Dutch Belted
(most common name)

(local/other name):
• American Dutch Belted
• Belties
• Lakenvelder
• Oreo cookie cattle

In 1838, Lakenvelder cattle were exported to the estate of D.M. Haight in Orange County, New York. In 1840, P.T. Barnum purchased some Lakenvelder and displayed them in his circus as a ‘rare aristocratic breed’.

More imports followed. In 1886, the Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America (DBCAA) was established. (The last importation was in 1906.) Though a high-yielding dairy cow, their numbers remained sparse. In the 1970s the breed society became inactive, but was reactivated in 1993 with the help of The Livestock Conservancy due to the threat of extinction.

Contrary to the Lakenvelder, the Dutch Belted in America has been kept pure. Semen of American Dutch Belted bulls has even been exported to the Netherlands to help rebuild the Lakenvelder breed there.

The Dutch Belted is usually black (occasionally red) with a white belt. They are usually horned but can also be found polled. Numbers have dropped significantly with a reported population of only 464 as of 2016.

This page was last updated on: 2024-08-29

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