Determining the Market Readiness of Beef Cattle
Mike Baker describes features of market readiness for both finished and unfinished beef and dairy crosses.
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Beef Herd HealthJuly 2025
Half a beef, What cuts to request
Learn how to have 1/2 a cow butchered for your family to get the right cuts
Half a beef, What cuts to request Read More »
Beef Selling
Testing Hay
Having this information allows beef producers to match the right supplement strategy
Colostrum Podcast….The liquid gold
Brought to you by these Breeders, Affiliates, & Sponsors
Colostrum Podcast….The liquid gold Read More »
Podcasts
Dexter Beef Podcast – Taste the Difference
Brought to you by these Breeders, Affiliates, & Sponsors
Dexter Beef Podcast – Taste the Difference Read More »
Podcasts
Summer Heat Podcast- How It Affects Our Dexters and Other Livestock
Summer heat this seems endless. We hope that this podcast will help you recognize and help your Dexters deal with this heat.
This podcast is brought to you by Irish Dexter Cattlemen, whose purpose is to promote the Irish Dexter breed by guiding farmers, ranchers, and homesteaders on how to become more sustainable. You can access all our podcasts of interviews with other farmers and ranchers and discussions on typical subject matters by becoming a member. This includes our entry level membership of $20 per year. Podcasts are stored in our relational multimedia database system and are searchable by topic by members. Members also gain access to a vast array of valuable articles on topics to assist you with your farm, ranch, or homestead. For anyone looking to take it to the next level, Irish Dexter Cattlemen provides breeder, services, and affiliate memberships that include an online branding dashboard where you can tell your story and develop your brand. Thank you for listening to this Irish Dexter Cattlemen podcast.
Brought to you by these Breeders, Affiliates, & Sponsors
Summer Heat Podcast- How It Affects Our Dexters and Other Livestock Read More »
Podcasts
The Dexter Dwarf Podcast. How to Breed Responsibly
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The Dexter Dwarf Podcast. How to Breed Responsibly Read More »
Podcasts
Homesteading and Irish Dexter Cattle Podcast
A Deep Dive Podcast, brought to you by Irish Dexter Cattlemen, on topics of interest to all farmers and ranchers. Subscribe to the free, monthly Irish Dexter Cattlemen Tips & Tricks Guide to get early access.
Brought to you by these Breeders, Affiliates, & Sponsors
Homesteading and Irish Dexter Cattle Podcast Read More »
Podcasts
Looking for Sustainability Podcast – Consider the Irish Dexter History
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Looking for Sustainability Podcast – Consider the Irish Dexter History Read More »
Podcasts
Cattle Marketing Podcast – Reach Your Target Market and Boost Profits
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Cattle Marketing Podcast – Reach Your Target Market and Boost Profits Read More »
PodcastsTreating Scours
When our Dexters calve, they usually have a surplus of colostrum. We milk some to freeze and have on hand for emergencies. Having this liquid gold on hand can now help with treating scours in calves…
Better Beef Starts in the Soil
“The statement “you are what you eat” is actually a biologically correct concept akin to bioaccumulation, in which the nutrients at the bottom of a food chain carry through organism after organism, increasing in concentration as they reach the top of the chain…”
Better Beef Starts in the Soil Read More »
Beef
Beef That Will Blow Your Mind
There are plenty more recognizable and branded breeds for beef, but are they the best? I would argue they are not. Am I wrong? Maybe you should taste for yourself…
Beef That Will Blow Your Mind Read More »
Beef
Slow is Fast
“Slow is fast”, this is the phrase my dad says at least once or twice every time we work cattle. There are some things you just can’t rush, and cattle are one of them. While we have found our Dexters are easy to move and work with, here are some tips to become more proficient in handling cattle.
Hay on the Brain
It’s hay season, which is always a hectic time of year in our area. You may not be ready to think about hay or winter, but you can usually get the best deals buying it right out of the field – and now is the time to do that!
Here is an article on tips for hay buying and making, with details on each animal’s nutritional needs.
Living The Good Life with Helen and Scott Nearing (Bullfrog Films clip)
Living The Good Life with Helen and Scott Nearing (Bullfrog Films clip)
Living The Good Life with Helen and Scott Nearing (Bullfrog Films clip) Read More »
Technology6 Grass-Fed Beef Nutrition Benefits that May Surprise You
Maybe up until now you haven’t thought too much about what the animals you eat today were fed yesterday. That’s pretty common for most folks, but there really is a difference between grass-fed beef and the rest.
You may have heard the terms “grass-fed” or “open range” and “grain-fed,” not knowing the real difference between them.
Once you understand the vital differences between grass-fed beef and grain-fed beef, you’ll have a better understanding of why this distinction is so important.
6 Grass-Fed Beef Nutrition Benefits that May Surprise You Read More »
Beef
Miniature Cattle: For Real, For Pets, For Production
Near Seattle, Washington, Richard and Arlene Gradwohl were seeing the effects of urban sprawl, as housing developments started
to sprout up around their property. Arlene, having grown up on a farm, wished to maintain a rural lifestyle. Richard, a community college business professor, investigated the possibilities with an entrepreneurial eye. He soon saw the potential smaller cattle could have on their smaller property. Always stressing new product development, Richard soon was educating himself on miniature and small cattle breeds, acquiring breeding stock, and utilizing linebreeding techniques. Beginning with Dexter cattle and keeping some of their smallest Herefords, his new product focus became developing new breeds of miniature cattle. To date he has developed 18—yes 18—new breeds of miniature cattle and is enjoying his working retirement as a Professor Emeritus (Gradwohl interview 2007).
Miniature Cattle: For Real, For Pets, For Production Read More »
Homesteading
Increase Your Profits, Enhance Your Brand, Improve Your Market Access
IrishDexterCattlemen.com is a tremendous platform for crafting your compelling brand story, allowing you to connect directly with your buyers at a deeper level. It gives you the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors. Like many online platforms, you can advertise yourself, your farm, your products and achieve real results. Unlike any other platform, Irish Dexter Cattlemen turbocharges your brand story in a Tips & Tricks Guide published monthly that is sent directly to hundreds of the very people most interested in you, what you have to say, and what products you produce. This is how you build a sustainable farm. Want to learn more about farm marketing techniques?
Increase Your Profits, Enhance Your Brand, Improve Your Market Access Read More »
Selling
Mini Moo Magic: The Fascinating Story of Miniature Cows
Breeds like Miniature Highlands, Miniature Herefords, and Dexters didn’t just pop up overnight. Their histories are as varied as their appearances, with some, like the Dexter, dating back centuries, and others, like the Mini Hereford, emerging through decades of selective breeding. As land prices rise and the demand for sustainable, manageable livestock grows, miniature cattle have carved out a meaningful niche in the farming world.
Mini Moo Magic: The Fascinating Story of Miniature Cows Read More »
Homesteading
Boost Your Livestock Show Success: Top Social Media Strategies!
1. Share Your Journey
Document Daily Life on the Farm
Give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at daily operations. Share posts about feeding routines, grooming sessions, and training exercises. Use Instagram Stories or TikTok for quick updates that show your animals’ personalities and the care you provide.
Boost Your Livestock Show Success: Top Social Media Strategies! Read More »
Selling
Niche Marketing of Cattle/Beef
When marketing niche products, customers
expect the marketer to cater to their needs and be
responsive to their desires. This means producing
products with unique characteristics and using those
characteristics as a basis for marketing. Under this
form of “product” marketing, the goal is to create a
product that is different from other items on the
market.
Niche Marketing of Cattle/Beef Read More »
Selling
Beef with a story to it: Niche market for ranch-raised beef on the rise
Direct beef purchases from the farm continue to be an emerging trend as consumers want to know both the story and faces behind the products they are purchasing, according to an expert.
Beef with a story to it: Niche market for ranch-raised beef on the rise Read More »
Selling
Cattle Marketing Plans: Traditional vs. Direct to Consumer
To maximize profits, it is crucial that cattle producers have a marketing plan in advance. Many different avenues are available for producers to market cattle, and all have varying regulations and requirements. Although we will be providing beef examples throughout this fact sheet, many of the same rules for meat processing and sales apply to other amenable livestock species.
Cattle Marketing Plans: Traditional vs. Direct to Consumer Read More »
Selling
Do you know how to do a tail stick to get blood for Pregnancy and Tenet Beef testing?
Here is a video that Nancy Bowers, Lonestar Ranch did on blood testing one her Dexters. This the same technique that you will need for testing for Tenet beef tenderness, except you will need much less….lol.
I have sent in 7 tenet tenderness tests to see if our Dexters have this genetic trait. Unlike other testing this is not done on scale and there is no comparison to other breeds. It’s either there or not there.
I truly believe that the tenderness of the beef is correlated to milk and that is sooo important in our dual purpose breed. We are working with them to prove this theory!
I have included what the cards look like, the paperwork that is needed…note it is very little. You can pay on line or send in a check. It is better for the lab if you pay with a check, so that they don’t loose the processing fee, but they are very accommodating.
Do you know how to do a tail stick to get blood for Pregnancy and Tenet Beef testing? Read More »
General Selling
Building history opportunity and a chance to win a copy of a signed book!
Do you have an amazing photo of a heritage breed animal? Share your best shot and help The Livestock Conservancy grow its photo library to support vital conservation messaging!
You could win a signed copy of “Practical Color Genetics for Livestock Breeders.”
Contest Rules:
- To enter, send your high-resolution photo (300 dpi +) to lodell@livestockconservancy.org by July 31.
- By entering, you grant The Livestock Conservancy full royalty-free, perpetual and nonexclusive rights to use, display, edit, publish or archive the image in whole or in part online or in print.
(This photo is Florida Cracker cattle; credit Steve Howell Jr.)
Building history opportunity and a chance to win a copy of a signed book! Read More »
Historical
Who knew? Milk is a good for dehydration!
If your trying to beat the summer heat, you might want to enjoy a tall glass of Dexter milk.
”Milk is a decent source of sodium and potassium, the two major electrolytes in your body. These electrically charged minerals are important for maintaining hydration (2Trusted Source
).”
Who knew? Milk is a good for dehydration! Read More »
Milking & Dairy