[8]: 181  A breed society, the Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America, was formed in 1886[7] or 1901;[4]: 172  it was incorporated in New Jersey in 1909.

With the rapid spread of the Holstein in the mid-twentieth century, numbers fell and in the 1970s the breed association became dormant.

[4]: 172  In the 1980s, further pressure on the breed came from the policy of the Department of Agriculture to encourage the sale of dairy cattle for beef, with the aim of increasing the price of milk.

[7] In 2016 the total Dutch Belted population was reported to DAD-IS at 464;[3] in 2021 the breed was listed as "critical" on the watchlist of the Livestock Conservancy.

[2] The cattle are either black or red, with a broad white belt encircling the back, flanks and belly.