The Brahmas and Longhorns are a beef cattle staple here, because they are so hardy and can thrive on pasturage a lot of other breeds don’t eat-my family has ranched Brahma and Brahma crosses since it became popular early in the last century. The originally native Longhorns were re-adopted later, when people realized that maybe those fat, feedlot cows full of antibiotics weren’t so good for humans after all.
Over the last 15 or so years, a lot of ranchers have been raising those Highland cattle, along with the Galloways- mostly the banded ones that I think look like big, hairy banded Duroc hogs with horns. Their meat is lean and, like Longhorns and Brahmas, they thrive in a pasture rather than a feed lot. Most of the Texas beef from this area labeled “Texas lean” or “Grass fed” is from those hardy breeds-I do not eat any beef but the grass fed/lean, but then I’m one of those annoying people who only eats natural/unprocessed food and does not use either prescription or illicit drugs.
Bison wore a “food” label in most of America until the army of the time got pissed at the Natives and tried to exterminate both them and the Bison they ate-there are several Bison ranches here in the hill country, and they are lovely animals to look at, but notoriously temperamental and dangerous when pissed-the meat is available at butcher shops and the meat counter of one grocery store chain. It is nice and lean and flavorful, but still really pricey. I’ve been told that they don’t calve as readily or often as domestic bovines, so that may be part of the price.
Herds of Emu are all over the place here since being imported for meat about 30 years ago-you can buy Emu at a lot of butcher shops, too but it never really caught on.
I’ve seen those Jacob sheep, but I didn’t know what they were called-they are weird looking. I like the Barbados ones with their huge, curved horns and long-ish hair.
The Bison are good when crossed with regular beef cattle.
For a while they were selling it as “Beefalean”.
Very tasty.
Not sure why they stopped.
The Lone Emu came from outlanders who bought a mini-farm and stocked it with exotics.
One day they up and split and somehow, the Emu got left behind.
It was a local amusement for many years.
Nobody would try to catch it though because they can gut you in a heartbeat.
Speaking of gutting, life could get exciting here tonight.
My dad and my hubby were both up on the ridge trying to get another deer each before the season ends when the neighbor came flying through the field on an ATV.
Last I heard, dad was ‘having a talk with him’.
I love a good hillbilly feud.
It’s been years since a local boy shot at my uncle over a downed buck.
Been pretty boring since that.
I should walk out in the yard and see if anything crazy is going on down the lane.
[ain’t much else to do in the mountains on a Friday night]
LOL