We heard before about “the best chicken in the world”, but we didn’t hear about “the best cow”! This cow, which we do not know today, belongs to the “Nilory” breed, the most expensive in the world, according to a report by Newsweek magazine.
A third of the ownership of the cow, of that breed, four and a half years old, was sold for 6.99 million Brazilian riyals, equivalent to 1.44 million dollars, at an auction held in Brazil recently. According to this price, the total value of that cow is $4.3 million, noting that half of the ownership of the cow itself was sold, in 2022, for $800,000, which was a record at the time.
According to the American “Oklahoma State University”, the “Neluri” breed of cows is distinguished by its bright white color, with a bulging hump above its shoulders, and it has a naturally high resistance to high temperatures, thanks to its loose, hanging skin, and its possession of sweat glands 30% larger than those present. in many European breeds.
This strain originated in India and was named after the Indian Nellore region in the state of Andhra Pradesh, but it is now considered one of the most important strains in Brazil, mainly due to its hardiness and ability to grow on poor-quality fodder, because it has an effective nutritional representation. Cows of this breed reproduce easily and have effective resistance to a number of parasitic infections, due to their thick skin texture, which makes it difficult for blood-sucking insects to penetrate.
The high price of Nellore cows is a result of these characteristics, as they are selectively bred to enhance these traits using artificial insemination.
Sales of semen from this strain represent 65% of the total artificial insemination market for cows in Brazil.
There are approximately 167 million Nillori cows in Brazil, which constitutes 80% of the total number of cows across the country.