↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Belted Galloway Society Launches National Campaign to Promote the Green...

Got Land Anyone with suitable grazing land who yearns to start, or expand, a small farm, soon discovers the Belted Galloway - the distinctive heritage cattle breed with the broad white belt. To encourage broader interest, the Belted Galloway Society will organize tours of its member farms and ranches for those who want to take advantage of the benefits of raising this heritage breed.

Belties, as they are affectionately known, are smaller than their commercial counterparts, gentle and efficient grazers that can be brought to maturity on rough pastureland. This makes them about the greenest livestock one can raise. The cost of energy - which translates into unpredictable feed costs - is fueling their popularity among small and hobby farmers who want to produce and market a premium, high-value product, according to the Belted Galloway Society in Bendersville, PA 17306 (www.beltie.org).

Belties are believed to have originated in Galloway, Scotland during the mid-19th century. They can winter outdoors in most climates owing to their coarse outer coat that sheds the rain, and soft undercoat that provides insulation and waterproofing. Compared to Black Angus, Belties are smaller, with calves weighing about 70 lbs. Bulls reach weights of around 1,850 lbs and cows around 1,200 lbs. They lack horns or, in cattle parlance, are naturally polled.

Efficient Grazers

Daily gains for Belties can be as high as 2.5 lbs per day on grass - often combined with alfalfa and clover. Though larger breeds gain weight more quickly, Belties consume about 75% of feed for equal gains. Grass fed also develops a naturally distinctive flavor, giving Belted Galloway Beef a premium position specialty shops and high-end restaurants are willing to pay for. The beef is also low in saturated fat as well as total fat with high ratios of Omega 6 to Omega 3 -- the beneficial fatty acids. Tests show total fat grams per 100 grams to be 2.71gms for Belties and 3.24 for the same cuts of random commercial cattle. In a single sample, cholesterol was also lower - 49mg and 70mg per 100 gms respectively, giving this premium product an edge on healthy eating front too.

USDA evaluations at the Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) showed that the breed placed at the top of the chart for flavor, juiciness and tenderness when compared to eleven other breeds.

Restaurants striving to differentiate themselves in a crowded market love Belted Galloway beef - it'ss a premium, grass-fed healthy product raised on traditional farms with a history diners love. For example, London'ss oldest eatery: Rules Restaurant founded in 1798, promotes aged rib eye steaks and other cuts by stating: Like traditional beef of years gone by, mature grass-fed beef from the Gilmonby herd is dark in colour, incorporating thin marbling layers of fat which imparts excellent cooking and eating qualities including flavour, texture, succulence and tenderness.

In Louisville, KY, 610 Magnolia, bills itself as an American farm-to-table restaurant, capitalizing on consumer demand for locally grown-and-raised Belted Galloway Beef. Nearly every menu item - including this specialty beef - is grown or raised in Kentucky or Indiana. We have an amazing pick of local beef, pork lamb and poultry, beans, corn, heirloom tomatoes, and seasonally, squash blossoms, says owner-chef Edward Lee.

Organic Grass Fed

Belted Galloway Society members Lorna and Michael Caldwell of Milladore, Wisconsin are among the breed'ss enthusiasts. The couple wanted to start a small farm following careers in other fields - Lorna in law and Michael is a surgeon who continues to practice medicine. We started out slowly with 13 Belties four years ago, says Lorna. The couple also decided to meet the strict requirements for producing USDA Certified Organic beef that include pesticide-free grazing land and no steroids or antibiotics - even a single administration of antibiotic drops for pink eye will disqualify an animal. Animals that fall outside the organic label may be marketed as natural.

An opportunity then came along for the couple to buy a herd that had been bred back to its original genetic roots. Notes Lorna, Of the 73 Belties in this herd, 63 were pregnant so we did DNA testing to match the calves to their sires. The couple continues the practice identifying the genetic makeup of every animal. Genetic testing also reveals tenderness. Our first bull calf had a tenderness rating of 10 - the highest there is.

Like many small farmers, the Caldwells settled on marketing a value-added product - Certified Organic beef summer sausage that is substantially lower in fat and calories than ordinary beef sausage and modestly lower than turkey sausage. Sodium content at 84mg is some 550mg lower than competing products. Additionally, the couple sells custom cuts to market and restaurant owners - among them Jesse Ziff Cool, a California celebrity chef and sustainable agriculture advocate. Her restaurants include the Flea St. Caf's233;, Menlo Park, CA.

Note to editors: Belted Galloway Society members are available for interviews and offer a range of profiles - from small producers of premium beef and value-added products to avid hobby farmers. Samples are available to journalists for taste tests.

Belted Galloway herds can be found throughout the US. Www.beltie.org lists breeders by region. To tour a member farm or for further information, contact the Society'ss outreach director Jon Bednarski at 502-222-4326.

The U.S. Belted Galloway Society was first established as the Belted Galloway Association in 1921.

Media Contact: Dick Pirozzolo 781-235-9911

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

---

This article has been robotically scanned and tagged by Prnewsnow with the following search tags. No human manipulation of these tags take place.
| Fitness | Dad Fitness | dad fitness system |

---

4895 readers online...

, Local News