Azienda Agricola Campelli with Appenines Vacca Grigia cow and Bardigiana cow since 1950, and today
AZIENDA AGRICOLA CAMPELLI
THE RECOVERY OF LOCAL BREEDS:
THE GREY OF THE APENNINES AND THE BARDIGIANA
The Langhiranese cow, now known as Garfagnina, was remembered in ancient texts as the “little Langhiranese” or “gray Apennine” cow and widespread in our municipality in the Parma Apennines under the local toponym. The Campelli family raised them in Valle di Castrignano in the 1950s in a small barn with a dairy for the production of Parmigiano Reggiano, along with the Bardigiana cow, now known as Pontremolese. Colomba was among the last calves born then and some residents still remember her: as white as her coat. Reintroducing the two native breeds of the Parma Apennines in our herd, is for us a way of mending the thread with the past and with the history of our family, convinced that another road made of sustainability and preservation of local heritage, is possible.
THE LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
These two breeds typical of the Parma Apennines, beginning in the 1930s began to be replaced, first by the Bruna Alpina, and then by the Frisona, considered more profitable, and so the native genetic heritage began to be eroded faster and faster.
In 1938 there were about 18,000 head of cattle to arrive at the present day where there are about 200 head between Emilia Romagna and Tuscany, 34 of which are now part of the Campelli Farm breeding herd (30 Grigie and 4 Bardigiane).
THE GREY APPENNINE COW
Triple attitude cow traditionally used for work, milk and meat and widespread in the Parma Valley until the 1950s. It has a grey coat, known as brinato, which varies with both age and season, going from light grey, almost white, to black. Long, symmetrical horns, slightly lyre-shaped, black at the tip.
Particularly able to adapt to the increasingly hot climate of our region, it can be said to be a less energy-intensive and therefore more sustainable breed. The yields are low, around 8/10 litres compared to the 50 litres of a Friesian, but its milk has exceptional properties, thanks to its very high polyunsaturated fat content and has the rounded flavour of milk from the past.
THE BARDIGIANA COW
An indigenous Emilian breed with a triple aptitude dIffused in the Parma Valley in the Corniglio area under the name ‘Boscarina’. Famous for having been used for a long time for transporting marble blocks in the Carrara area and for logging operations in mountainous areas. Light or dark fromentino coat, with black gradations on the head. Thin, slightly ‘lyre-shaped’ horns pointing forward at the top.
It is now the rarest breed of cattle in Italy and perhaps Europe, having reached 13 head in 1983, a decline that was certainly not due to the quality of its milk but to its low production, which today stands at 8/10 litres. Its recovery is therefore a duty and a gamble for us today. A conviction supported by the quality of her milk, which is as rich in polyunsaturated fats as Grigia's, and particularly suitable for cheesemaking.