Gelbvieh

Gelbvieh is a German cattle breed originating in the Franconia and Bavaria regions of southern Germany, developed in the late nineteenth century by consolidating several local red-and-yellow-coated regional cattle strains into a single breed. Originally bred as a dual-purpose animal for milk, beef and draft work, Gelbvieh cattle were reshaped over the twentieth century toward beef production as farm mechanization reduced the need for draft cattle. The breed was exported to North America beginning in the early 1970s, where breeders developed it primarily as a beef cattle line, valuing its growth rate, milking ability in the dam and relatively docile temperament. Gelbvieh cattle are now raised across the United States and Canada, both as purebreds and in crossbreeding programs with other beef breeds.