History
Though much has been written of the history of British cattle since the middle of the 18th century, the period immediately before that is almost without a record. Historian Hector Boece (1570), writing about the Galloway, says, "In this region ar mony fair ky and oxin of qubilk the flesh is right delicious and tender." Ortelius, the historian writing in 1573, says, "In Carrick (then part of Galloway) are oxen of large size, whose flesh is tender, sweet and juicy." Excerpt from Galloway Cattle | Oklahoma State University (okstate.edu)
Characteristics
The Galloway, unrivaled as a grazing breed, utilizes coarse grasses and browse frequently shunned by other breeds. Furthermore, their ability to produce a high quality beef product directly from grass, has true economic value in that it is not necessary to feed grains to 'finish' them. The Galloway steer, whether grass or grain fattened, can produce the ideal 600-750 pound carcass. Excerpt from Galloway Cattle | Oklahoma State University (okstate.edu)
Breed Facts
Results showed the Galloway breed placing at the top of the chart for flavor, juiciness and tenderness. – Cycle IV Germ Plasm Evaluation (GPE) Program at the USDA Meat Animal research Center (MARC), Clay Center, Nebaska.
2nd most dense coat, Buffalo ranks first. This thick dense insulation coat provides all the protection the cattle need, allowing fat stores to not collect around the hide, rather it is left to marble the meat – Canadian Govt Experiment Station
Studies conducted by Mols Laboratory of Denmark have demonstrated that of all breeds tested, the Galloway breeds consume more varieties of flora than any of the other breeds in the test.
Galloway breeds have been proven to superior feed converters. In test Olds Agricultural College, Olds, Alberta, over a 10 year period Galloways were shown to use the least feed per kilogram of weight gain.
Nutritional Facts
Finished Galloway beef as compared with other USDA popular beef breeds is:
46% lower in calories
58% lower in total fat
57% lower in cholesterol
72% lower in fat calories
69% lower in saturated fats
19% higher in protein
Omega 3 fatty acid ratio is one of the most healthy in all beef breeds, making it comparable to fish or chicken for a healthy diet. -Belted Galloway Society U.K., Belite.org, livestockconservancy.org