Pineywoods Cattle, Heritage Chickens, Turkeys and Geese
Pineywoods Cattle, Heritage Chickens, Turkeys and Geese
"Conserving endangered heritage breed farm animals is key to successful regenerative farming" - Farmer Sue
Heritage breeds are an integral part of our approach to regenerative farming. Heritage Chickens, Turkeys, Geese and Cattle all have a role to play.
We started a small herd of rare Pineywoods Cattle in 2015, they have 40 acres of grass and woodland on which to range. Descending from Andolusian cattle of southwestern Spain, Pineywoods were brought to America by Spanish explorers in the early 1500's and ran wild for close to 400 years. They are a hardy breed with strong disease and parasite resistance, tolerance to heat, excellent mothering ability and longevity. They have broad and bio-diverse foraging appetite. thriving on variety of forages at Ozark Akerz like brambles, green briar, kudzu, privet, grass, even poison ivy.
Pineywoods have not lost their innate ability for medicinal grazing they had when they ran wild. The herd will actively seek out black walnut trees for a few bite of leaves, branches or bark. Black walnut contains juglone, an anti-parasitic, and they know to eat a little every once in a while to help maintain their health.
We started a small herd of rare Pineywoods Cattle in 2015, they have 40 acres of grass and woodland on which to range. Descending from Andolusian cattle of southwestern Spain, Pineywoods were brought to America by Spanish explorers in the early 1500's and ran wild for close to 400 years. They are a hardy breed with strong disease and parasite resistance, tolerance to heat, excellent mothering ability and longevity. They have broad and bio-diverse foraging appetite. thriving on variety of forages at Ozark Akerz like brambles, green briar, kudzu, privet, grass, even poison ivy.
Pineywoods have not lost their innate ability for medicinal grazing they had when they ran wild. The herd will actively seek out black walnut trees for a few bite of leaves, branches or bark. Black walnut contains juglone, an anti-parasitic, and they know to eat a little every once in a while to help maintain their health.
Peaches - Pineywoods Cow
Beef and Eggs
We sell our eggs direct to consumer on the farm and deliver to select locations as eggs are available. Egg production varies throughout the season and can vary greatly, please contact us for availability. All our birds roam and forage in the pastures and food & medicine fores, we supplement their diets with a little organic, non-soy feed each morning.
We sell our wild foraged Pineywoods Beef direct to consumers and ship to the continental US. Learn more about pricing, ordering and what makes our Heritage Pineywoods Beef so special. Our Pineywoods roam freely through the forests and pastures and are only given organic hay in winter along with an occasional treat of organic alfalfa pellets. See what our customers are saying about our wild foraged Heritage Pineywoods Beef.
With our commitment to regenerating the health of the animals, plants and soil, we do not spray any herbicides, pesticides or insecticides on the farm.
We sell our wild foraged Pineywoods Beef direct to consumers and ship to the continental US. Learn more about pricing, ordering and what makes our Heritage Pineywoods Beef so special. Our Pineywoods roam freely through the forests and pastures and are only given organic hay in winter along with an occasional treat of organic alfalfa pellets. See what our customers are saying about our wild foraged Heritage Pineywoods Beef.
With our commitment to regenerating the health of the animals, plants and soil, we do not spray any herbicides, pesticides or insecticides on the farm.
Pineywoods Cattle For Sale
We sell Pineywoods Cattle breeding stock as well as semen from our breeding bull Rocky. Please contact us to see if we have any Pineywoods Cattle for sale or to schedule a visit to come and view the herd. Learn why Pineywoods Cattle are a good choice for regenerative farms.
If you are running an AI program, we have semen for sale from our breeding bull Rocky. A sample of Rocky's semen is one of a few Pineywoods bulls that is part of the bio-repository preserved by SVF Foundation and The Smithsonian as part of their program for saving germplasm (semen and embryos) from endangered and rare livestock. As part of qualifying for the program, Rocky had to pass a battery of heath tests.
If you are running an AI program, we have semen for sale from our breeding bull Rocky. A sample of Rocky's semen is one of a few Pineywoods bulls that is part of the bio-repository preserved by SVF Foundation and The Smithsonian as part of their program for saving germplasm (semen and embryos) from endangered and rare livestock. As part of qualifying for the program, Rocky had to pass a battery of heath tests.
Blackberry reaching for a black walnut branch
Rare and Endangered Heritage Breeds
As a lifetime member of the Livestock Conservancy, Ozark Akerz works to protect rare livestock and poultry from extinction. We currently have several breeds of heritage chickens, Dominique (which is recognized as Americas first chicken breed), brown and white Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds. Heritage Blue Slate and Bourbon Red turkeys help protect the chickens from predators and critically endangered heritage Cotton Patch Geese help keep the weeds in check
Our Pineywoods Cattle herd consists of our bull Rocky and 6 cows, Louise, Rosie, Tangerine, Blackberry, Georgia and Peaches make up a few of the remaining Pineywoods cattle. We also have a lot of cute calves running around. There are a few other cattle herds surrounding Ozark Akerz. Rocky likes to let the bulls across the road who the boss is!
Our Pineywoods Cattle herd consists of our bull Rocky and 6 cows, Louise, Rosie, Tangerine, Blackberry, Georgia and Peaches make up a few of the remaining Pineywoods cattle. We also have a lot of cute calves running around. There are a few other cattle herds surrounding Ozark Akerz. Rocky likes to let the bulls across the road who the boss is!
Patches, one of our Cotton Patch Geese
Animal Welfare is Interwoven with Environmental Health
Every animal on the farm has at least 2 purposes. Chickens give us eggs and meat, eat bugs and provide us with fertilizer. The Pineywoods provide beef, fertilizer, breeding ground for dung beetles and help regenerate the health of the forested areas by eating many plants that previously choked the understory. Their regenerative grazing has allowed sunlight to reach the forest floor for the first time in decades and we are seeing new biodiversity of flowering plants such as Atamasco Lilies, Ironweed and Cardinal flowers on the forest floor.
Before the invention of chemical geese, Cotton Patch Geese weeded crops such as cotton, corn and strawberries. Ozark Akerz added 3 Cotton Patch Geese in 2021, they are more endangered than the Giant Panda. They are excellent weeders and foragers and are particularly fond of Johnson Grass which is always difficult to keep from crowding out other crops in the garden. They will even dig several inches into the ground pull the roots and eat them.
Before the invention of chemical geese, Cotton Patch Geese weeded crops such as cotton, corn and strawberries. Ozark Akerz added 3 Cotton Patch Geese in 2021, they are more endangered than the Giant Panda. They are excellent weeders and foragers and are particularly fond of Johnson Grass which is always difficult to keep from crowding out other crops in the garden. They will even dig several inches into the ground pull the roots and eat them.
Animal welfare comes in my guises at Ozark Akerz. Here are just a few examples:
Learn more about our animal welfare and regenerative farming practices.
- All the chickens, turkeys and geese are free to roam (and sometimes fly!) around the farm, in the process they eat insects such as ticks and fertilize the soil.
- Weaning calves from their mothers is very stressful when you separate them. We allow the calves to naturally wean off their mother’s milk reducing that stress.
- When farms buy Pineywoods Cattle from us, we always sell 2 or more heifers or cows, never a lone animal. The animals form strong bonds and having a sister at your new home makes it less stressful and lonely.
- When we were practicing rotational grazing, we observed that the Pineywoods Cattle did not have access to all forages in each paddock. We now provide them constant access to all pasture and forest so they can forage as their instincts demand, for a wide variety of forages.
Learn more about our animal welfare and regenerative farming practices.
Visit our Farm Shop for Pineywoods Cattle art and other Graze Against The Machine Merchandise