About Dexters

Dexters are a dual-purpose breed, providing both meat and milk.  In fact, they could be called a triple-purpose breed as they are also used as oxen.  They are not a miniature breed of cattle.  Dexters have been used on small farms for over a hundred years, and are still the size that most cattle used to be.  A mature Dexter bull at three years old will be no more than 44 inches at the shoulder and weigh no more than 1,000 lbs.  The mature cow will be about 42 inches and weigh about 750 lbs.  Their smaller size allows for a higher stocking density, as well as easier handling.

As dairy cows, Dexters can produce up to 3 gallons per day, with a butterfat content of around 4%.  The meat is lean and lower in cholesterol than regular beef.  (Lean, grass-fed beef should be cooked “low and slow”.)  The carcass will typically dress out at about 55-60%.  The Dexter breed is intelligent and sturdy, with a very calm and gentle temperament.  They are blessed with longevity, mature early, and can be productive for 15 years or even more.  They calve easily and are very good mothers.  Calf-pulling is virtually unheard of with this breed.

There are three colors of Dexters – black, dun, and red.  Black is by far the most common.  It is possible to find polled animals, but horns are more typical.  The horns are short, typically curve up, and are white with black tips.

For more information about this wonderful breed, follow these links to the American Dexter Cattle Association or the Purebred Dexter Cattle Association.

About Us

Thank you for visiting our website!  Our farm got its name from our young nieces and nephews in Florida who were duly impressed upon visiting their Uncle David and Aunt Carolyn Peet in Texas.  We were just beginning the process of developing our Dexter cattle operations, and the drawings that accompanied their thank-you notes following their visit inspired the name and logo.

We chose Dexters because of all of their great qualities – gentle temperament, easy calving, good mothers, and sized to be efficient on a small homestead.  We usually have all three colors – black, dun and red.  We started our herd with the purchase of a young bull, 2 heifers, and 3 cows in 2005.  In 2006 we learned the most important truth about farming: the weather is crucial to your success, and it is out of your control.  2006 saw the worst drought in North Texas in 50 years, and the cost of hay more than doubled.  That’s when we learned the second most important truth about farming – you must always be optimistic about the future.  So we added to our herd in the spring of 2007.  We now maintain a herd of about a dozen mamas and the bull.

Meet our Herd

Red Rock is our Herd Sire

 A Summer Afternoon

2009 Calf

Two Good Mamas

Email us for current availability at

info@uncledavidsfarm.com

Rebecca

About Grass-Fed Beef

Our farm is not officially certified “organic”, but we use no chemicals on our pastures, and we do not use hormones, antibiotics, or other artificial growth stimulants on our cows.  A recent article in Time magazine explained how rotating cattle on grass is sustainable because you put back into the land more than you take out.  The beneficial cycle of raising grass-fed beef, as opposed to feedlots, actually results in a negative carbon footprint!  This is because no fertilizers or pesticides are used to maintain the pastures, and no energy is expended to produce what they eat, other than free solar energy.

Pastured beef is not only healthier for the environment, it is healthier for humans, too.  Compared to conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in saturated fat and higher in omega-3s.