Belted Galloways

One of the teachers up at the high school raises Belted Galloway cows. Last fall at a school function we discussed the possibility of buying a few cows from him.

Belted Galloways are an unusual looking breed where the front and back ends are either solid black or red, with a middle "belt" of white. Some owners call them "Belties" while those who admire them from afar will often call them "Oreos". Belted Galloways have a rich history dating back to 16th century in the Galloway district of Scotland, and could have originated as a cross of Black Galloway with Dutch Belted. Other characteristics of this breed are thicker hair, shorter legs, slower growth, and smaller weight. They also produce superior beef when grass fed. On rare occasions, a Beltie will be born without the belt marking and these are commonly called "throwbacks".

So a few weeks before Christmas we went to visit his farm and chose out a couple of nice heifers. We chose #45 and #46. One is about 15 months old and the other is about 10 months old. We agreed on a price per pound and they arranged to have them weighed at the local sale barn.

The two Belties were delivered the other day, along with registered papers naming the two heifers Beth and Abby. For those of you who know us, you'll know why this is funny. Beth was delivered already bred. So hopefully we'll have a little Beltie calf sometime late summer. There was a humorous discussion about why Abby was too young to be bred, but when she's ready, they will help with her breeding.