The Kostroma (russian: костромская порода крупного рогатого скота, ''kostromskaya poroda krupnogo rogatogo skota'', "Kostroma Cattle Breed") is a Russian

cattle breed List of cattle breeds — Over 1000 breeds of cattle are recognized worldwide, some of which adapted to the local climate, others which were bred by humans for specialized uses. Cattle breeds fall into two main types, which are regarded as eithe ...

developed in the first half of the 20th century in the

Kostroma Oblast Kostroma Oblast (russian: Костромска́я о́бласть, ''Kostromskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma and its population as of the 2021 Census is 580,97 ...

of Russia's

Upper Volga region The Volga Region (russian: Поволжье, ''Povolzhye'', literally: "along the Volga") is a historical region in Russia that encompasses the drainage basin of the Volga River, the longest river in Europe, in central and southern European Russ ...

, based mostly on crossbreeding local improved cattle with

Brown Swiss The Brown Swiss or American Brown Swiss is an American breed of dairy cattle. It derives from the traditional triple-purpose Braunvieh ("Swiss Brown") of the Alpine region of Europe, but has diverged substantially from it. It was selectively bre ...

, Allgau cattle and

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

bulls. They are similar in appearance to Brown Swiss, but longer in head and body with a narrower forehead.

Formation of the breed

Two improved herds of local cattle in the Kostroma area, the Miskov and Babaev herds, were the basis of the breed. The Babaev herd had been crossed with Allgau bulls from southern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in the late 19th century, and with Brown Swiss from 1912. From 1920 crossbreeding with Brown Swiss continued on State farms and some Ayrshire bulls were used. In 1940 the average milk yield in the herd of the Karavaevo state farm (today,

Kostroma State Agricultural Academy Kostroma ( rus, Кострома́, p=kəstrɐˈma) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. Popu ...

, Костромская государственная сельскохозяйственная академия) reached 6310 kg. The breed was recognised by the Soviet

People's Commissariat A People's Commissariat (russian: народный комиссариат; Narkomat) was a structure in the Soviet state (in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, in other union and autonomous republics, in the Soviet Union) from 1917– ...

of Agriculture on November 27, 1944.

Characteristics

Kostroma cattle are similar in appearance to

but longer in head and body. The forehead is narrower, while the back and loin is straighter and wider. Animals in Karavaevo are light grey in colour with a yellow top line. The breed are hardy and long-lived, with some cows producing until twenty years of age. Typical milk yield is 3900–5000 kg with the fat content of 3.7-3.9%; the protein content is 3.30-3.60%. Under intensive management they can produce 6000 to 8000 kg of milk per lactation, and as much as 10,000 from the best cows.Food and Agriculture Organisation genetic resources study
/ref> The breed also has good beef characteristics.

References

Cattle breeds Kostroma Oblast Cattle breeds originating in Russia Animal breeds originating in the Soviet Union {{Cattle-stub