Brown Swiss

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A Brown Swiss dairy cow

Brown Swiss is the breed of dairy cattle that produces the second largest quantity of milk per annum, over 9000kg^[1]. The milk contains on average 4% butterfat and 3.5% protein, making their milk excellent for production of cheese. The Brown Swiss is known for a long gestation period, immense size, large furry ears, and an extremely docile (though some would say lethargic or stubborn) temperament. Regardless, the Brown Swiss is quite a resilient breed of cattle; they are hardy and capable of subsisting with little care or feed. The Brown Swiss originated on the slopes of the Alps in Switzerland; because they were bred in this harsh climate, they are resistant to the heat, cold and many other common cattle problems.

The conventional breed known as Brown Swiss is actually quite different from the original Schwyzer Braunvieh cattle cultivated in northern Italy and southern Germany around the end of the 17th and 18th centuries. When imported to America in the early 1800s many dairymen complained that the Brown Swiss appeared to be nothing more than another variety of Jersey cattle, and the strain was subsequently bred for size to differentiate them more clearly. ^[2]

[edit] Famous Brown Swiss

Hoosier Knoll Jade Monay Set a new bench mark for udder quality when she won Supreme Champion in 1994. When she was classified, the udder was scored E-96 which is still one of the highest scores ever obtained for udder quality by a Brown Swiss. Recently Monay was awarded the distinction of being the All Time All-American 3 Year Old for the Swiss Breed.

Old Mill E Snickerdoodle is considered by many as one of the best Brown Swiss to ever walk across the show ring. She was undefeated from her first show in 2003 up until the World Dairy Expo in 2007. She currently sets a record across all breeds for most consecutively won classes at Harrisburg and the World Dairy Expo.