The Canchim is a Brazilian

breed 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 ...

beef cattle Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk (production)). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf opera ...

. Its origin is Central

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and it was developed by crossing the Indian

Zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus''), also known as indicine cattle and humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of Bos taurus, domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump ...

cattle (''Bos taurus indicus'') and the European (''Bos taurus taurus'') Charolais. Compared to the very productive European cattle, Zebu cattle is better suited to the Brazilian climate.

History

Cattle of the French Charolais breed of

were imported to Brazil in 1922 by the national ministry of agriculture and taken to the government breeding farm of

Urutaí Urutaí is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in southeast Goiás state, Brazil. It is a major producer of poultry products. Location Urutaí is located 163 kilometers from the state capital, Goiânia. Highway connections are made by BR-352 ...

, in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...

. In 1936 they were moved to the breeding farm of the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, at

São Carlos São Carlos (Saint Charles, in English, ; named after Charles Borromeo, Saint Charles Borromeo) is a Brazilian city and municipality in the Interior of São Paulo, interior of the state of São Paulo, 254 kilometers from the city of São Paulo. ...

in the state of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, where – from about 1940 – bulls from the herd were used in an experimental programme of

cross-breeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...

with Brazilian

zebuine cattle The zebu (; ''Bos indicus''), also known as indicine cattle and humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump on their sh ...

of various breeds, with the aim of developing a taurindicine hybrid which would combine the environmental adaptation of the zebu with the productive qualities – including growth rate and meat yield – of the European breed. The first Canchim calves were born in 1953, and the herd was then kept closed until a second phase of cross-breeding was begun in either 1986 or 1990. A

breed society Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members ...

was formed in 1971, and a

herd-book 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 ...

was established in the same year. The Canchim constitutes approximately of the national beef herd.

History

Characteristics

References

Further reading