TY - JOUR
T1 - A Turning Point in the Italian Dairy Farming System: A Comparison between the Frisona Italiana and Bruna Alpina Breeds
AU - Marigliano, Marco
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - This research retraces how the Frisona Italiana, which is renowned for its high
milk production, became the most popular breed in Italy during the twentieth
century. It virtually supplanted the Bruna Alpina, which was the most widespread strain in the country until the late 1950s. The importance of the Frisona Italiana is not yet fully appreciated and its history should be examined from a comparative perspective due to its peculiar development. The Frisona Italiana has long been
differentiated from the original Friesian breed in the Netherlands and the Holstein-Friesian breed in North America, one of the highest dairy-producing cows in the world. Italy
was the first country to develop a ‘sub-genre’ from breeding stock of the Friesian and
Holstein-Friesian strains.
This article provides an accurate reconstruction of the development of the Frisona
Italiana and identifies the path that enabled it to numerically outstrip the Bruna. Specifically, I examine endogenous (yields, techniques etc.) and/or exogenous (livestock farming system, farmers’ actions, state intervention, etc.) factors that may have affected
decisions to introduce the Frisona breed.
AB - This research retraces how the Frisona Italiana, which is renowned for its high
milk production, became the most popular breed in Italy during the twentieth
century. It virtually supplanted the Bruna Alpina, which was the most widespread strain in the country until the late 1950s. The importance of the Frisona Italiana is not yet fully appreciated and its history should be examined from a comparative perspective due to its peculiar development. The Frisona Italiana has long been
differentiated from the original Friesian breed in the Netherlands and the Holstein-Friesian breed in North America, one of the highest dairy-producing cows in the world. Italy
was the first country to develop a ‘sub-genre’ from breeding stock of the Friesian and
Holstein-Friesian strains.
This article provides an accurate reconstruction of the development of the Frisona
Italiana and identifies the path that enabled it to numerically outstrip the Bruna. Specifically, I examine endogenous (yields, techniques etc.) and/or exogenous (livestock farming system, farmers’ actions, state intervention, etc.) factors that may have affected
decisions to introduce the Frisona breed.
KW - Agroindustria, Innovazione agricola, Allevamento, Specializzazione regionale, Frisona Italiana, Friesian, Bruna Alpina, Brown Swiss
KW - Agro-industry, Agricultural Innovation, Cattle breeding, Regional specialization, Friesian, Brown Swiss, Frisona Italiana, Bruna
KW - Agroindustria, Innovazione agricola, Allevamento, Specializzazione regionale, Frisona Italiana, Friesian, Bruna Alpina, Brown Swiss
KW - Agro-industry, Agricultural Innovation, Cattle breeding, Regional specialization, Friesian, Brown Swiss, Frisona Italiana, Bruna
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/220824
U2 - 10.26882/histagrar.088e02m
DO - 10.26882/histagrar.088e02m
M3 - Article
SN - 2340-3659
VL - 2022
SP - 159
EP - 190
JO - HISTORIA AGRARIA
JF - HISTORIA AGRARIA
ER -