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It is said that the first importation of Dutch Belted cattle
was by the U.S. Consul D.H.Haight in 1838 however, P.T. Barnum,
the great showman, made the first U.S. importation of importance
in 1840. He was able to secure a few animals for show purposes
only by agreeing that they were to be used principally for exhibition,
as a feature of his great circus. Barnum's herd of cattle was
exhibited for several years. Later they were placed on a farm
and this seems to be the beginning of the Dutch Belted cattle
in America. From that time until 1906 a number were imported,
but since 1906 our government has not allowed any importation
owing to the prevalence of the foot and mouth disease in Europe.
In America the Dutch Belted Cattle were recognized as a dairy
breed in 1908. The Dutch Belted breed flourished in the U.S. as
a dairy breed from around 1815-1940. The herdbook of the Dutch
Belted Cattle Association of America was established in 1886.
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy now lists Dutch Belted
as a critically rare breed of livestock in North America, with
fewer than 200 registered. The breed in the U.S. is the only source
of pure belted genetics in the world since the Lakenvelders in
Holland suffered from much crossbreeding from 1950 to 1976. In
fact breeders of Lakenvelders in Holland have turned to American
Dutch Belted Breeders several times since then for semen from
pure bulls.
Miscellaneous: Kings and noblemen sought after the Dutch Belted,
which they admired for their peculiar and striking marking. They
graced the estates of seventeenth century nobility, with their
descendants on farms in North America still inspiring awe and
curiosity among passersby. Many stockmen aspire to own some of
these fascinating cattle. Breeders of Dutch Belted found the cattle
profitable as well as beautiful. A prominent Florida physician,
Dr. J. G. DuPuis, established a dairy in south Florida (where
the climate was considered unsuitable for such) and stocked it
with as many Dutch Belted cows as he could find, along with Holsteins
and Guernseys. He preferred the Dutch Belted for their ease of
management and milk quality. He felt Dutch Belted milk was more
easily digestible due to the soft curd and high protein/fat ratio.
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