What's so good about "belties?"
Belted Galloways, or "belties" are an old Scottish breed of cattle, believed to have originated hundreds of years ago as a result of a cross between a Galloway and the Dutch Lakenvelder. The result was beautiful - cattle in black, red or dun that have a large white belt around their middle. Stories abound of 'belties' referred to as "Oreo Cows," "High-Vis Cows," or "Panda Cows"- their white belt means that they can be easily seen, and they just look good in your paddock! Some old farmers talk about always having a Belted Galloway when droving at night - so they can see where the mob is!
Coming from the Scottish Highlands, the 'beltie' is a smaller breed, with a double coat of hair - an outer shaggy overcoat in winter, with a soft, thicker undercoat. This combination keeps the 'beltie' warm in cool weather, and means that they maintain body weight with less feed in the cold weather. They are hardy - winter feed costs are less than many other breeds because of their double coat. The double coat is shed in summer making the Belted Galloway breed highly adaptable and versatile.
Known to do very well on marginal pastures in low rainfall, Belted Galloways are non-selective grazers means that they are not so hard on the pastures either! We have shown through the 2018/2019 drought that this breed can exist very happily on pretty ordinary grass - and still be well rounded!
Belted Galloways are long lived and perfect for a long term breeding program - often breeding into their late teens, with a high fertility. Cows rarely experience calving issues as a result of the low birthweight of the calves, and are renowned for their mothering ability and rich milk. Cows can be counted on to produce a calf each year consistently for many years.
Being a naturally polled animal, there is no need to worry about de-horning
Beef Quality? Well - awesome really. It's been shown to have a low total fat content, but tender, tasty beef. Being an animal that is slow to mature, you get better flavour, from tender, juicy beef. Just ask the Angus breeders who were pipped for first place in the Carcasse comp at the Royal Melbourne Show in 2018 - the winner was the Beltie!
Coming from the Scottish Highlands, the 'beltie' is a smaller breed, with a double coat of hair - an outer shaggy overcoat in winter, with a soft, thicker undercoat. This combination keeps the 'beltie' warm in cool weather, and means that they maintain body weight with less feed in the cold weather. They are hardy - winter feed costs are less than many other breeds because of their double coat. The double coat is shed in summer making the Belted Galloway breed highly adaptable and versatile.
Known to do very well on marginal pastures in low rainfall, Belted Galloways are non-selective grazers means that they are not so hard on the pastures either! We have shown through the 2018/2019 drought that this breed can exist very happily on pretty ordinary grass - and still be well rounded!
Belted Galloways are long lived and perfect for a long term breeding program - often breeding into their late teens, with a high fertility. Cows rarely experience calving issues as a result of the low birthweight of the calves, and are renowned for their mothering ability and rich milk. Cows can be counted on to produce a calf each year consistently for many years.
Being a naturally polled animal, there is no need to worry about de-horning
Beef Quality? Well - awesome really. It's been shown to have a low total fat content, but tender, tasty beef. Being an animal that is slow to mature, you get better flavour, from tender, juicy beef. Just ask the Angus breeders who were pipped for first place in the Carcasse comp at the Royal Melbourne Show in 2018 - the winner was the Beltie!
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