spring season is a wonderful time of the year here at the ranch.  Warm gentle breezes, like messengers of balmy summer days to come, blow waves through the fresh emerald grasses sparkling with dew, whisking away the last reminders of the cool of the night.  The pastures are fragrant with deep mounds of bluebonnets, sunny Indian Blankets and buttery Evening Primrose, while a profusion of Paintbrush, Prairie Verbena, Winecups and Blue Eyed Grass create a blanket of color that speaks of the magnificence of God's great creation.  Refreshing rains and sunny skies awaken the land from the deep slumber of winter's long chill, refilling ponds and renewing the song of trickling springs and the spirit of shady forest retreats.  The day's activities for our herd might include lounging at our rustic old barn, searching for ripening dewberries in the back pasture, exploring secluded pathways leading to hidden grazing meadows, or best of all a stop at the house for a head-to-tail brushing and focused attention. This is the life that our Dexters enjoy...this is the place that our Dexters call home.

Dexters are a unique and outstanding breed of cattle that are just right for small family farms.  As with other breeds, they can be simply be put to pasture and they'll do well with little care.  However, Dexters have been traditionally raised as Family Cows for many generations and therefore respond very positively to personal care and attention.  Dexters are the smallest standard breed of cattle, with the cows being just over waist-high, and the bull being chest-high.  Because they are small, they are less intimidating and easier to handle.  Our cows are calm and gentle, as is our bull, and our calves are exuberant and adorable.

Our Dexters are very easy on our pastures.  They are small, thrifty and economical -- requiring less grass and less acreage per cow.  While some breeds desire improved grasses, our herd prefers native varieties, and they do, in fact, eat a wide assortment of weeds.

Our Dexters are friendly, curious and very intelligent.  They want to be close by to see what we're doing.  Eventually they might insert themselves between us and the source of our attention in a hopeful effort to get petted, and the more attention we give them, the more time they want to spend interacting with us.

Our Dexters have wonderful personalities, each being unique and rich and surprisingly amusing.  Some are outgoing while others are very relaxed.  They are loving, take good care of their calves, and return affection in their own special way.  They enjoy the simple touch of our hand, get excited at the prospect of even the smallest treat of organic alfalfa pellets, and will go to sleep to the gentle sound of our voices speaking kind words about their beauty, their freedom, and the promise of a lifetime of good care, green grass and an enjoyable tail scratch. 

It is  impressively relaxing, satisfying and renewing to spend time in the pasture visiting our herd.  Our Dexters are a wonderful part of our lives, and if the daily stress of too many tasks to do in too little time is weighing heavily, all it takes is a few minutes brushing Treva, introducing ourselves to a newborn calf, or telling Honey how happy we are that she's here at the ranch, to melt away the stress.  Treva, Sabrina and Dulci absolutely smile with their eyes at the prospect of daily attention, and giving Honey a big long hug makes the world a better place.  Dexters provide more smiles, more laughter and more fun per cow.  They are indeed The Perfect Family Cow, so we're spreading the love, one Dexter at a time!