I've sailed the Atlantic and ridden half of Australia on a horse,
farming is the biggest adventure I've ever done.
- Abbey, Bexhill Buffalo Farm
Hello beautiful people,
Today you're going to learn about an incredible specimen of bovine technology (cows), forged by Mother Nature over 5000 years in the harsh South African climate.
On Monday, Sophia and I had the pleasure of sitting down for lunch with Dr Max Gulhane - a trained doctor, holistic medicine educator, and as we found out, a keen cattle enthusiast!
Now, it turns out that when you raise cattle outside of an environment they were adapted for, they don't do so well - who would've thought?
For example, species that were well adapted for cold and wet environments like Scotland, like the Angus, don't fair so well in an Australian subtropical climate.
They suffer from heat-stress, get mauled by parasites, and don't like the grass because it's not as nutritious as the cool-season forage they're adapted for, which unfortunately means many of them suffer from disease, reproductive and fertility issues, and just have a generally miserable time.
Then comes this guy:
Meet The Nguni.
Mother Nature could not have crafted a more resilient cow.
The Nguni are exceptionally hardy in both hot and cold environments, graze in very low input environments, and their calves are vigorous enough to run away from predators from the moment they are born.
They are excellent foragers. They can graze and browse on steep slopes and in thick bush.
They are super productive, often giving birth to 10 or more calves in their lifetime.
Oh - AND they're incredibly tick and parasite-resistant - both internally and externally.
Optimal.
And to top things off, their meat is delectable - we had some for breakfast thanks to our new friends, Ian and Libby.
Funnily enough, the one environment they probably wouldn't do spectacularly in, is the Great British climate (although this is yet to be tested).
For that, something like a Dexter, originating from Ireland, does very well. Particularly cold-hardy and a very efficient grazers, thriving on smaller scale farms - we love these on One Tree Farm, and I can confirm, their meat also tastes incredible.
They don't just do well in cold environments however!
They found a feral herd of 16 Dexter cattle, that had survived for decades in... guess where?
The Addo Elephant Park in South Africa.
They survived amongst lions and leapords, without human contact, adapting to be bigger and stronger than commercially bred Dexters to survive the harsh environment.
Impressive.
We love a Dexter.
Now, we're going to branch out a bit now to another bovine species.
The Buffalo.
Dr Max was kind enough to put us in touch with a local Buffalo farmer, Abbey, 20 minutes up the road. So off we went.
This species of buffalo - I believe they're called Bubalus bubalis - originate from South and Southeast Asia, and while they are very friendly to Abbey, we couldn't get to close because they don't like Gindi (Abbey's dog) that came along with us... they would kill her if she got too close.
Larger than your average Dexter, they love a swamp bath, and are well adapted for hot, humid, and wet enviroments with splayed hooves for moving across muddy terrain.
Now here's a fact I love about Buffalos:
You may have noticed that milk and tallow from grass-fed cows often has a yellow tinge. That colour comes from beta-carotene in the grass, which is what gives carrots their signature orange colour. Cattle store this directly in their fat and milk, that colour is a good indicator that the aimal has been grass-fed.
What happens to the beta-carotene then?
Your body then converts this into Vitamin A (colourless) - which is vital for eyesight and other aspects of your health.
That's fine, your body is incredible and can handle it, but it's less efficient (less optimal if you will).
Now here's the thing, Buffalo milk and dairy products are white, even though they eat the same grass.
Why?
They convert beta-carotene in the grass straight to colourless Vitamin A, that your body can then put straight to use.
How incredible?
Nature truly could not have given us a better family of animals to form the foundation of our food security.
So if you're going build food security for you and your family, I suggest you start with one of these 3 beautiful animals.
And just so she doesn't feel left out, here's a picture of one of our Jersey cows, Brownie. She's pretty cute too.
That's all for today.
Get some land, put a beautiful herd of cows (or buffalo) on it, and enjoy some raw milk.
To your freedom and independence,
Rob
Wild Minds Community
PS. If you do want to start building a life outside of the clown world everyone else seems to be living in, Billy's put together a free video to get your started.
👉 Click here for The First Step to Freedom
