Gelbvieh
(most common name)
(transboundary/brand name)

(local/other name):
• Deutsches Gelbvieh
• Einfarbig gelbes Höhenvieh
• Tysk Gulkvæg (Denmark)
local/other name (English):
• German Yellow
(historical breed name):
• Gelbes Frankenvieh
• Gelbes Höhenvieh

The Gelbvieh is an amalgamated breed that resulted from the interbreeding over time of various red and yellow breeds in Germany.

Before 1800, German cattle were basically in two groups:
• Niederungsrinder (lowland cattle in the northern pastures)
• Höhenrinder (highland cattle in the southern alpine regions)

Starting around 1850, the north started regularly importing Shorthorn cattle and the south turned to increased importing of mostly Bernese (later becoming Simmental) cattle which were first introduced from Switzerland in 1837. Lots of strains came about from random crossing, but nothing consistent held true.

Then, in 1872, a breed society was formed for concentrating on the development of solid-colored yellow-brown cattle that would be a triple-purpose type. A variety of identifiable breeds and strains then evolved, including:
• Glan - Glan valley
• Donnersberg - Donnersberg mountain vicinity
• Lahn (Lahnvieh, also Limburg) - Lahn Valley and side valleys in Hessen-Nassau
• Limpurg (Limpurger) - Württemberg
• Yellow Franconian (Gelbs Frankenvieh) - Franconia and Bavaria

The Yellow Franconian (yellowish-grey in color) became the most important. This breed was highly valued, in part because Bernese (and other Swiss bulls) and English South Devon bulls had been imported and used for its initial development during the first half of the 1800s.

Yellow Franconian oxen, being very much in demand, were exported and sold in large numbers in cattle markets. This activity led to the good oxen (and outstanding cows and bulls) being excluded from proper breeding — so it began to lose its distinctive qualities. When the breed societies (starting in 1897) stepped in to save the Yellow Franconian, they used bulls from an assortment of other breeds (especially Simmental) plus all kinds of other measures.

Over time, the Yellow Franconian and the various other minor Yellow breeds became more and more interbred; in 1953 they were officially amalgamated with the new name of Gelbvieh (German Yellow).

NOTE: According to German zootechnical legislation, the Gelbvieh Fleischnutzung (Gelbvieh used for beef) is recognized as an autonomous breed from the Gelbvieh. However, because of their close genetic relationship, the National Advisory Committee on Animal Genetic Resources in Germany assigns the Gelbvieh Fleischnutzung to the overall name of ‘Gelbvieh’ within their list of indigenous farm animal breeds. On the local level, both are in the ‘at risk’ category which is calculated on the basis of their summed stock sizes. On the international level, they are not ‘at risk’.

Internationally, the Gelbvieh has become important as a beef breed and for suckler cows. Gelbvieh cattle can be found in:
• Canada
• Mexico
• South Africa
• United Kingdom
• USA
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

(German) gelb = yellow
(German) fleischnutzung = meat production

This page was last updated on: 2024-05-19

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