History:

The Gelbvieh (pronounced Gelpfee) breed is one of the oldest German cattle breeds, first found mainly in three Franconian districts of Bavaria. Starting in 1850, systematic breeding work began in stud herds. By pure breeding, the “red yellow Franconian cattle” were developed from several local strains, including Celtic German Landrace and Heli Brown Landrace cattle. These local strains have been further improved with intensive breeding work since 1870.This solid colored breed of red yellow cattle enjoyed great popularity as milk, draft and slaughter cattle.

In the 1960s, Red Danish cattle were introduced to the herd book to improve milk production. Leness Hall, then director of International Marketing for Carnation Genetics, first saw Gelbvieh cattle in 1969. He worked towards importing Gelbvieh semen into the United States and was able to get 43,000 units imported into the States in 1971. Gelbvieh cattle came to Canada in 1972.

Gelbvieh cattle offer a unique production package. Gelbvieh are one of the few breeds combining maternal traits with performance and carcass merit. Gelbvieh calves are widely recognized for excellence in growth, muscling and marketability, while Gelbvieh females are known for milking ability, fertility and quiet temperament.