The Belted Galloway is a rare beef breed of cattle originating from Galloway in South West Scotland, adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and windswept moorlands of the region. The exact origin of the breed is unclear although it is often surmised that the white belt that distinguishes these cattle from the native black Galloway cattle may be as a result of cross breeding with Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle. Belted Galloways are primarily raised for their quality marbled beef, although they are sometimes milked and purchased to adorn pastures due to their striking appearance.

Breed history

The origin of the white belt is unknown, but generally presumed to come from cross breeding with Dutch belted cattle. A Polled Herd Book was started in 1852 which registered both Aberdeen-Angus and Galloways. Galloway breeders acquired their own herd book in 1878. The Dun and Belted Galloway Association was formed in 1921, and after 1951 the name of the organization was changed to the Belted Galloway Society and dun cattle were no longer registered. It also keeps and records pedigrees for Belted Galloways and oversees the registration of White and Red Galloways. Currently in the UK there is a thriving breeding programme overseen and guided by the Belted Galloway Cattle Society. Belted Galloways were first imported to the United States by Harry A. Prock of Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania in 1950.

Population

Belted Galloways, also known as Belties, are currently listed with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy as a "watched" breed, which means there are fewer than 2,500 annual registrations in the United States and a global population of less than 10,000. In 2007 they were formally removed from the UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust's watch list, having recovered sufficiently from the devastation of the foot and mouth crisis of the early 2000's, to have reached in excess of 1500 registered breeding females.

Characteristics

Galloway cattle are naturally polled. The most visible characteristics of the Belted Galloway are its long hair coat and the broad white belt that completely encircles the body. Its coarse outer coat helps shed the rain, and its soft undercoat provides insulation and waterproofing, enabling the breed to happily overwinter outside. Black Belties are most prominent, but Dun and Red Belties are also recognized by breed societies, the latter being comparatively rare and sought after. A Belted Galloway cannot be registered if it has white other than the belt above the dew claw. A beltie also cannot be registered if it is tricolored, such as having a spot of black on a dun belted cow. Tricolored Belties are uncommon. Another rare mark is a bullseye. It is a blotch of color somewhere on the midsection surrounded by white. This kind of mark is incredibly rare and the beltie bearing it becomes quite valuable.

Bulls weigh from 1,700 pounds (770kg) to 2,300 pounds (1045kg) with the average being 1,800 pounds (820kg). Cows weigh from 1,000 pounds (454kg) to 1,500 pounds (680kg) with the average being 1,250 pounds (568kg). Calves generally weight from 65 pounds (30kg) to 75 pounds (34kg), although 60 pounds (27kg) and 80+ pound (36kg) calves are not unheard of. Belties are generally of a quiet temperament, but still maintain a strong maternal instinct and will protect a calf against perceived threats.

Belties are well-suited for rough grazing land and will utilize coarse grasses other breeds would shun. They are able to maintain good condition on less than ideal pasture, and produce a high quality beef product on grass alone. The USDA Cycle IV Germ Plasm Evaluation Program at the Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) showed that Galloway crosses placed at the top of the chart for flavor, juiciness and tenderness when compared to eleven other breeds.

Literature on the breed

Much has been written about these cattle over the years. William M'Combie, one of the founding fathers of the modern Angus breed, made the following comment about Galloway cattle: "The Galloway undoubtedly has many great qualifications. On poor land they are unrivaled, on land so poor our Aberdeens could not subsist upon it. There is no other breed worth more by the pound weight than a first-class Galloway.". The writer William Youatt wrote in his "Youatt on Cattle": "The Galloways are native to the country and incapable of improvement. The intelligent Galloway breeder is now perfectly satisfied that his stock can only be improved by adherence to the pure breed, and by care and selection." Perhaps the most authoritative reference work on the breed is 'An Illustrated History of Belted Cattle' by Lord David Stuart, himself one of the foremost breeders of Galloway cattle in Scotland during the 20th century.

Breeders

In the U.S., the majority of breeders are in the East, with herds throughout New England, the Midwest, and the Southeast. The breed is slowly moving westward and there are now a few herds scattered in the western states of California, Oregon and Texas. The U.S. Belted Galloway Society website contains a listing of breeders by region.

There are a number of Beltie breeders throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK with a noticeable concentration in the breed's home area of Dumfries and Galloway. The Belted Galloway Cattle Society holds its Annual General Meeting and Breed Society Show and Auction every October in Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway. Belties are also raised in Australia with herds found throughout the country, even in sub-tropical areas.

References

See also

• Hereford
• Holstein
• Dutch Belted
• Beef
• Dairy
• Bovine

External links

• Belted Galloway Cattle Society
• Belted Galloway Society of the United States of America
• Australian Belted Galloway Association
• Galloway Cattle & Beef Marketing Association (Australia)
• University of Massachusetts Belted Galloway Group