The Lombard cattle breed has Tortinese, Varzese, Ottonese, Cabellotta and Montana variants with natural differences in coat. It is small in size but strong and resistant and has been farmed in the area since Roman times as the region's only native breed. It was once used a beast of burden in the rice paddies and for pulling ploughs and carts and played an important role in many traditional town fairs. The Varzese breed with its characteristic pale coat (Fromentino) takes part in the Varzi fair on the first Sunday in August. A protected product since 2010 for the purposes of bringing breeders together, these Varzesi cows have declined from 40,000 to only 200 head of cattle in the last fifty years. They are now protected in agricultural areas where work is underway to safeguard the breed and create a milk production chain. The cattle are farmed in the open air as long as weather permits and fed with local hay and fodder with the addition of corn and barley and regulated strictly in order to guarantee meat quality. Production zone