Their color is yellow. They originated in the late 18th century from the Swiss Brown x native. In 1890, they were united with Donnersberg to form the Glan-Donnersberg which was a variation of the Gelbvieh until 1961. Since 1950, it has been crossed with the Danish Red and has been included in the German Red since 1961.

 

In former times this breed was indigenous in large numbers (around 400,000 head of cattle) in the Hunsrück, in the Eifel and in the Palatinate areas of Germany. The Glan is an ancient and improved breed of cattle with outstanding beef performance. For more than 200 years it has been bred in the southwest of Germany. Birth weights are low and the breed is rather quiet and goodhearted. The average daily gain of Glan-Breed bull calves is more than 1,200 g. The breed in general is later maturing, and therefore they are well suited to be kept in extensive fattening. The breed is currently almost extinct.

 

The Glan is mostly maintained in forage systems, they make good replacement females known for their milk production. Together with the now extinct Lahn, the Limpurger and the Franken,  the Glan belongs to the German-Gelbvieh-Breed. As the Glan was crossbred with the Danish Red, one of the most important breeding objectives is the avoiding of progeny which show this phenotype. The objective of breeding is a one-coloured yellow neat for multiple use, with an accent on beef performance and with a lactation yield of up to 5,000 kg annually.

 

Lactation: In 1995 the cows that underwent a lactation test yielded 4,446 kg of milk with 4.07 % butterfat (181 kg) and 3.53 % protein (158 kg). Beef performance: The daily gain of Glan sires (Habet-sons) are: 1,354 g gross gain, 1,370 g efficiency evaluation gain, and 1,278 g net gain. The percentage of meat in the carcass is 60 % with a quality class of U2 to R3. 

 

Association for the Conservation and Promotion of the Glan-Breed in Germany (ACPG).

 

General information:

J. Uebel, Unterm Wald 2, D-55743 Idar-Oberstein,

Phone: 0049-6781-25856 
J. Uebel, Bretzenheimer Str. 11, D-55128 Mainz,

Fax: 0049-6131-35920 
Email: lugeh000@goofy.zdv.uni-mainz.de

 

 

References

Genus Bos: Cattle Breeds of the World, 1985, MSO-AGVET (Merck & Co., Inc.), Rahway, N.J.

 

Helmut F. Luge, Germany

 

Mason, I.L. 1996. A World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties. Fourth Edition. C.A.B International. 273 pp.