Belted Galloways
Why Belties?
Our family ranch has always raised registered Angus and a commercial herd. We decided to mix it up and grow a herd of “Oreo cows” too. Belted Galloways are an ancient Scottish heritage breed, descendants of cattle brought to Great Britain by the Vikings. The stateside Belties were shipped from Southwest Scotland to the United States in 1939. Belted Galloways are a heritage breed and are on the national Livestock Conservancy “watch list”.
We chose Belted Galloways for their build, temperament, foraging ability, double-hair coat that allows the cattle to thrive in various climates and conditions, and their extremely strong mothering instincts. As a heritage breed from Scotland, Belties are exceptional foragers. Studies have shown they can easily eat more varieties of plants than any other cattle breed thriving in less desirable conditions if needed. Due to a thick coat that insulates and keeps them warm during our cold winters, Belties do not have the typical thick fat rind under their hide that most beef breeds possess. This makes for leaner meat (under 2% fat) and fat is marbled through the meat, making for a tastier, juicer, more flavorful beef.
Belted Galloways are smaller in size so their hanging weight will be less than Angus Cattle. They have a high dress-out ratio – due to their short legs and long coat – and at processing, they often yield over 60% usable meat from the hanging weight. Finished Belted Galloway beef as compared with other USDA popular beef breeds is 46% lower in calories, 72% lower in fat calories, 68% lower in total fat, 69% lower in saturated fat, 57% lower in cholesterol, 19% higher in protein, 67% higher in calcium, and 73% higher in niacin. Belties have an Omega 3 fatty acid ratio that is one of the most healthy in all beef breeds, making it comparable to fish or chicken for a healthy diet.
(Info from Belted Galloway Society U.K., Beltie.org, livestockconservancy.org)
Committed to the well-being of the animals & the land
As a rural and family-run ranch, we’re committed to the highest quality of care for our land and the animals we raise on it. All of our artisanal Beltie Beef are processed humanely and locally. We finish our beef with our ranch-grown hay and a specially-made ration from our local Grange Co-op for 60-90 days. And, we drive our stock trailer with our cattle to Yreka (about 25 miles away) to be harvested and processed.
Since our butcher works with smaller quantities of animals, he can show greater adaptability with cuts of beef. For example, rather than cutting all beef into uniform portions, our artisan butcher takes into account how each animal’s meat and bones will be used and sections it off accordingly. We sell cuts of meat that are hard to find in chain supermarkets, such as picanha, flat iron steak, cowboy ( a chuck-eye or delmonico) steak, and hanger steak, and unusual parts like oxtail and beef marrow bones. Not only does this bring business to our small community, but it also helps us closely monitor the animals' journey while avoiding complications associated with transporting them long distances. In the end, you get high-quality artisanal beef from ranch to table.
How do I buy Beltie beef?
Our website offers our artisanal beef by the cut and curated beef boxes - if there’s something you’d like that you cannot find, please let us know. We inventory and personally assess the cuts each of our customers receive and only ship quality beef that meets our highest standards. We offer local delivery and shipping. Our dry-aged beef ships frozen in a specially insulated box with dry ice from our ranch to your home. To buy beef for your family, check the current availability in our store.
