Munster Valley Tourist Office
Munster Valley Tourist Office
A remarkably robust breed of cattle, the Vosges cow is an excellent walker and is particularly suitable for difficult reliefs. Not very sensitive to sudden temperature variations, it is perfectly adapted to the conditions of themountain breeding.
Its balanced milk, rich in fat and protein, is ideal for making Munster cheese.
She wears a dress of black and white spotted color. A white dorsal stripe extends from the nape to the tail. The head is generally white, speckled, or even ashen, down to the ears, which are black, as are the horns, nostrils, and hooves.
The Vosges presents a black and white dress, or red and white. It is speckled in some areas and is easily recognizable by the white stripes running along its back and belly. Its hair is short and smooth. Its hooves as well as its ears and mucous membranes are black, but its tail and limbs are white.
The dress of the Vosges women with the red dress, also called Vosges red magpie, is due to the presence of a recessive gene and constitutes 2 to 3% of the Vosges population.
Its stocky and light appearance makes it an agile, strong and sturdy breed of cattle. Its back has a very straight appearance. It has thin, strong, and short limbs, which make it a excellent walker. The Vosges has horns, if they are not cut by the breeder, turned upwards. Its udders are smaller than those of its competitors, because it must be able to move through tall grass and brambles without getting scratched.
During the spring and summer, when they are on the high Vosges pastures, the Vosges feeds on the grass present. In autumn and winter, when it goes back down to the valley, it feeds on fodder from the meadows, and on hay when it can no longer leave the stable.
Every year, the Vosges women carry out a transhumance allowing them to access summer pastures and winter pastures. This great march, often open to visitors, then allows the cows to access the high stubble in spring by reaching the farm at higher altitudes, and to go back down to the valley in the autumn to consume fresh fodder. At this time, the fodder in the high stubble dries out and the temperature becomes too low to suit the cattle.
The transhumance open to the public constitutes a real folkloric event, where the farmers are dressed in the traditional way as marcaires, the cows are washed, brushed, and adorned with flowers.
The herd then follows the lead cow, which has the largest bell; the latter serves as a guide with the marker. Find the various associated events on this page:
https://www.vallee-munster.eu/fr/curieuse/sites-musees-traditions/transhumances-valleemunster. html
The Vosges woman is very docile with humans., besides being very curious. She might come to you during a walk to sniff your hand. She is very sociable. On the other hand, towards other bovine breeds, it will tend to show itself to be dominant by giving blows of the horn for example.
With heat waves caused by global warming, cows are reducing their milk production.
The Vosges being very robust, its production will drop less than would another bovine breed. Indeed, cows need a lot of water to be raised in optimal conditions, it must be provided to them.
Urban artist Drought limits fodder production, an even larger area of meadow is then required to feed it. This becomes complicated for breeders who have to buy additional fodder to make up for this shortfall.
Will global warming put an end to the efforts made by various associations for the preservation and reintroduction of the Vosges? Only the future will tell, but genetic selection research could be used to select the genes that are most resistant to drought.
The Vosges cow dates back to the 17th century. There are several theories different to explain its appearance in the Vosges massif.
This cow would have (then) come from Switzerland, from where it would have migrated, or else would have arrived with the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War. This hypothesis could seem plausible, because the Vosges is very similar to other breeds of the northern branch, especially because of its spots on the flank. Other less fanciful theories say that the Vosgienne is the result of crossbreeding a sort of Montbéliarde and a Prim'Holstein.
The Vosges used to pull agricultural equipment, thanks to its great robustness. It was replaced during the mechanization of agricultural production. Its robustness is very appreciated by breeders, its veterinary and health costs are low. It is not very precocious, but has a great longevity, and produces milk for a very long time.
The Vosges cow population was seriously reduced in the first half of the twentieth century, It went from 125 individuals in 000 to only 1900 in 1000..
This huge drop in the number of individuals almost got the better of the breed. It is of course due to the wars that took place, whether the first, the second, or even the previous wars, as well as to the competition from other bovine breeds present on the territory, such as the Simmental and the Montbéliarde, which have advantages in terms of milk and/or beef production. This drop also led to its removal from the official catalogue of breeds in 1947. Today, there are around 10 individuals.
Faced with this worrying decline, enthusiasts have created an association, the “Herd Book Vosgien”, in 1977. The latter aims to create a family tree, aptly called “Herd Book” in English, which sets out the characteristics of the Vosges breed. This association allowed the number of heads to increase by 7000 specimens under the presidency of Jean Wehrey, better known as Hansi, who distinguished himself for his fight to preserve the Vosges breed and the democratization of farm inns.
In the 1th century, to avoid the risk of inbreeding, Telemark blood, a breed of Norwegian origin, was introduced. The proportion of Telemark blood present in the population today is estimated at 8/XNUMX.
The Vosges cow lives on stubble and has adapted very well to the Vosges climate. as well as steep slopes. The Vosges is not very sensitive to calcium deficiencies, which are very little present in the stubble. At the origin of the name Vosgienne, the Vosges massif is also the ideal vacation spot for Vosges cows.
The majority of herds are located in this territory in three regions: Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté. It is a mid-mountain massif with steep reliefs.
The Vosges region was put in the spotlight at the 2011 Agricultural Show, where Vosges cow Candy was the mascot of this edition.
"Mountain cheese" in Alsatian, it is a pressed cheese that is matured for longer than Munster. Its taste is also less pronounced, which makes it an excellent complement.
Literally "chicken cheese" in Alsatian, it is unripened Munster cheese, in the form of fromage blanc, which is seasoned with garlic and herbs. It is very often eaten with jacket potatoes.
"Sweet cheese" in Alsatian, it is an emblematic dessert of the farm inns of the valley. It is a curd of the day, combined with fresh cream and sugar, and enhanced by kirsch, a brandy made from cherries.
Its fine bones and low proportion of fat also make it a very good butcher's product. From this meat we produce a dish very well-known in Alsatian homes, the Baeckeoffe ("bread oven" in Alsatian). The latter is composed of various meats, lamb, beef, and pork, first marinated then simmered for more than 24 hours. Various vegetables are added to the meat, including carrots, potatoes, and onions. Other dishes can also be mentioned, such as gendarmes (smoked sausages composed of minced and spiced meat), sausage beef, or even dried beef.
Munster Valley Tourist Office 2024
Essential Alsace - Legal information - Professional area