The Case for the Cross Bred Homestead Cow
Every Homestead is unique. And every Homestead has unique needs. One thing we all likely share though is the desire for self-sufficiency. This desire of self-sufficiency often includes the family milk cow and the family beef cow. From the milk cow we are able to provide amazing products such as milk, cheese and butter to our homes. And from the beef cow, meat for our tables. What we don’t often talk about though is the thought process behind what it takes to actually get going with these things. While we don’t have to replace the family milk cow every year, we do have to replace the family beef cow. This concept is what led to the creation of our Foundation Dual-Purpose Cross line of cattle.
At Rocky Bottom Mini Farm, we, at times, breed our Lowline Angus / Aberdeen to our Mini Jerseys to create the Mini Dual-Purpose Cross! A thoughtful and intentional cross breed with a true dual purpose. I can’t understand why there aren’t more of these amazing little cows out there! This has created what, in our opinions, is the perfect Homestead cross. By choosing these two specific breeds, a combination of milk and meat, you end up with a cross bred cow that is the perfect combination of each allowing for the best of the benefits from the two lines.
When a family chooses a Mini Dual-Purpose Cross as their family cow, this opens up awesome possibilities in the coming years. While she produces milk for your family’s table, she will also produce a calf for the next year. When ready to AI your Mini Dual-Purpose Cross Cow, a homestead can choose whether to breed back to a Mini Jersey bull giving a 75% mini dairy calf or can choose to breed back to a Lowline Angus / Aberdeen bull giving a 75% mini beef calf and thus a more beefier calf. With this, the question becomes each year:
What does your family need?
Milk or meat? A replacement dairy cow or beef for your table?
Sending a full-size steer to the butcher can be costly and produces an extremely large quantity of meat that is often more than a family needs thereby overwhelming freezer space with a large butchering bill. Sending instead, a mini steer to the butcher, is a much smaller bill to pay and produces generally enough meat for a family of 4 for a year depending on your consumption and use. We love this combination for that reason! Each year we butcher a miniature sized steer for our table which has served us extremely well!
Of course, if you have the ability to start with a Mini Jersey Cow and a Lowline Angus / Aberdeen, that is the way to go. You can then breed for this cross from your dairy girl to have a beefier calf. Be sure to talk to us about bull selection to make the right choice for calving ease.
Choose your breeding on what makes the most sense for your farm and based on what you need in the future. The possibilities are endless!
Have questions? Feel free to reach out and message me! I am happy to help where I can and if I don’t know, I have resources to turn to so together we can find an answer!
Have a blessed day guys and happy farming!