Telemark cattle

Telemark cattle in Stange.

Telemark cattle or Telemark cow is an old Norwegian breed of cow.

Characteristics[]

Telemark cattle are red, with a white colour on the back in the shape of a cross. Sometimes, cows are also white on the underside. The face is usually mixed in colour. Most Telemark colour have horns. The Telemark is primarily a milking breed, and does not grow very large. Animals do not usually weigh more than 500 kilograms (1,100 lb).^[1]

History[]

Telemark cattle were defined as a breed in 1865. The driving force behind the work was the state agronomist Johan Lindeqvist, originally from Sweden. After the war, were introduced into Norway. Traditional cow breeds then suffered a major drop off in numbers. In the 1980s, there were steps put into place to protect rare breeds. In 2006, there were 400 animals of this breed in Norway.^[2]

See also[]

• Norwegian Red
• Dølafe

References[]

Further reading[]

• Jan Erik Kjær. Bondens lykke, kongens gull.

External links[]

• About the race at NordGen
• N-EURO-CAD Overview of Nordic breeds
• Telemark cattle with pictures (in Italian)