If you look out at our pastures you’ll see some pretty funny looking sheep – those are cows! Needless to say Joe loves his cows. Over the years Joe has pooled his money from raising and selling steers to buy his own herd of registered purebred Belted Galloway cows. These are the iconic black and white “oreo cows”. They’re an amazing breed for growing on a 100% grass diet. They have a two layered coat that makes them especially well suited for southwest Scotland and Michigan winters. The picture to the top right shows Joe (with Mary’s help) showing Hazel and her calf Thomas at the 2015 Washtenaw County 4H Fair. Joe showed Hazel and got 4th place in showmanship and 3rd for showing the cow-calf pair. From time to time, we also buy dairy and beef feeder calves to raise to supplement our herd of Belted Galloways.

During the grazing season you’ll find the cattle grazing the farm with the sheep. Papa implements management intensive grazing where he moves the animals to a new section of grass every 12 hrs. This insures that they graze the grass evenly, prevents them from being overly picky, allows the grass time to rest and regrow, and minimizes the animals’ exposure to intestinal parasites. The cattle receive no artificial hormones or antibiotics. Occasionally, Joe has heifers for sale as breeding stock. For beef sales, we take reservations with a deposit for quarter, half, or whole animals that will be processed at a local processor. You’ll be able to tell them exactly how you want your portion processed.