Normande
The Normande breed is noted for:
- High fertility
- High milk solids (breed average 3.62% protein)
- A desirable kappa casein profile (the ‘cheese gene’)
- They are strong, compact cattle with good bull calf value (carcasses yield >55%).
The countryside of Normandy, the home of the Normande cow, is very similar to South West England and South West Wales. For several centuries, farmers from Normandy have developed this exceptional breed on the pastures of North Western France. Raised on rough forage, the Normande is very well known for quality in both dairy and beef production. Normande milk components are the best for making cheese. Carcass yield and marbling are superior. The Normande is a true dual purpose cow: unlike specialised breeds, it has preserved hardiness and breeding qualities, such as fertility, calving ease, feed and leg conformation, feed conversion and genetic diversity. Normande cows on high forage feeding systems average between 6,400 and 7,000kgs of milk per lactation at 3.6% protein and 4.4% fat. On more intensive systems many cows produce more than 10,000 Kgs milk and some reach 13,400kgs. The levels of casein beta and kappa casein in the milk are known to improve the curdling quality of the milk for cheese manufacturing.
Click here to view the Normande Bulls available in our herd today…