Maremmana

Maremmana cattle are the long-horned gray cattle of the Maremma, the coastal and inland grazing country of Tuscany and northern Lazio. Their roots lie in rustic Podolian-type cattle shaped by marshes, scrub pasture and large extensive herds. Mature cows are gray, bulls are often darker on the neck and forequarters, and calves are born reddish before turning gray. The sweeping lyre-shaped horns are the breed's most recognizable feature, especially in cows, and the animals were historically handled by butteri, the mounted stockmen of the region.

The breed fits low-input beef and conservation grazing better than high-speed feedlot production. Maremmana cattle can use rough forage, tolerate heat and travel over wide pastures, but they mature relatively slowly and need calm, well-planned handling because mature animals are large and horned. On farms and reserves, they may be used to maintain open grassland or scrubby habitats while producing beef from marginal land. Breeding programs in Italy have worked to preserve the type after mechanization and land drainage reduced its old role as a draft and range animal.

Colors: Belted, Black, Black and White, Blaze Faced, Blue Roan, Brindle, Brockle Faced, Brown, Brown and White, Dun, Gray, Grey, Highbelt, Highpark, Lineback, Mottled, Pied, Red, Red and White, Red Roan, Riggit, Roan, Silver, Solid Black, Solid Red, Solid White, Speckled, Spotted, White, White Faced, Yellow