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Annual Beltie Magazines

The Belted Galloway Society has produced full-color, 36- to 44-page magazines annually since 2004. An extracts from one of the publications is accessible below. Obtain copies of the most recent printed edition by sending a request with your snail mail address to the Executive Director at Email: executivedirector@beltie.org.

The cow/calf operation.

Patterson Pride raises Belted Galloways in Reinholds, Lancaster County, in southeastern Pennsylvania. It's a typical cow/calf operation in most ways, but the farm is unusual in that all pastures are leased. ...  The Pattersons generally run around 35 head which becomes over 50 during the period before calves are weaned. In addition to the herd bull, they raise one or two young bulls each year for sale as herd sire prospects. Bull calves not selected as breeding prospects are steered. Terry says, "Lately there has been a strong demand from other Beltie beef producers and we have sold steers directly to them. Any not sold this way we raise ourselves and sell as freezer beef. We sometimes end up buying some ol' Hereford for our own freezer because we don't have any Beltie beef left!" Terry adds, "Herd size is limited here by our pastures. If weanling calves are not sold in the fall, we haul them upstate to the farm in Tioga County and feed them silage bales for the winter." 

The showperson.

Jerry and Kathi Jurkowski's Klover Korners Farm in Rockton, Illinois was established in 1989 when both retired from their dental lab and at auction purchased an old dairy farm with 160 acres. ... What distinguishes the Jurkowskis' involvement with the breed? And why is the headline on this page "The Showperson'? Kathi considers Klover Korners a "typical Ma & Pa cow/calf operation." But her involvement with juniors and showing is anything but typical. Kathi has lent or sold many calves to youngsters aspiring to the show ring. When a junior acquires a Klover Korners calf, they get Kathi, too. She shepherds them through the training, grooming and fitting process, helps them get to and from the shows, and is always ready to lend equipment and offer advice or assistance. She tells the novices, "Belties are pretty popular at any fair. But if you think you're going to march out in that ring and steal the show, you're wrong! You've got to do your time, be competitive, keep coming back, a little better each time."

Juniors at the University of Massachusetts.

It's a real pleasure to relate the activities of the exceptional students in the Beltie Group at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. These Animal Science majors are making their mark in show rings all around the Northeast - but showing is just one facet of their involvement with the University's Belted Galloway herd. Members of the UMass Beltie Group are our future veterinarians, animal nutrition researchers, and herd owners. ... Brianna Flanagan says, "The Animal Science department gives students the opportunity of hands-on learning through three student-run groups: The UMass Dorset Sheep Group, UMass Boer Goat Group, and the UMass Belted Galloway Group. We have approximately 30 members in our Group. Our goal is to learn beef cattle management and gain experience working in direct contact with the cattle including making management decisions involving sales and marketing, breeding, and nutrition. The Group is also focused on working to improve the breed and educate the public by introducing Belted Galloways to the farming communities in western Massachusetts."

 

The beef producer.

Louis Rorimer's Snake Hill Farm, L.P. is dedicated to marketing Certified Organic Beltie beef, vegetables, and maple syrup. Snake Hill is in Bainbridge Township, Geauga County, near Cleveland, Ohio. Louis relates, "The farm consists of about 70 acres of pastures, fields and gardens, plus about 80 acres of maple syrup woods and some additional woodlands. Our overall goal is to preserve the farm, and the sales of organic beef play an integral role in pursuit of that mission. ... My wife Savery takes the lead on the vegetable garden, and I take the lead on beef, but we are all involved in sales of all the products. This year at the height of the growing season we were going to five markets per week: two on Saturday, one on Sunday and two on Wednesday. ... During 2008 we slaughtered and sold 8 animals, about half in individually wrapped packages at farmers' markets and the rest by the whole, half or quarter. We plan to sell 10 next year." 

The butcher.

Wisconsin River Meats is located in the beautiful Wisconsin River valley, near Castle Rock Lake, in rural Mauston. Founded in 1992 by John and Diane Hamm and their partner David Mauer, the original facility has been enlarged numerous times and is now over 8,000 square feet equipped with the latest in meat processing technology. They have 20 year-round employees and go up to 30 during the fall processing and Christmas seasons. ... Processing Belted Galloways is routine at Wisconsin River Meats. John markets 10 to 20 of his own Beltie steers annually and notes, "We also usually do 5-10 from Governor Tommy Thompson's herd as well as some for several independent producers. We sell 75 to 150 head of beef per year in sides and quarters and up to one-third are Belties. ... We consider a 700-lb. carcass ideal, and we prefer the beef to be 18-24 months old. The Belties we process consistently dress out at 60% or better."

 

The semen supplier.

Steven and Jane Silberberg's Holbrook Hill Farm consists of 40 lovely wooded acres on the edge of Bedford, New Hampshire. Steven notes, "We rent some adjacent property and hay several fields in neighboring towns. We began raising Belties in 1991. A friend had a herd and we were attracted to their hardiness and resiliency. We usually keep 9 to 12 breeding females and always have yearling heifers and a couple of young bulls available. We don't like to sell bulls too young. They seem to go through growth spurts at different ages and it takes 24 to 30 months to get a good sense of how they will develop." ... Steven became interested in importing genetics because he was looking for outcross lines. He says, "Most of the U.S. herd is bred pretty close."  He has imported genetics from Australia and Scotland, beginning with arranging to distribute semen in the U.S. from the famed Australian bull Shiralee Moonshine, and later adding distribution rights for another Australian champion, Northfield Donald.  In 2000 he watched Mochrum Kingfisher win a fifth Grand Championship at the Royal Highland in Edinburgh, and arranged to import semen from this bull, also. On the same trip through Scotland he saw a young Boreland bull, James Bond, from the recently dispersed Boreland herd in northern Scotland, and began negotiations to have the bull's semen drawn for import. ... Steven's goal is to broaden the U.S. genetic base, which his imports definitely have done. He says, "I look for lines that were not already here in one form or another."

 

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