We’ve now had the farm for more than six months and part of the fun of this adventure is deciding what we want to do. Farming is the obvious answer, but what? With what resources? How? These questions are the subject of many a conversation between Brett and me, but we have recently made some decisions about the direction we want to take.
Introducing the Belted Galloway, or Oreo Cow. While the featured image on this post is just how they might look on the farm, we’re excited that we’ve got a direction to go.
We plan to grass-feed and grass-finish them for beef. There are a number of great things about this breed. It is a high quality meat that dresses out at 60 – 62% of live weight making it a very profitable breed. They have a bushy coat that sheds in hot weather and a very light layer of fat so they will tolerate our Georgia heat well. They are light grazers, which means that since they have a lighter body weight they don’t damage pastures. They calve relatively easily and are fairly docile with good temperament.
There are some great links where you can read more about these cuties.
The Livestock Conservancy , Cattle Site , and 16 Things You Should Know About Belted Galloways are all great resources for reading about these cows.
It’s also how we came up with our logo. Wren Farms is a natural choice for us, but the wren represents these cows, or “Belties” as they’re known, with her belt as well.
Soon we’ll have shirts and other fun marketing items available for anyone that wants to show their swag and support. Until then, stay tuned for updates!