MAY BEEF MONTH: Area family raising a small herd of small cattle

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Jared Nauman used to raise angus beef cattle when he was in high school and is now getting back into the cattle game for his family.

Nauman had been thinking about raising his own beef again when an opportunity came up last October to purchase a small herd of Dexter cattle.

An Irish breed of cattle used for both milk and beef, Dexter cattle are a relatively small breed of cattle that are easy to breed and have mild temperaments, making them a generally low maintenance livestock.

“They only get so tall, so they work a little bit better on fewer acres,” said Nauman. “I thought it would be a really good fit for what we’re trying to do.”

With a bull and three cows on hand, Nauman expects that his little herd will start calving soon. While not planning for a large commercial operation, he hopes that he’ll be able to provide beef for his family and sell the other cows to cover the expense of raising them.

“If we can sell a couple steers every year, we’ll pretty much get our cow for free,” said Nauman.

In the meantime, the cows are serving as an educational tool for Nauman’s children, who feed them and will be showing a yearling at the fair this year.