Thanks for visiting Four Girl Dexter Stud’s website. We are going to be closing the gate on this little website soon so we can have more time farming and less time doing website updates. Don’t worry though you can still keep up with our Dexter Cattle adventures at cromwellfarms.com/four-girl-dexter-stud

Primex is getting ready to kick it into high gear over the next two days. The North Coast Dexter Breeders association has done a great job at presenting our Dexter breed to the thousands of attendees at Primex. Our little area in the big big paddock has been setup and we have 5 dexters in two yards for people to check out and there are Dexter steaks and sausages on serve.

Farm Hand Fez taking in the Dexter Bulletin

Delicious Dexter Steaks

Whiskita loving being on display

Barcoo Beef's Daniel Hill checking out the Dexters

Four Dexter Stud is getting ready to ramp up its milk production in a few months when our girls start dropping calves. Here is a picture of our ‘new’ well it’s actually pretty old milking machine.

4GS new milking machine that does 4 at a time

Right now our new big little milker is just outside Sydney and Pa (also known to our girls as Harry High Pants) is going to pick it up with Nana next week. Thanks Mum and other Dad–I know as an old farmer you won’t be able to resist seeing how it works and have it in fine order.

Alison and Nicky hands on cheese makers.

How lucky are we to have a cheese maker in the family. Alison took  a cheese course in Bangalow last year and has become hooked on all things cheese. Everyday Alison works away on something. Most days its butter but every few weeks she gets a whole day in the kitchen with her mate Nicky. At the start they pasteurized all the milk before making cheese. Their teacher said that would be a safe way to do it. However, they have gone their own path and are making unpasteurised cheese using our whole milk. Gosh it’s interesting to sit back and watch them work their magic with the milk. It’s a special sort of witchcraft to me as they heat, stir, cool and time with precision each step of the process. Below are some pictures of the girls in action. Sorry that I cannot tell you a hard cheese from a soft cheese… might have to become a Warlock for that.

Looks like Feta to me.

Could be brie or is that cheddar?

Not sure but sure looks yummy.

No way this whey will be wasted..pigs love it mixed with Mill Run

Finally, after over a year of waiting, we got to taste our own Dexter Beef. We were prepared for the meat to be lean as our butcher Pat from Clunes said our grass fed steers did not have allot of fat on them. We were pleasantly surprised though when we cooked up our first T-Bone last week. For some it may seem strange that we can even talk about eating our own cows–especially our human girls. As you will see from the picture below young Bella and her sister Morley truly enjoyed their first taste of their own beef. Credit must go to their school and the better sources of media for really pushing hard on the fact that fast food is not good for you and that its’ important to know where your food comes from.

Two of the four girls having a go at their first Dexter T-Bone Steak

Recently I read a great blog about Dexter Meat and would like to share an excerpt from it with you. Here is a link to the full meal deal for those who are interested.

http://thebeginningfarmer.blogspot.com/2008/04/are-dexters-fad.html

“But, most importantly I have tasted and I have read great things about their meat and their ability to finish on grass. And that is the main reason I went with Dexters, because I want people to eat them! Of course there are the health benefits of eating grassfed beef, there are many articles and books to point that out. But, how about this for a healthy marketing angle … Dexters are smaller, so their portions are going to be smaller. Portion control is one of the many buzz words in the health and dieting community today, so I can market my beef in a few ways.

First of all it will be grassfed. You are what you eat is the saying … cows eat grass, so they are grass … we eat cows, so we are grass … grass is a lot like salad and my teachers told me salad is good for me! Secondly, I can tout the benefits of being able to buy the whole steer, not just a half or a quarter. That way you will get all of the cuts instead of just 1/2 or 1/4. It is almost the ultimate freezer beef in my opinion. Third, there is the portion control angle. You can still have your steak, but you don’t have to have one the size of your dinner plate (and you probably shouldn’t no matter how it was raised). And finally, I can market the fact that Dexters are a heritage breed that deserves to be maintained for so many reasons (I don’t want to list them now).

I don’t think Dexters are a fad that will come and go. I also don’t believe they will become a commercial mainstay. But, I do believe they are a great option for our farm and many other farms like ours. I also believe they are a great choice for families freezers all around me … and I will be working to convince them of that!

Prime Beef getting ready for Primex

In less then week (June 17-19) we will be taking a pair of our Dexter cattle to show them off at Primex. Primex is a 3 day Exhibition held annually in June, starting the first Thursday following the Queen’s Birthday long weekend and concluding on the Saturday.

Primex is held annually at Casino, in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales and is considered as one of Australia’s leading country centres. The town straddles the Richmond River which encompasses a range of attractions that make the wider Northern Rivers and North Coast Region such a unique part of Australia.

Please drop by and say hello. We will be hanging out with the herd of Dexters.

Below is an extract from a feature on Dexter Cattle in a great US Magazine called Acreage. Very comprehensive history of the Dexter Breed–makes for a good read. Enjoy- 4GS.

The existence of Dexters was first reported in Ireland in 1776. Their written history prior to then is non-existent. However it is clear from documents since that time that Dexters are an integral part of the Kerry cattle breed which is native to Ireland, so much so, that a mating of 2 Dexters can produce a Kerry and vice versa.

American Dexter Cattle
The American Dexter Cattle Breed is a descendant from the original herd of Irish Mountain Cattle assembled in Southwest Ireland in the early 1800s by a Mr. Dexter. He is reputed to have selected a choice herd from the smallest and most intelligent of the hardy breed of
mountain cattle in that region. All modern Dexters are said to be the descendants of that first herd. Whether true or not, it is a nice story. There is no question, however, that the first Dexter registry was created in Ireland in 1887, England following in 1892, and America in 1911, after first imports arrived in 1905.

The American Dexter possesses many desirable characteristics. It’s still a very hardy animal, thriving in both hot and cold climates with little difficulty. It is tractable and easily trained, either as a pasture animal (kind on fencing) or a show animal (great with children and young adults). It is a thrifty animal and capable of thriving on a half acre per head of good pasture, given the typical Dexter’s small size. Registered cows measure between 36 and 42 inches in shoulder height at three years of age, and weigh approximately 750 pounds. Bulls are slightly larger at 38 to 44 inches shoulder height, and weigh in around 1000 pounds.

They also produce an excellent lean beef when raised for meat. To be sure, there is less of it with smaller cuts of meat, but the quality and coloring are usually exceptional.

They are still a minor breed, but one in increasing demand for “suburban” and small farmers. They have held their resale value exceptionally well, and most supply and demand projections
indicate that this is likely to be the case for some time to come.

Dual Purpose
Dexters produce both meat and milk. The meat has a delightful unique taste and the cuts are small in size in comparison to the larger breeds. It is ideally suited to a boutique meat market or the home freezer. The choice is yours. For their size, Dexters are prolific milkers. They can easily rear two calves at a time and have the potential to be used for commercial dairy purposes.

During the 1930s, the number of Dexters/Kerries started to decline, whereas the other breeds such as Friesians, Jerseys and Aryshires etc began to increase in numbers. At the same time, the milking ability of these other breeds was being developed progressively to the level we know today.

The decline of the Dexters/Kerries reached a level to where they were placed on the world endangered species list. However, their numbers are now increasing and it should be possible to begin developing their milking potential to a point where they could perform at least on par with Jerseys.

Dexters are Easy Care Cattle
Dexters generally have a very good temperament and are highly intelligent. This, combined with their small size, makes them easy to handle in facilities that need not be as sturdy as those required for the larger breeds.

Dexters are Easy Calving Cattle.
The easy calving feature of the Dexters can be used to advantage by breeders of other types of cattle. A Dexter bull over a valuable heifer of a larger breed will almost certainly result in a safe, unassisted birth.

Dexters are suitable for small or large properties.

The Dexters size and temperament make them ideal for small properties, but they are equally suitable for large properties. During the 1980′s and 1990′s the trend with the major breeds was to breed them bigger and bigger. Now many of those breeds are beginning to realize bigger is not necessarily better and they are starting to reduce frame sizes.

As the number of Dexters increase,so does the potential for the appearance of large commercial herds of Dexters, whether they be for beef or milk purposes.

Dexters are long lived.
Dexters live long and productive lives and commonly continue to breed at 14 or 15 years of age. Considering that they can begin breeding from an early age, as early as 7 months (not advised), and they can do this in harsh environmental conditions, they have a distinct advantage over other breeds. More calves means more profit.

The Dexter originated in the South Western region of Ireland. Like the Kerry they are descended from the predominately black cattle of the early Celts.

Dexter cattle were first introduced into England in 1882 when ten Dexters were purchased by Mr. Martin. J. Sutton of Kidmore Grande, Oxfordshire from Mr. James. Robertson of La Mancha, Nr Malahide, Dublin.

They were first shown at the Royal Show at Norwich in 1886. By 1892, this native Irish breed was so well established in great Britain that at a meeting of breeders at the Smithfield club on December 6th resulted in the formation of the Kerry and Dexter/Kerry cattle society.

Written By: American Dexter Cattle Association

Things have been busier then usual on the Cromwell Farm on Sheaffes Road the last couple of months: boundary fencing, pasture improvement, cattle grids and building a milking bales are some of the highlights. During all this we have managed to sell our first cows, well a Heifer and Steer to be specific.

We are looking forward to getting our bales back together next week and hope the weather continues to cooperate — not much fun for anyone milking in the rain.

One of the challenges of having milking cows is that you need to milk them everyday and most often twice a day. That makes going away a bit of a challenge. If you are lucky like we are you have friends who are enthusiastic about helping you out. When we went away to visit Alison’s family over the Christmas holidays this year we were lucky to have Sarah and Dan Swan take over our farm duties. At that time we were milking by hand in the middle of a paddock. It was simple and effective but not the most pleasant experience in poor weather. Since then we have got all fancy and moved our milking facilities under a roof and have added a single milking machine. Operating a milking machine is on par in difficulty in my opinion with hand milking. Darn machines have a mind of their own just like cows sometimes. In a few weeks we are going to be calling on Dan and Sarah again, but this time we will not even be here to give them basic training. To help their baptism by fire we are making some home videos to cover off some of the trickier bits as well as training up our young girls. Here is a clip that covers off disconnecting the milking machine. As you will see and hear our middle daughter Morley is very keen to know everything she can about milking. One small correction about striping and the last bit of milk. At the end I say the last bit that comes out is cream. That is not exactly correct: the last bit of milk that comes out contains a very high percentage of cream. After we took this video I was able to hand milk about another 500 ml from Ebby and we stored this separately to see what percentage of it was cream. We confirmed that the last bit of milk is mostly cream is not an urban myth and half of it was indeed cream.