The Brown Swiss Breed

Originating in the the Alpine regions of Europe, the Brown Swiss breed has successfully travelled to all corners of the world and adapted as one of the leading breeds of milking cow, being especially popular  where the primary market for milk is the manufacture of cheese. The excellent fat to protein ration of Brown Swiss milk makes it ideal for cheese making.

The Brown Swiss cow is known for their exceptional feet and legs. The hard, black feet mean these strongly built animals will last in any dairy operation for many lactations due to their sound feet, leg structure, and long lasting udders.

Brown Swiss adapt to a variety of climate or environmental condition, being noted for their resistance to extremes in temperatures. Brown Swiss cattle show more insect resistance and have dark skin pigmentation around their eyes which lessens the occurrence of pink eye infections; it is primarily for these reasons that they are proving popular with large dairy units across both North and South Americas and also in the Middle East.

They are renowned for their natural grazing instinct and efficient conversion of forage, and the relatively flat lactation curve gives rise to the breed’s reputation for having statistically fewer metabolic problems.

Brown Swiss can serve many purposes, proving that it is not just volume of milk production that aids the overall profitability of dairy farm units, but more the total package combining ease of management along with high quality milk production and of course Brown Swiss longevity.

Crossbreeding Using Brown Swiss 

For years the Dairy industry has resisted the practice of crossbreeding for what can only be described as ‘a fear of the unknown’. However those milk producers that have embarked upon crossbreeding programmes using the Brown Swiss Breed have found to their advantage that cross breeding with Brown Swiss provides:

High Components
High Milk Production
Low Somatic Cell Count
Well-attached Udders
Sound Feet & Legs
Reproductive Efficiency
Docile Temperament
Disease Resistance
Heat Tolerance
Strength
Longevity
Adaptability
Versatility
Durability

Beware of the Bull:- Please can breeders remember that the Brown Swiss breed is a dairy cow and the bulls must be handled with extreme care as with all other dairy bull breeds. In the interests of safety, members are also reminded that dairy bulls, over 10 months of age, should not be in fields that have public footpaths running through them.