Dexters as

Market-Niche Natural Beef

Dexter beef is very popular with consumers because of its excellent flavour and small joints. Nearly all Dexter breeders enjoy their own home-raised beef while an increasing number supply Dexter beef to the market through farm shops, farmer's markets and private sales. In some places, efforts are being made to establish Dexter beef as the beef of choice in the hotel and restaurant trade. The raising of Dexters in natural and organic regimes means that this beef is highly sought after and usually the demand cannot be met.

Dexter cattle are usually viewed as early maturing. Dexter beef is generally tender and tasty (though like all beef, this can be dependent on the slaughtering and butchering process). In the UK, Dexter steers can finish on grass at 20 to 24 months of age without supplementary feeding. However, as with any dual-purpose breed with a variety of different breeding lines, average carcass weight can vary, with the UK carcass data being between 145 and 220 kilograms (320 to 485 pounds). Dexters have a particularly favourable meat to bone ratio with a killing-out per centage of over 56 achievable.

Growth rates of beef cattle vary considerably with feeding regimes, climate, selective breeding, and individual characteristics. Whatever the general characteristics of the breed, however, the experience of Dexter beef producers is echoed in the comments made in November 2004 on a Dexter Discussion Board - "We sell by word of mouth, direct to our own customers... We find we can't keep up with demand and the customers don't quibble about the price because it is a premium product." 

On to Ideal House/Nurse Cow

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