Although occasionally bred as a
beef breed, Norwegian Red
cattle are primarily used on
dairy farms. Their (rather
grotesquely) large
udders produce a tremendous amount of
milk, which is useful not only for
dairy purposes, but also for
calving: a Norwegian Red mother can provide enough
milk to substantially accelerate the
growth of
newborn cows.
Though it now accounts for more than 90% of Norway's cattle, it was only recently devloped: in the 1960's, ranchers crossed the Trondheim and the Østland breeds, and after a few generations of experimentation with other genetic additions, arrived at the Norwegian Red.
Being so young, as a breed, there is still considerable variation within Norwegian Red herds. By and large, they are red and white, with thin shoulders and a narrow stance. Their carcass weight is moderate, but not substantial enough for beef breed use.
This node is part of Tem42's list of cattle breeds, entitled, simply, cattle.