The history of the Dexter breed goes back to the 18th century where in the Irish Highlands, families kept a house cow to provide enough milk to raise its calf & also enough for the household to produce milk, butter & cheese. As the Dexter cow produced 10 to 15 litres of milk a day & along with their smaller stature & quiet nature, the Dexter suited perfectly.

In their travels, the British came across the Dexters & admired the qualities that stood them apart from the larger breeds. They soon imported them back to England so the Aristocracy could have the Dexters roam their vast estates.

Dexters today maintain those same qualities which we now appreciate for perhaps different reasons. Their size is less intimidating to the cattle handler, causes less damage to the soil & it means we can use lighter cattle yards than the larger breeds use. They are a curious animal & will investigate anything new in the paddock. The Dexter is a very good forager & when feed is low, it will keep condition on when the larger breeds will drop condition. Their conformation means they deliver calves very well & their nurturing of their young is 2nd to none. In fact they make so little fuss when calving, you will be lucky to witness a birth. You will just go down to the paddock & find a calf all cleaned up & suckling from its mum!

In our experience, a 24 month old grass fed Dexter steer can weigh about 360kg, which will give you about 120kg of high quality beef which can be stored comfortably by the household to supply beef for a good portion of the year.