany,
and so these rare and refined breed began to advance around the globe.
From North America to Australia and on to New Zealand, the Merino
population is now at it's height at the opposite side of the world. The softness and and quality of the wool is
still recognised and continues to be highly desirable. Of course, by now, we have several different
strands of the Merino breed, yet this has not diminished the calibre of it's
produce. While the churro lamb continues
to be a favourite on menus throughout Spain, and churro milk makes cheeses of
superior quality, the Merinos will continue to be famed for their durable and
luxurious wool for years to come!
