By Molly Pokrzywka

Many people see these cows as “oreo cows” but they are really called Dutch Belted or Lakenvelders. The name Lakenvelder refers to the word laken, which means sheet or cloth, which is referring to the white band around them.

The Dutch Belted cattle stand out among other dairy breeds with their unique pattern. Each cow has a white belt which encircles their body completely, with the rest of the body being either black or red. They are a medium sized animal who stands just over four feet tall where cows can weigh from 900- 1500 pounds and bulls can weigh 1350- 2000 pounds. The cows are also good milk producers, giving nearly 20,000 pounds of milk each lactation. The Dutch Belted are noted as well for easy calving, easy handling, a docile, friendly nature and an unusual long lifespan.

The Dutch Belted were established in the Netherlands in the 17^th century, and began to thrive in Holland around 1750. Many of their native owners were reluctant to sell the beloved breed, but eventually some of the animals were sold, and shipped off. One of these new owners was P.T. Barnum, who in 1840 imported the Dutch Belted cattle to America to be used in his circus. He exhibited them as a “rare and aristocratic breed”.

By 1970 the Dutch Belted cattle’s population neared global extinction due to world wars and economy problems. But now numbers are increasing on account of grade- up and recovery programs. Despite these efforts the Dutch Belted is still listed under the critically rare breeds of livestock in North America. In America there are fewer than 200 registered cattle, and less than 1000 worldwide.  Dutch Belted cattle can be found in the Netherlands, USA, Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand.