Cattle breeds as we know them today developed from the specific needs of humans, the environment, and, to a certain extent, from the cattle themselves. Some breeds excel at milk production, some excel at meat production, some are good at both, and some are good at both with the added bonus of making splendid oxen teams.
Cattle evolved from a common ancestor into the two species we know today, Bos indicus and Bos taurus. The array of today’s highly unique breeds of cattle are all subunits of one or the other of those two species. No matter how wildly different a Highland cow looks from a Holstein, they’re both of the Bos taurus species, and when bred together, they’ll produce viable, fertile offspring. In fact, Bos indicus cattle and Bos taurus cattle can be successfully bred, which is what gave rise to the modern Brahman cattle.
There are literally hundreds of breeds of cattle in the world, each developed to fill a certain need or environmental niche. It would be the subject of an entire book to discuss all of them, so here, we’ve tried to profile only a few that we’ve had some experience with over the years, or ones that are known to be easier for novice cattle owners to work with.
Don’t let this list limit your search. Check out the rest of the breeds on The Livestock Conservancy’s Conservation Priority List (; ask around at
