These cows, named Pauline and Précieuse, belong to the Canadienne breed. The Canadienne cow has a long and meaningful history in Quebec. Developed by farmers in France during the 16th and 17th centuries, this breed is based on the animals imported first from Normandy and later from Brittany and Gascony. The cattle, well suited to Quebec’s harsh winters, were used for milk, meat and farm work. For approximately three hundred years the Canadienne was the perfect breed for small, family-owned farmers who required their cattle to be multi-functional and adaptable to rugged and undeveloped pastures. By the mid-1800’s the Canadienne lost its special value. With a rise in Canada’s population and urbanization, there was a demand for milk that could not be met by the Canadienne because the cow is not a highly efficient milk producer. As a result, farmers began either cross-breeding the Canadienne with bigger breeds like the Holstein, or replacing them entirely. In 1895, concerned farmers and breeders formed the Canadienne Cattle Breeders Association hoping to protect and preserve the purity of their herds. Despite their efforts, by the 1940’s the population was seriously threatened due to the cross-breeding. Today there are about two hundred purebred Canadienne cows left in Quebec, mainly in the Iles de la Madeleine. To increase the population, the staff at the Canada Agriculture Museum is trying to breed Pauline and Précieuse through artificial insemination with the semen of Canadienne bulls from a herd in the Iles de la Madeleine.

Maya Soren