Lucerna cattle

History

The Lucerna is a composite breed, the earliest such breed to be developed in South America. It was created in the Valle del Cauca from about 1937. Local Criollo cattle of the Hartón del Valle breed were cross-bred with imported European-type dairy cattle of the Friesian and Milking Shorthorn breeds. By 1972 the percentages in the composite had stabilised at approximately 40% Friesian and 30% of each of Hartón and Shorthorn. From the mid-1950s, breeding was aimed principally at the improvement of dairy qualities.

In 1986 the Lucerna was kept on no more than fifteen farms; by the end of the century this number had tripled, and there were almost of the cattle. In 2018 the total number was reported as 1028 head. The conservation status of the breed is reported as "not at risk". Some semen is stored, but this is apparently not for conservation but for commercial reasons.

Characteristics

The Lucerna is of medium size. Cows stand some at the withers and weigh about ; the average weight of bulls is about . The coat is normally solid cherry-red, but is somewhat variable.

Use

The milk yield is not high, averaging little over in a lactation of approximately 300 days.

References

References

1. Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources], annex to [https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf ''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture'']. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn. 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
2. 9781780647944.
3. [https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ext-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=COL&specie=Cattle&breed=Lucerna&lang=en Breed data sheet: Lucerna / Colombia (Cattle)]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2022.
4. 9789054390176.
5. Marleen Felius, Marie-Louise Beerling, David S. Buchanan, Bert Theunissen, Peter A. Koolmees and Johannes A. Lenstra (2014). [http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/6/4/705/pdf On the History of Cattle Genetic Resources]. ''Diversity'' '''6''' (4): 705–750. {{doi. 10.3390/d6040705