When you first pull into The Farm, you’ll spot some of our bovine friends grazing and basking in the sunshine. These gentle giants each have their own personality and are a highlight of The Farm. Let’s take a moment to introduce them.
Penny
Penny is a Hereford heifer. “Heifer” is what we call young female cattle who have not given birth. Interestingly, Penny is what’s called a “freemartin”—a female twin born with a male. When this happens in cattle, the heifer is almost always sterile due to shared hormones in the womb. While Penny can’t be bred, she still serves a purpose: Penny will provide us with beef for the next year.
Penny is gentle and loves visitors. She enjoys pets and scratches and is also known to follow people around. She also likes the occasional treat from our farm staff like a fresh apple from our orchard. Penny is true to her heritage coming from the Hereford breed. Herefords are medium sized beef cattle from England. They are easily recognized by their red bodies and white faces. They are known for being able to handle different types of weather—perfect for life here on The Farm—and being friendly and easy going. Be sure to stop by the cattle pasture and give Penny a little loving the next time you’re at The Farm.
Sanka
Unlike Penny, Sanka is a little more reserved and shy. You’ll likely have to admire him from a distance as he prefers his personal space. Sanka is what’s called a Simmental steer. Steers are castrated male cattle, or cattle that have been rendered unable to reproduce.
Simmentals come from the Swiss Alps, meaning Sanka is ready for the cold weather ahead in Indiana. While they were originally a dual purpose breed, Simmentals are now grown for their meat being especially known for their high muscling quality. Simmentals vary in color—from white-faced reds or blacks to cream and white spots—but we like Sanka just the way he is.
Father Brown
Father Brown is a Red Angus steer. Angus cattle are a household name due to their quality marbling and flavor; you may have noticed “Certified Angus Beef” in restaurants and stores. The Angus breed came from Scotland in the 1800s, and they were unique to American farmers, who at the time mostly raised Texas Longhorns, because Angus cattle are polled meaning they are born without horns. Lots of cattle have their horns removed as babies, but Angus cattle make it easy by not having horns to begin with. This made them easy handlers and less likely to injure each other.
The Red Angus is uniquely American—elsewhere Anguses can be black or red, but in the U.S., they’re typically black. The red gene is recessive, and during the turn of the 20th century, farmers began to prefer only black cattle as they were developing the Angus breed. However, the red offspring were kept in other herds and began to be bred with cattle that had other traits such as heat tolerance. So today, the Black Angus and Red Angus breeds are distinct, yet they share most traits in common with each other, and they are regularly crossbred today.
Each of our cattle brings something special to The Farm, from Penny’s gentle charm to Sanka’s quiet strength and Father Brown’s classic Angus looks. These creatures are sure to steal your heart! We hope you’ll stop by to meet them on your next visit!