Red Steppe cattle

Red Steppe cattle (червона степова худоба; chervona stepova khudoba). One of the most productive breeds of dairy great horned cattle, developed in Ukraine in the early 19th century by selective crossing of imported breeds (mostly Ostfriesland) with local Red and Gray Ukrainian Steppe cattle. In the late 19th century the breed was improved by crossing Red Steppe cows with Dutch, Angelu, Wilstermarsh, and other bulls, and a selective breeding program was established in the 1920s. Red Steppe cattle are lean and strong, the bulls weighing approximately 1,000 kg and the cows weighing 420–540 kg. Annual milk yield is 4,000–4,500 kg, with 3.6–3.8 percent fat content. Red Steppe cattle are distributed and raised primarily in Ukraine and other regions of the former USSR. (See also Cattle raising.)

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 4 (1993).]