The History of the Maine-Anjou
At the beginning of the 19th century, the cattle
in this region were large, well-muscled animals with light red coats
spotted with white. These cattle were known as he Mancelle breed.
In addition to their size and muscling, the
Mancelle had a reputation for their easy fattening. Leclere -Thouin,
an agriculturalist, wrote in 1843 that on the community pastures of
the Auge Valley, the Mancelle "were the last to be put onto the
grass, but were the first to be picked out to go to the markets in the
capital city".
In 1839 the Count de Falloux, a landowner, imported
Durham cattle from England and crossed them with the Mancelle.
The cross was extremely successful, and by 1850
Durham-Mancelle animals were winning championships at the French agricultural
fairs. In 1908 the Society of Durham-Mancelle Breeders was formed at
Chateau- Gontier in the Mayenne district. In 1909 the name was changed
to the Society of Maine-Anjou Cattle breeders, taking the name from
the Maine and Anjou river valleys.
The Society has worked steadily
for the improvement of the breed. Breeders of the cattle were mostly
small farmers whose goal was to maximize income from their small area
of land.
For this reason, the Maine-Anjou
evolved as a dual-purpose breed, with the cows used for milk production
and the bull calves fed for market. It is still common on many farms
to find Maine-Anjou being milked. In many herds, half the cows are milked
and the other half raise two calves each.
The Maine-Anjou is one of the larger breeds
developed in France, with mature bulls weighing from 2200 to 3100 pounds
on the average. Mature cows will range from 1500 to 1900 pounds. The
coloring is a very dark red with white markings on the head, belly,
rear legs and tail. White on other parts of the body is also common.
The first Maine-Anjou imported into North America
came to Canada in 1969. These cattle were then introduced to the United
States through artificial insemination.
The Maine-Anjou Society Inc. was incorporated
in Nebraska in 1969 and included both American and Canadian members.
In 1971 the name was changed to the International Maine-Anjou Association
and headquarters were set up in the Livestock Exchange Building in Kansas
City, Missouri. The name was changed In 1976 to the American Maine-Anjou
Association.
Content Provider:
American Maine-Anjou Association, 204
Marshall Road, PO Box 1100, Platte City MO, 64079-1100, 816-431-9950
Phone, 816-431-9951 Fax, E-mail: anjou1@mindspring.com, http://www.maine-anjou.org/
