Today’s large-framed commercial cattle are much too large to be efficient in a pasture-growth. For years these animals been dependent on grain to support their huge body-mass.

We use Dexter cattle, a smaller, dual-purpose breed of Irish origin. The Dexter is known for its hardiness, beef quality and docility. Dexters are the smallest breed of cattle in America. Cows mature to 750-800 lbs. and 36-42 inches high at the shoulder. Bulls mature to 1000-1100lbs. and 38-44 inches high at the shoulder. They usually are black but can be dunn (a reddish brown shade).

This breed is a strain of the Irish Kerry. It was developed in the south west of Ireland at the end of the eighteenth century by a Mr. Dexter who wanted to breed a small animal that would be suitable for dairy and beef purposes. They are very small cattle with a broad, deep torso, short legs with noticeably angled back legs and heavily muscled hind quarters.
Smaller breeds like Dexter are better suited to grass-based farming; Dexter are also more earth friendly as they require less grazing acreage per cow.

At Red Sun Farm we believe that healthy animals can be raised without the aid of prophylactic antibiotics. Of course, if one of our animals gets seriously ill, we will use antibiotics to swiftly cure the illness. We always exceed FDA guidelines of a “healthy period” before we would use that animal for meat production.
We never use hormones or other artificial growth promoters.