Yak

[Chikz]

lol @ goosedragon's B&J flavor of the week!
It wasn't a bad article, and the photos were good too. One of the ranches is a former dairy farm in Waitsfield, VT.

Here's the online version of the story: http://www.boston.com/news/local/ver...opular_demand/

OregonSwedes,
Alpacas are limited in usage (wool), and the specialty-fiber market just isn't big enough. They are too small even to be good as beasts of burden, while llamas have a niche in the pack-animal hiking outfits popular in "green" tourism. But yaks are good for meat as well as wool, and with the right marketing it could be "Yak Steak: It's What's For Dinner" (or, the Boston Globe article's slogan: "A Yak in Every Pot") for upscale "green" types. You can even make cheese from the milk. When I was in Nepal, I had yak-milk tea and cheese (btw, female yaks are called "dri" there, while just the male is a "yak." And that's specifically for the domestic ones. Wild yaks are called "drong").

Also, yaks being evolved in high-altitude, cold climates, they seem to thrive our northern states and Canadian provinces, so that may be where the industry could be encouraged. They prolly wouldn't be the best choice for, say, a south-Texan rancher who would likely be better off with hot-climate Brahma cattle.

[Patrick]

The article disgusted me, quirky yak sayings and all. Dope of a reporter going on, comparing them to puppies, is almost understandable, but the farm owner is just as clueless about their behavior. And what kind of sorry excuse for a livestock owner allows such young children in close proximity to an animal that he himself doesn't even understand how to restrain? There was some good information, but the following plays right into our society's thorough ignorance about animal behavior:

Yaks are not easy pets to own. They can run surprisingly fast and leap fences. They routinely ignore their masters. But they can also learn to come when they are called, they are excellent substitutes for guard dogs, and they are popular among people who like to buy exotic pets.

I've seen the videos on that farm's website. A bunch of yahoos, not one of which understands herding behavior. One sensible person in the background, a veterinarian or experienced yak man, is drowned out and all but ignored by the sophomoric antics of Jethro playing yak rodeo, and the others thinking it all great fun to be chasing them around a pen. These are not the sort that we need representing exotic, or any, animal ownership to the public. They'll have an escape or a serious injury to someone, and next thing you know, yaks will be the target of excessive regulations or sensational press, when it should be stupid yak owners that are banned.

[Chikz]

Points taken. And yeah, I was surprised at how glib the reporter and the owner both were about having little kids around large, behaviorally risky animals and how cavalier they were about children getting tossed, pinned and nearly gored. That was pretty bizarre. I won't be surprised if letters to the editor express dismay about that.

Newspapers have been including a lot of stories about yuppie suburbanites and upper-middle-class "refugees" from the cities buying ag land and becoming gentleman farmers without really getting any solid education about what they're getting into. Kind of like their counterparts who buy an old rural inn and think how romantic and idyllic it will be to run a bed-and-breakfast.

Likewise, there are loads of articles about getting backyard chickens, goats, bees and other DIY food-producing activities, and absolutely none of those stories I've read has ever pointed out any of the harsh realities of keeping and raising living creatures -- the diseases, predators, dangers posed (even a pygmy goat can gore or injure a child). The reporters only cite the charms and delights of fresh eggs and cute custom-made coops painted in cheery colors. These stories are usually written by urban writers with no ag background, and are meant to be entertaining filler for likewise urban or suburban, upscale readers. The one hopeful thing is that they will not be interested in raising yaks because they'd ruin the manicured lawn.

[wyldflower]

Maybe something will come of itmaybe not. But we are enjoying the yaks.

[Eric]

I just found your site and wanted to let you know I raise Yak in north eastern PA,
I have around 20 head, If anyone is still interested. 570-458-6421 Eric

[Altair]

The fiance and I visited Vermont Yak Co. yesterday, and here are some snapshots of the visit. They're very interesting animals.

[Oregon Swedes]

Interesting photos, Altair.

I wonder what the difference is between Yak and cattle, aside from the large coat.

[Altair]

They're much pricier, at least in our market here. You can graze more per acre I've heard, the meat's better (many opine), you can use their hair for yarn. They're much smaller than your average cow, something like a jersey, even smaller. And they can stay all out in our winters which saves on heating a barn. Yak calve easy, live longer than most cattle, and have fewer disease problems. Don't need grain. Those are just a few. I heard they can clear 6-foot fences easily if they want. No word on if they jump over the moon like their cousins.

[katschicks]

They look just like long haired cattle to me. One way to find out. Breed one to a cow and if the resulting cross can reproduce it will be the same family as cattle. Not like a Bison cross that is for the most part sterile. Rog

[wyldflower]

With crosses Males are sterile females are not. Strange but that's whatI've found out. Our purebred yak bull is proving to be interesting. We are Loving him.

[Patrick]

There's a few misconceptions here.
Yak and cattle are different species, albeit closely related. Domestic cattle belong to one of two species. Bos taurus, what most people think of as typical European cattle breeds, and Bos indicus, the humped zebu breeds common mainly in tropical regions. Wild yaks, Bos muticus are now considered to be a distinct species from domestic yaks, Bos grunniens. I've never heard of different yak breeds, but it wouldn't surprise me if they exist in Tibet. In the US any breeds have not been kept distinct. Here we now have just color varieties. The common black with a gray muzzle, black with a black muzzle (Imperial) and Golden which is very rare here. Pattterns include trim, with white on the forehead and extremities, and Royal which are pinto or piebald marked. Both Trims and Royals may occur with any three of the ground colors, Black, Imperial or Golden.
Not all bison/cattle hybrids are sterile. The beefalo breed has a percentage of bison blood.
Yaks can be more expensive than many unregistered cattle, especially Goldens, but there are many registered purebred cattle which are much more expensive than average yaks. Some yaks may clear 6' fences, but so can some cattle. Many yaks can be kept safely in fences that will hold average cattle.
"They" say that the meat is better for you than beef, similar to bison, low in cholesterol, but if it's so great, why hasn't it caught on more? I've been meaning to try it out for myself to find out. More yak can be kept per acre than cattle, but they are smaller than most cattle breeds. They may be able to do well on much worse pasture than cattle, but their efficiency in feed conversion is not nearly as good.

[Altair]

Yaks can be more expensive than many unregistered cattle, especially Goldens, but there are many registered purebred cattle which are much more expensive than average yaks. Some yaks may clear 6' fences, but so can some cattle. Many yaks can be kept safely in fences that will hold average cattle.
"They" say that the meat is better for you than beef, similar to bison, low in cholesterol, but if it's so great, why hasn't it caught on more? I've been meaning to try it out for myself to find out. More yak can be kept per acre than cattle, but they are smaller than most cattle breeds. They may be able to do well on much worse pasture than cattle, but their efficiency in feed conversion is not nearly as good.

The price range I've heard from the herd here is $2,000-$3,500 which is what they paid to import them from I think it was Minnesota. And that didn't include transport costs. Another breeder, perhaps the source of the original herd - not sure, was having a sale and was charging $1,000 for females. How those prices compare to cattle I have no information. I hypthesize yak meat is scarce because the animals themselves are more difficult to find. I've lightly researched importing them from Canada which would be a lot closer, but have no idea how much red tape would be involved. Their cost is another. Male dairy cattle calves for meat are a dime a dozen here. And you'd have to get a somewhat sizeable yak herd to be able to butcher regularly without slaughtering your breeding stock/replacement animals. There's always the "exotic" stereotype that turns some, certainly not all, people off. If it isn't homogenized, store bought stuff perfect for Hamburger Helper people refrain. Those're just my inferences, I'm no expert.

One of the VT Yak Co. owners plays in a band featured at a local restaurant once a month. He brings yak meat too. I'm going to try and hit up his next visit to get a taste.

[Altair]

I got to try some ground yak this weekend. It had great flavor and was quite mild, nothing gamey or overwhelming. Made a great burger, didn't even need ketchup.

[Altair]

Fortuitous or not, Vermont Yak Co. is for sale and my fiance and his folks are currently looking to buy the whole herd. I haven't thrown myself on the bandwagon just yet, still doing proverbial homework.

[Patrick]

Hopefully they know more, or at least have more sense about dealing with animals than the previous owners.

[Altair]

They're 3rd generation farmers who've been raising dairy cattle for years full-time. Stephen, generation number four, has really fallen for the yak. There are other people interested in the herd and it will cost a good price to buy all 50 animals (if they get them) but I'm hopeful they'll treat them with experience and respect. If not I'll have the familial authority to tell them so, beat them on the head, etc.

[HardscrabbleYakFarm]

Ok I registered just to clear up some misconceptions. I have a yak farm. Yak meat is best ground up with nothing added to it. This produces a 99% lean burger which tastes a lot like ground up $20/lb sirloin. The tenderloin makes for an excellent steak, forget the rest. What my butcher calls good steaks are much tougher than their cow cousins so we grind everything except the loin. We bottle fed our yaks so they are tame. Yaks born in a field are domesticated and docile but not as tame as bottle fed babies and are less attached to people. I have a golden bull for sale if anyone is interested, he was bottle fed for about 10 months so he enjoys people's company. He's 3 1/2 years old and a proven breeder. I'm not interested in a lot of money for him, it's more important that he goes to a good farm where common sense prevails. If you stick 2nd graders in with him they might not be safe.

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