This is our herd of pure and half-bred British Whites. Except for that red steer in the back, who obviously did not read the grazing plan. British Whites are a rare, ancient breed of cattle said to descend from the white cattle raised by the Celts. In Great Britain they are known as White Park cattle and are much beloved. Supposedly Winston Churchill himself arranged for the evacuation of a herd of British Whites to the United States during the War to insure the breeds’ survival in case of German invasion.
Getting British Whites was my mother’s idea. She has always been the grass-fed advocate in the family and, in doing research on the best breeds, found the British Whites praised for their ability to seek out forage and gain well even on marginal pastures. It doesn’t hurt that they super-cute with those black noses and ears.
They’ve done really well on our ranch, adapting to the rocky, uneven terrain, guinea grass pastures, and steep slopes. In fact they will climb up slopes and cliff-faces that our ‘normal’ cattle stay off of. They are very gentle, calm cattle but also self-assured and excellent mothers. And last but certainly not least, they make for excellent beef!
