Brown Swiss

History tells us that the Brown Swiss, which originated from Switzerland, is the oldest of all the dairy breeds.

In the late 1800’s, breeders wanted to improve the size of the Brown Swiss, so they were bred with the Braunvieh beef cattle, which was an extremely good milking breed. For that reason, the Brown Swiss is also known as Braunvieh (brown cow).

The breed spread throughout Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries and in the 1900’s, they were exported to other countries.

They have been a very popular breed in the US, selected and bred exclusively for milk. In the 1960’s, the genetics of the American Brown Swiss were imported back to Europe and crossed over the European Brown Swiss.

In their native home of Switzerland, many Brown Swiss herds spend the summer in the mountainous regions, grazing on the abundant pastures that result from the heavy rainfall. This background of extreme terrain and weather has produced a dairy cattle breed that is known world-wide for many definitive characteristics and makes the Brown Swiss a cow for all environments.

So, what is it about the Brown Swiss that makes them the second largest milk producing breed in the world, (as of September 2022)?

They are a cow that is strong with hard and well-formed feet, having the best heat resistance and low susceptibility to disease. Very rarely do farmers have their Brown Swiss cows go down with metabolic problems or any other issue. Due to this high resistance they tend to lead long productive lives.

Along with this they are known for their ease of calving, lower somatic cell counts and have a quiet temperament, making them easy to handle.

Their milk has the closest protein/fat ratio of any dairy breed, and this is particularly important in New Zealand, as our milk payment system favours protein production.

This fat to protein ratio also makes the milk ideal for the making of cheese.

In 1973, the Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders Association of New Zealand was established and the first calves in New Zealand were born in the spring of 1976, with semen sourced from Canada and Europe.

Today, they have a small representation in New Zealand, and the Brown Swiss Association continues to promote the breed as they continue to win awards at events across the country. This year saw the breed take out some awards at the New Zealand Dairy Event at Manfield Park, Fielding, including a 1st and 3rd in the 5 & 6 year old in-milk combined breeds and Intermediate in-milk combined breeds Champion.