Halter Breaking

Let’s follow along with Porterhouse and Teal as he shows us how to build a successful working relationship with our cows – including halter breaking.

Watch here

Halter Breaking Read More »

Farm Management

A Conversation on Grazing

A little on the long side, but packed with great info on everything from experimental crops for grazing, to various methods of bale grazing.

Listen here

A Conversation on Grazing Read More »

Farm Management

Caring for your Dexters through a drought.

https://rangelandwatersheds.ucdavis.edu/DroughtInformation/Poppenga%20and%20Puschner%202014%20Drought%20Related%20Poisoning.pdf

Caring for your Dexters through a drought. Read More »

Herd Health

Fall Seeding

https://www.noble.org/regenerative-agriculture/overseeding-fall-cover-crops-in-pastures/

Fall Seeding Read More »

Farm Management

Castration Methods for Bull Calves

It is that time of year when we are weaning and castrating our bull calves. This article from University of Tennessee talks about the various methods and ages at which to castrate.

Castration Methods for Bull Calves Read More »

Farm Management Herd Health

Milk dispensers in Germany…interesting …wonder what breeds of cattle are behind this.

In Germany, a new wave of farm-to-table convenience is flowing through vending machines — quite literally. Across rural towns and even urban neighborhoods, you’ll find self-serve milk vending machines that dispense fresh, unprocessed milk straight from local farms. Open 24/7, these machines let customers refill their own bottles with creamy, cold milk at any time of day, reducing packaging waste and shortening the distance between farm and consumer.

Typically placed at the edge of dairy farms, village centers, or community markets, these vending machines are restocked daily with milk collected directly from the cows. Customers simply insert a coin or swipe a card, place their bottle under the nozzle, and watch as fresh milk fills it up — often still warm from the morning’s milking, or chilled for instant use.

Many stations also provide reusable glass bottles for purchase, encouraging zero-waste habits. Some even display details about the farm, the cows’ diet, and the time of last milking — giving full transparency in a world often disconnected from food sources.

These milk stations are more than just a novelty — they’re a return to tradition with a modern twist. By cutting out the middlemen and minimizing processing, Germany’s milk vending machines support small farmers, reduce emissions, and give people access to wholesome, local dairy with the push of a button.

Credit: Organic living

Milk dispensers in Germany…interesting …wonder what breeds of cattle are behind this. Read More »

Milking

Mastitis …while not common in Dexters an ounce of prevention can go a long way.

” The disease can be treated with antibiotics and supportive measures. The mastitis can be prevented by taking adequate measures like maintaining udder hygiene, sanitation of the cow barn, clean food and water supplement, and maintaining a milking schedule.”

If you are looking for a more holistic approach, there is another article in the Gazette about homeopathy and mastitis.

Mastitis in Cows: Causes, Types, Treatment, Prevention and Control

Mastitis …while not common in Dexters an ounce of prevention can go a long way. Read More »

Milking

TENET BEEF UPDATE

After a small sampling from one herd, it appears that the Dexter breed does have this highly inheritable genetic marker. It appears that the marker is found in those cows with the most milk production. This makes total sense, as they refer to the genetic marker as found in most easy keeping cattle.

Unfortunately no bulls were part of the initial testing and semen is not able to be tested for this marker.

So, now that we know the marker is there for the Dexter breed and that it seems to be in cows with most milk…we need more folks to test. It has been suggested that it maybe easy to get a few drops at ear tagging time and a simple tail stick for the older ones.

If you would like more information on how to get your herd tested, please reach out to the Irish Dexter Cattlemen and we will help you get started. It requires only a few drops of blood on a Tenet card sampler. The card is then sent of for sequencing.

It takes 5 days to get to the lab and 10-30 days for the sequencing to happen after being received. They send your your results by email. Pretty simple procedure.

The thing that was most interesting was it was found in the cows with the most milk production. How cool would it be to be able to predict possibly milk production and beef tenderness? Duality!

In case, you need to brush up on this. Below is the podcast that started this adventure. This is NOT the Neogen testing that has been happening by a group of Dexter breeders.

TENET BEEF UPDATE Read More »

General