The Argentine Criollo cattle are a dual purpose breed of cattle which are raised for both milk and meat production.
As the name suggests, it was developed from Argentina. It is one of the Criollo type cattle found in the Americas, and include the Texas Longhorn cattle among others.
These animals are descended from the first bovines brought by Christopher Columbus in his travels to America. In addition to tremendous genetic variability, these animals are also well known for their docility and workability.
The Argentine Criollo cattle exhibits the full range of Bos taurus color patterns like their Criollo relatives.
An association for the breed named ‘The Asociación Argentina de Criadores de Ganado Bovino Criollo‘ was established in 1990 as the official breed society.
The owners must have their cattle tested and examined for pureness of origin who wish to register their animals with the Criollo Association.
The animals must need to be tested by the association before they can be considered as purebred Argentine Criollo cattle. Read more information about the breed below.
Argentine Criollo Cattle Characteristics
Argentine Criollo cattle are medium sized animals of angular conformation. They have a high tailhead which indicates easier calving.
They exhibit the full range of Bos taurus color patterns like their Criollo relatives. Both bulls and cows have horns, and their horns are of medium sized and curved.
As a medium sized animal, average live body weight of the mature Argentine Criollo cows vary from 400 to 440 kg. And average live body weight of the mature bulls is between 600 and 800 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Uses
Argentine Criollo cattle are a dual purpose animal. They are good for both milk and meat production.
Special Notes
The Argentine Criollo cattle are very hardy animals and they are highly adapted to their local environment. They do very well to their native environment mainly due to feral – naturally selective breeding regimes over the past 500 years.
They are extremely desirable for crossbreeding with traditional European cattle breeds for assuring incredible hybrid vigor. These animals are of very good behavior and have docile temperament and they are relatively very easy to care and handle.
They are very fertile, the cows are known for easy calving and the cows are very good milk producers. On average the cows can produce about 4-6 kg of milk daily. The breed is also very good for meat production.
Their meat production is outstanding with excellent quality in both flavor and tenderness. However, review full breed profile of this breed in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Argentine Criollo | |
| Other Name | None | |
| Breed Purpose | Milk and meat | |
| Special Notes | Well adapted to native climates, very good for meat production, good for milk, grow faster, cows are excellent mothers, easy calving | |
| Breed Size | Medium | |
| Bulls | 400-440 kg | |
| Cows | 600-800 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates | |
| Coat Color | Bos taurus color patterns | |
| Horned | Yes | |
| Milk Yield | Good | |
| Rarity | Common | |
| Country/Place of Origin | Argentina |
