|
Our
5 acre farm is located in the middle of Western Washington
about 75 miles south of Seattle and 5 miles north
of Olympia, at the southern tip of Puget Sound.
When our daughters grew up and moved
out on their own and our sons headed for college
it was time for us to sit back and reflect and
ponder the future. After 12 years of 4H hogs with
our sons we knew we still wanted to be in farming
of some sort, but also looking towards retirement.
We had no desire to get into any of the fads that
just die out in a few years. Then we came across
the American Lowline Angus and it was love at first
sight, a commercial beef breed smaller in size,
extremely docile and feed efficient to keep costs
down. A perfect match for a small acreage farmer.
It took us 2 years to get a barn
built and enough of our field fenced to be able
to purchase our first lowline. In the spring of
2007 we visited the Lazy G and purchased 2 bred
cows and a yearling bull. We also went to see David
and Donna Whitehead of Bonanza LLC., who had one
of the most impressive herds of Lowline calves
that I had seen, and Donna had one of the best
tasting Lowline roasts I have ever eaten. Then
in the fall of 2007 at weaning time we went back
to Bonanza LLC. and purchased a Beau Ladd heifer
and a month later while attending the Yakima fair
purchased a second Beau Ladd heifer.
I need to thank David for the help,
opportunities and the time he gave us. I learned
more about cattle, in general, in a half a day
than I could have learned in the rest of my life.
Lowlines
in Laymans Terms
The American Lowline is a new beef breed that was started from the best individuals
of an age old well established commercial breed of cattle. Designed from a
research project in Australia for 30 years to establish the best size of cattle
for the best feed efficiency. This project was run by very capable researchers
but more importantly for sn extremely good cattle ranchers knowing how to breed
cattle and what traits to look for. This lead the Lowlines to their smaller
size, perfect for limited acreage or higher stocking numbers per acre. it also
kept the best Angus traits such as tenderness and quality but also some important
new traits. Most importantly the extreme feed efficiency, which makes them
perfect for the organic or natural beef markets, and their docile nature which
makes them great for the backyard farm. Remember docile does not mean their
not motherly, a coyote or stray dog had better start running.
|
