Ancestry — Herds’ Version

Cows are not indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. So where did they come from? Studies show that cattle were brought to the New World as early as the 15th century.

Cows were as early a settler to our land as the pilgrims. According to the essay “The Introduction of Cattle Into Colonial North America” by G.A. Bowling, Christopher Columbus’ second voyage in 1493 included a shipment of cattle, which would be the first domestic livestock to inhabit the “New World.”

From there, a combination of these cattle — plus French, Dutch, and African breeds, introduced to regions spanning from the Caribbean to modern-day California — merged to become the cattle raised across North and South America today.

The animals were primarily used for work, rather than meat and dairy production, although milk did become a staple for both adults and children around the early 17th century, right around the time mass cattle imports slowed.

Three centuries later, Americans took on a new cow-venture: providing the occasion for the arrival of Antarctica’s first domesticated bovine guest. Richard E. Byrd led an expedition to the continent with three sponsored cows (and one unborn calf).

With the increasingly specific research that is being done on herd histories, it’s entirely possible we have yet only scratched the surface of cattle’s origin stories. However, given the knowledge we do have, it’s safe to say the dairy you consume today can be traced back to beasts of old — beasts of a time when milk meant staving off starvation and drawn plows meant soil for the season’s harvest. When hand and hoof meant the beginning of a now flourishing industry.

Learn more about your herd’s ancestry on the Journal of Dairy Science’s website, and shop our selection of historic Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery cheeses at www.hoardscreamery.com.