With the growing interest in family cows the Heritage Dairy/Milking Shorthorn cow has come to the forefront. The ongoing discussion regarding the proper terminology for this type of cow has inspired me to try to differentiate the myriad of name options.
Historically, when the initial formation of the USA Milking Shorthorn Group occurred in 1912, it was a close call as to whether to call them Dairy or Milking Shorthorns. Milking won by one vote. Throughout the first half of the 20th century many breeders continued to use the term Dairy Shorthorns rather than Milking Shorthorns in their advertisements.
The reason the Milking moniker was adapted was because many Shorthorn breeders wanted to take the breed in the beef direction which obviously conflicted with the goals of the dairy/milking and dual purpose breeders. Certainly money entered into the equation because of different paid advertising venues that would be used in promoting Shorthorns. Beef Shorthorn breeders wanted to tailor promotions to commercial beef producers while Milking Shorthorn breeders wanted to concentrate advertising toward the milk producers.
A breakout of the different permutations are as follows:
Heritage Dairy Shorthorn:
Utilization of this terminology generates maximum name separation from crossbred Modern Milking Shorthorns. It dovetails with the emergence of Micro-Dairies that want to capture a new market niche that Modern Milking Shorthorns are unable to embrace. Beyond that it is consistent with the name used in many parts of the world to identify a specific type of Shorthorn. For example the British Rare Breeds Trust uses Dairy Shorthorn (Original Population) as the comparable term for Heritage Dairy Shorthorn. They consider Milking Shorthorns to be crossbred Shorthorns.
Heritage Milking Shorthorn:
Up until the American Milking Shorthorn Society (AMSS) opened the Herdbook to crossbreeding, Milking Shorthorn had a specific meaning that delineated both their breed purity and historical ancestry. Opening the Herdbook brought confusion and blurred the definition of what constituted a Milking Shorthorn. With the increasing mixing of other cattle breeds to produce Modern Milking Shorthorns the value of Milking Shorthorns as a distinct breed decreased. This has resulted in their almost complete disappearance from milk production in today’s dairy industry. The value of Modern Milking Shorthorns revolves around showing rather than dairy functions. Because the original designation of Heritage/Native Shorthorns was done by AMSS it was quite reasonable to use the Milking term. Traditional Heritage/Native Shorthorns (beef, dairy, and dual purpose) have all been called Milking Shorthorns. at different historical junctions. Unfortunately they were often referred to as “milkers” with a negative connotation within the cattle industry and this obscured their value as a dual purpose breed. It is understandable that some traditional Heritage Shorthorn breeders may want to continue to refer to them as Heritage Milking Shorthorns as they have done since the inception of the terms Native Shorthorn and Milking Shorthorn.
Heritage Dairy/Milking Shorthorn:
By embracing this term Heritage Shorthorn breeders have an all encompassing compromise. Utilization of this term optimizes internet search results while conveying a sense of tradition within Heritage Shorthorns. With the progressive march of search technology it is important to bring both “eyeballs and clicks” to Heritage Shorthorn breeders in the competitive marketplace. As Heritage Shorthorns become a worldwide symbol of both the virtues and purity of traditional Shorthorns, breeders interested in the milking type of Heritage Shorthorn may find this terminology (Dairy/Milking) the most customer friendly and most searchable.
Dual Purpose Shorthorn:
There is definitely a faction of Heritage Shorthorn breeders who prefer this designation because it truly defines what historically made Shorthorns the dominant cattle breed in the world for over 100 years. Even 50-60 years ago many Shorthorn breeders were splitting their herd with half the cows raising two calves and the other half used for commercial milk production. Many family cow owners today milk their cow once a day to use the milk, and let the calf nurse the rest of the time. The calf can then be used for either the production of locker beef or the sale of a heifer. Again it demonstrates the versatility of Heritage Shorthorns and why there is such an increasing interest in them.
In conclusion, ultimately each Heritage Shorthorn breeder has to decide for themselves what phraseology they are most comfortable with, while marketing their Heritage Shorthorns. There is not a wrong or right answer, but it is extremely important to make a distinction from Modern Milking Shorthorns. With the availability of the Heritage Shorthorn Milk logo to HSS members the possibilities are numerous no matter which descriptive term they decide on for their milk producing Heritage Shorthorns.
Further information about Shorthorn terminology can be found in an article from “The Shorthorn Bulletin” Volume 6 Issue 1 called “Shorthorns: What Is In A Name?” or at the Livestock Conservancy information page for Heritage Shorthorns.