1. The Normande is a dual purpose breed. Unlike specialized breeds, Normandes offer some of the best traits of both beef and dairy cattle.
2. It is a hardy breed from the Normandy region of northwestern France. It is a breed with a thousand years’ worth of genetic diversity, and centuries of grassfed genetics. It is wide and deep bodied, with great capacity for grass & roughage feed conversion.
3. The Normande has excellent foot and leg structure that allows it to range well over large acreage or navigate rough pasture.
4. The Normande has optimal milk production; plenty to provide milk, butter & cheese for a family, raise a calf or two, and stay fat & sassy.
5. The Normande produces milk that is high in fat and ideal for making butter and cheese. Normande milk makes some of the best and most famous cheeses in France, where it is known as the “Cheese Breed”. Only Normande breed milk is used in the production of some of France’s most famous cheeses, such as Camembert, Pont-Lévêque and Livarot. While Normandes do not generally give the high volume of milk compared to a Holstein, their milk has an average of 3.73 protein and 4.26 fat. Most Normandes are A2A2 Beta Casein, and BB Kappa Casein. It’s these components that make their milk the best for making cheese. The levels of casein beta and kappa in the milk are known to improve the curdling quality of the milk for cheese manufacturing (speed and firmness of gel). In addition, Normande milk presents favorable calcium to phosphate ratio and produces very small diameter casein miscella, all of which results in 15 – 20% higher yields of cheese.
6. One of the Normande breed’s best kept secrets is its premium beef production. In France, Normandes are often used in small dairies, and later when retired from the milk string, are put out on pasture to fatten for delectable, premium, grass finished beef. The Normande is well known in France for it’s unsurpassed marbling quality, flavor and tenderness, and regularly wins blind tests for its taste.
There is a special label for Normande meat, and it is very popular in major supermarkets and is sought after by some of the best restaurants in France. In the US, Normande bulls have won growth tests at various test stations and carcasses have often ranked first at major beef shows.
7. The Normande breed has very few genetic conditions, and has remained hardy for centuries. It has great fertility, with calving ease, excellent mothering ability and longevity. It does not sacrifice essential breeding qualities for a lifetime of healthy, optimal production.
8. Temperament: The Normande is a gentle, friendly breed that makes excellent family milk cows or oxen. Although not a well known breed, the Normande has been discovered by discerning cattlemen the world over. It is established in many countries and is present on all continents.
