Irish Dexter Cattle: The Little Cows That Changed Everything

That's it. That was my grand plan.

And somehow, four years later, we have around 27 Irish Dexters, a beef business, and a freezer that never seems to have enough beef in it.

I'm starting to think Chris should stop letting me attend agricultural conferences.

It All Started With the Goats. Of Course It Did.

Back in 2022, our main focus was our Kiko goats. Chris and I were attending a goat conference when one of the speakers started talking about grazing goats and cattle together.

Apparently, many of the parasites that cause problems for goats don't establish themselves in cattle, and vice versa. Grazing different livestock species together or in rotation can help interrupt some parasite life cycles.

Now, it's not some magical parasite-eliminating solution. You still have to manage your pastures and pay attention to animal health.

But what I heard was:

"Cows could help us manage the goats."

And I thought, well, that settles it. We need cows.

Chris was not nearly as convinced.

But I kept bringing it up. Every now and then, just a little reminder that cows might be a good idea.

You know. Casually.

Looking back, that conference was one of my first introductions to the ideas behind regenerative grazing. At the time, I wasn't thinking about regenerative agriculture or starting a beef business.

I was thinking about healthier goats.

And cows.

Mostly cows.

And Then There Was Tank

One afternoon, we were picking up pigs from another farmer when he mentioned that he had a calf he'd bought at a bargain.

He asked Chris if he wanted him.

I suspect Chris thought this was his opportunity to solve the cow situation once and for all.

Get Tawney one calf. Tawney gets her cow. Everyone is happy. We can move on with our lives.

Oh, Chris.

That's not how this works.

We brought Tank home, and he quickly became part of the family.

And before long, Chris understood why I'd been talking about cows for so long.

One calf didn't satisfy my desire to have cattle.

It just confirmed that I was right.

Which is something I'm sure Chris was thrilled about.

I Thought I Wanted a Jersey Cow

Originally, I had my heart set on a Jersey.

I wanted a family milk cow.

Not because I had some romantic dream of getting up every morning and milking a cow before breakfast. I already have enough chores, thank you very much.

I just liked the idea of being able to have fresh milk if I wanted it.

There's a big difference between wanting the option to milk a cow and actually committing to milking one every single day.

And I was very interested in the option.

Chris, meanwhile, had been researching Irish Dexters. Then one of our customers mentioned Guernseys.

So instead of just looking for a Jersey, we started comparing all three breeds.

Meet the Irish Dexter: A Little Cow With a Lot Going for It

The first time we visited a farm with Irish Dexter cattle, I was sold.

They were small.

And by small, I mean they didn't look like they could accidentally flatten me just by turning around.

Now, they're still cattle. They can absolutely hurt you if you aren't paying attention. But compared with some of the enormous breeds we'd seen, Dexters felt much more manageable to me.

Chris, of course, was looking at things a little differently.

While I was admiring the adorable little cows, he was thinking about pasture capacity, feed requirements, fencing, and how many animals our land could reasonably support.

You know, the boring practical stuff that keeps us from making terrible decisions.

We don't own hundreds of acres. Smaller-framed cattle made sense for the amount of land we have and the way we want to manage it.

Their smaller size can mean lower feed requirements per animal, and we liked the flexibility that gave us for managing our pastures.

Another thing we appreciated was that our herd is naturally polled, meaning our cattle don't grow horns.

That's one less thing to worry about when you're working around them.

Not that a hornless cow can't still knock you over if it decides you're standing in the wrong place.

Cows have opinions, too.

A Little History About Irish Dexter Cattle

Irish Dexters originated in Ireland and have been around for more than 200 years.

They're considered one of the smallest traditional cattle breeds, and historically they were valued as dual-purpose animals.

That means they were useful for both milk and beef.

For small farms and families, that was a pretty wonderful combination. You didn't necessarily need separate breeds for every job.

And that's what caught our attention.

We weren't looking for cattle that would produce the biggest possible carcass in the shortest amount of time.

We wanted hardy animals that fit our land, our goals, and the kind of farm we were trying to build.

Turns out, the little cows checked a lot of boxes.

And Then I Learned About A2 Milk

Around that same time, I'd started noticing that dairy wasn't agreeing with me.

Which is a pretty inconvenient problem for someone who loves food as much as I do.

While we were visiting a Dexter farm, the farmer started explaining the difference between A1 and A2 beta-casein proteins in milk.

Some cows carry two copies of the A2 beta-casein gene. Those cows are called A2A2, and their milk contains A2 beta-casein rather than A1 beta-casein.

Dexters can have A2A2 genetics, although not every Dexter is automatically A2A2. You need testing to know for sure.

I was curious enough that, before we bought a single cow, I went out and found some A2 milk to try.

And that made me even more interested in the breed.

Now, A2 milk isn't lactose-free, and it isn't a guaranteed solution for people who have trouble digesting dairy. But learning about it gave me one more reason to explore Dexters.

And yes, I still have that dream of having a family milk cow someday.

We're not currently milking our Dexters.

But the option is still there.

I'm sure Chris is delighted that I haven't forgotten about it.

Why Our Grass-Fed Dexter Beef Takes So Long

One of the questions we get asked is why our Irish Dexter cattle take around 28 months to finish.

And the answer is pretty simple.

We finish our cattle entirely on grass and forage, rather than pushing them to grow quickly with a grain-heavy finishing diet.

Grass-based finishing generally takes longer, although the exact timeline depends on the animal, the forage, the weather, and a whole lot of other things farmers can't always control.

Which means we're feeding, moving, and caring for those animals for more than two years before they're ready.

Two. Years.

And then some.

So when people ask why grass-fed beef costs more, there's part of your answer.

More time means more work, more land use, and more expenses.

But for us, it's worth it.

We believe in raising our cattle on pasture and allowing them to grow at a pace that fits our farming practices.

And apparently, patience is something I'm supposed to be learning through farming.

I'm still working on that one.

The First Time I Tasted Irish Dexter Beef

Now here's where the story gets really good.

Because our own cattle weren't ready yet, we purchased a few finished Dexter steers while our herd was growing.

And in 2023, I finally got to sit down and eat my first Irish Dexter steak.

I took one bite.

Put down my knife and fork.

Called Chris.

And said:

"We need more."

Yep.

The woman who just wanted a few cows to help her goats was now telling her husband we needed more cattle because the steak was so good.

At this point, I'm not even sure Chris was surprised.

But that beef!

It had this rich, beefy flavor that I absolutely loved. It wasn't some enormous steak that took up the entire plate.

It was just really, really good beef.

And suddenly, what had started as a livestock management idea became something much bigger.

Yes, Dexter Steaks Are Smaller. That's Kind of the Point.

If you've never purchased Irish Dexter beef before, one thing you might notice is that the steaks are smaller than what you're used to seeing at the grocery store.

That's because they come from smaller cattle.

I know. Groundbreaking information.

But seriously, people sometimes assume a smaller steak means they're getting something inferior.

It doesn't.

It simply reflects the size of the animal.

For couples or smaller families, those portions can actually be pretty convenient.

And personally, I'd rather have a smaller steak that tastes incredible than a giant one that doesn't.

Of course, you can always cook two.

I'm not here to tell you how to live your life.

From One Calf to the Heart of Our Farm

Today, our Irish Dexter herd has grown to around 27 cattle.

And somehow, we still struggle to keep enough Dexter beef in stock.

Which is a wonderful problem to have, unless you're the farmer trying to figure out how to solve it.

We've learned a lot along the way. About grazing, genetics, cattle behavior, pasture management, and the incredible amount of patience required to raise beef this way.

But the funny thing is, none of this was part of the original plan.

I just wanted cows.

A few little cows to help our goats.

And now I honestly can't imagine Fluffy Butt Farms without them.

Even when we started researching other cattle breeds, we weren't looking for something to replace our Irish Dexters.

We were looking for something that could stand beside them.

Which, if you've read our story about bringing Akaushi Wagyu to the farm, you already know where that led.

Apparently, the only thing more dangerous than letting me attend a goat conference is letting Chris and me conduct steak-related market research.

But that's another story.

XOXO,

Tawney