The
first Piedmontese in North America arrived in
the fall of 1979 - through an importation made
from Italy by the PBL Co-operative of Saskatchewan,
Canada. Many attempts had been made prior to
this time to import the breed, both by the PBL
Co-op and other cattlemen, but there had been
a reluctance by the Italian Association to sell
fullblood breeding stock - as well as significant
difficulty due to health protocols. There were
5 animals in total that arrived in Canada in
the first importation: 1 bull named "Brindisi",
and 4 females "Banana", "Biba", "Bisca" and "Binda".
The
next year, another importation from Italy arrived
in Canada - with 5 more bulls: "Captain", "Champ", "Corallo", "Camino" and "Domingo".
An import directly into the USA from Italy in
the early 1980s saw the addition of 3 more sire
lines: "Instinto", "Imbuto" and "Iose" as
well as two more females: "India" and "Gazza".
From this genetic base, the breed was launched.
The Canadian Piedmontese Association (CPA) was
formed in 1983 and the Piedmontese Association
of the United States (PAUS) was formed in 1984.
By the 1990's, import of genetic material (semen
and embryos) had dramatically improved - and
there is now a wealth of bloodlines to select
from.
On
Sept. 8, 2000 the North American Piedmontese
Association (NAPA) was formed to serve ALL
of the North American breeders.
Above - a
well known photograph, taken in Italy showing
mature Piedmontese bulls at a Stud Station in
the 1970s - note the added muscling...added BEEF.
