Wednesday, October 9, 2019

The Belted Galloway - A Hardy and Excellent Beef Cattle Breed

Cattle
Photo by Louis Droege on Unsplash
A seasoned lead coatings expert, Leonard “Len” Pasquale serves as lead coatings inspector for Synergy Inspections based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Len Pasquale is also the owner of Fields of Grace Farm in Hookstown, where he raises Belted Galloway cattle.

A breed originating out of western Scotland, Belted Galloways typically have a black coat with a wide band of white encircling their entire body. The white “belt” around their body has resulted in nicknames such as Belties and Oreo cows, as they have a similar appearance to Oreo cookies. Coming from a harsh climate, Belties have emerged as highly immune to many health problems common in other cow breeds. They can also eat a wide range of forage and live off low quality pastureland.

Docile in nature, their thick coats results in less fat required to protect them from cold weather, resulting in a very low 2 percent fat content, ideal meat for a healthy diet. Belted Galloway beef is also unusually tender, juicy, and flavorful. A Beltie's average dressed weight is over 60 percent of live weight, considered a high carcass yield.