Ramo Grande
Ramo Grande cattle are a native breed of Terceira Island in the Azores, Portugal, named for the island's Ramo Grande plain. They are large, strong cattle with long horns in traditional lines, a broad head, and coats usually in shades of red, brown, or fawn. The breed was developed for island agriculture, where the same animal could pull carts and implements, provide milk for the household, and produce beef from pasture.
Modern Ramo Grande herds are part production animal and part cultural conservation resource. On the Azores' wet, grassy farms they are suited to grazing, but their size and horns call for calm handling, strong facilities, and regular hoof attention on damp ground. Numbers have been limited compared with commercial dairy breeds, so breeders who maintain registered animals help preserve a distinct island gene pool. Herd goals generally favor fertility, structural soundness, mothering ability, and the traditional type rather than maximum milk yield.
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
