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Irish eyes smile at Dexters
BRAD COOPER
Qld Country Life
17 Mar, 2011 07:23 AM
The New Italy cheesemaker who prizes her Dexters for their milking ability, not their meat, has been working for three years to reunite members of a quality bloodline long separated over a distance spanning two states.
On Monday, Lynda's search was complete when she added the last piece of the family puzzle to the herd, a daughter (with a bull calf at foot) to a legendary female Dexter that was a prolific winner on the show circuit throughout South East Queensland.
Lynda was first attracted to the Dexter, an ancient Irish breed, about six years ago. Her foundation herd was established with three cows and two heifers, originally bred by Luella Wehl at Wooroolah Dexter Stud at Nambour, from a deceased estate in Northern NSW.
That purchase prompted her to search further for the remants of the cow family, highly renowned for their milk. After three years Lynda tracked down Wooroolah Kelly the 2nd, a grand champion of the breed before reuniting her with daughter Valdora Fields Lexie (a red cow), her sister and best friend, Wooroolah Jani, nieces and nephews and grand daughter Tower View Coco, who is due to have her first calf any day. 
Keeping the family together has been an important exercise, believes Lynda, who says the Dexter breed is extremely social and thrives on company, both animals and human.
"They have a mischievous, playful personality that is hard to resist," she said.
As the secretary of the NSW North Coast branch of Dexter Australia, Lynda has a strong interest in seeing a revival of the breed, which came close to extinction in the early 1970s.
A vegetarian, who says she would never slaughter her animals for food, Lynda says she respects that other producers are finding success marketing Dexter beef or utilising the breed as a dual purpose animal for both milk and meat.
She says that has been the history of the Dexter, once known as 'the poor man's cow' for its ability to sustain a large family with milk and meat.
"Their small size and good temperament make them easy to manage and keep in confined areas if needed as was required by the early Celts," she says.
"They have been used as draft animals as well as bullock teams. Renowned bullocky, the late Jack Axford from Spring Grove near Casino was once a familiar sight around Northern NSW with his team of Dexter steers."
Lynda says it needs to be emphasised that Dexters are not miniature, nor a modified breed, but naturally one of the smallest cattle breeds in the world.
The average cow stands at 97-107 cm (38-42 inch) at the shoulder and weighing between 300-350 kg, while the bulls are 102-112 cm (40-44 inch) and 400-500 kg.
They are a solid colour of black (most common), red or dun, as pictured.
"Dexters are extremely hardy and adaptable to many situations and climates, they are light on the environment and their long life and low upkeep have a distinct advantage over many breeds as well as the ability to breed for 14 - 18 years," Lynda says.
"As dual purpose cattle they provide finely textured, high quality, good flavoured marbled meat. Their smaller muscle fibres produce a fuller flavour.
"Most Dexter beef producers ensure their animals receive a healthy, grass fed diet without the stress of being bulked up in feedlots. The result is a meat that is tender, high in Omega 3 without the fats of intensively farmed cattle."
Often referred to as "beefy little milkers", Lynda says they produce plenty of rich milk with 4 - 5 percent butterfat with small fat globules being easy to digest.
"It has been said that some cows can produce 20 times their body weight in milk each year. There is no doubt that there is a niche market for Artisan cheeses and the Dexter cow is ideal.
"They are also the cattle of choice for many small landholders. The unique personalities of these animals bring a lot of joy to adults and children alike and are confidence-building for those not so experienced with cattle."
Dexter Cattle will again feature at this year's annual Primex (Primary Industry Exhibition) at Casino, Northern NSW, June 16- 18. Queensland Country Life is a proud sponsor of Primex. Visit http://www.primex.net.au
Queensland Country Life
Source: http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com
Photo credits: Jack Axford photo courtesy Dexter Bulletin & 3 Cow Colours courtesy Margaret Paynter