Allmogekor (singular Allmogeko, ) are the traditional Swedish

breeds A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

. The word means roughly "rustic cattle".

Individual breeds

There are a number of Allmogeko breeds. The

herdbook A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders wh ...

for three of them – the

Bohuskulla The Bohuskulla is an endangered Swedish breed of hornless mountain cattle. It originates from the area of the plateau in northern Bohuslän and Dalsland, in western Sweden. It is a traditional domestic Swedish breed, and derives from a group ...

, the

Ringamålako The Ringamålako is an endangered Swedish breed of dairy cattle. It is named for the village of Ringamåla in the southern Swedish county of Blekinge, and is found primarily in southern Sweden. It is similar to the type of Swedish Red-and-White ...

and the

Väneko The Väneko is an endangered Swedish list of cattle breeds, breed of dairy cattle. It is named for the village of Väne-Ryr in the provinces of Sweden, landskap of Västergötland, in western Sweden. It is a traditional domestic Swedish breed, ...

– is kept by the Föreningen Allmogekon, which works to conserve these three. The herd book for the Fjällnära Boskap is kept by the Föreningen för Äldre Svensk Boskap, and that for the

Rödkulla The Swedish Red Polled, , is a Swedish breed of domestic cattle. It is a dual-purpose breed, raised both for its milk and for its meat. History The Swedish Red Polled is a traditional Swedish breed. It was commonly raised in the landskap ...

by the Sveriges Rödkulleförening. On its

Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological sp ...

, the Swedish Samarbetsgruppen Lantrasforum (Cooperative Group Landrace Forum) ranks all five of these Allmogeko breeds in the highest risk level, "acutely threatened".

Usage

These cattle were used as dual- to triple-purpose breeds, i. e. as breeds which served as

draft animal A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks. Some are used for their physical strength (e.g. oxen and draft horses) or for transportation (e.g. riding horses and camels), while othe ...

dairy cattle Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred with the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species '' Bos taurus''. Historically, little distinction was ...

and

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

suppliers. No longer able to compete with modern single-purpose breeds in terms of

profit maximization In economics, profit maximization is the short run or long run process by which a firm may determine the price, input and output levels that will lead to the highest possible total profit (or just profit in short). In neoclassical economics, ...

, they are preserved as a

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

, as living

gene bank A gene bank is a type of biorepository that is used across the world to store the genetic material of animals, plants, and other organisms. It preserves their genetic information in the form of reproductive material like seeds, sperm, eggs, emb ...

s, and as extensive care cattle suited both for young Swedish back-to-the-country families and for

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...

projects. The Väneko has been used for

conservation grazing Conservation grazing or targeted grazing is the use of semi- feral or domesticated grazing livestock to maintain and increase the biodiversity of natural or semi-natural grasslands, heathlands, wood pasture, wetlands and many other habitats.

in the Hornborgasjön nature reserve, contributing to the conservation of both the reserve and the endangered breed.Lantrasdjuren
(in Swedish). Länsstyrelsen i Västra Götalands län – Hornborgasjön. Archived 3 April 2014.

References

{{Cattle breeds of Sweden Cattle breeds Cattle breeds originating in Sweden

Individual breeds

Usage

See also

References