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FEBRUARY 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


43 Good things come in small packages for Lumby rancher


Lowline cattle are easy keepers and market-friendly by TOM WALKER


LUMBY – She’s only five foot two and yet the cattle nose up just past her waist. “Little cows for little


people,” jokes Laurie Brunsdon as she feeds “her girls” cut up apple treats. She calls them by name and even pats them on the head. But make no mistake; this is a serious, yet diminutive, breed.


“Lowline is a purebred, registered breed developed from a research program in Australia,” Brunsdon explains at her Silverhills Lowlines Ranch northeast of Lumby. They are descended from Aberdeen Angus stock imported into Australia from Brandon, Manitoba in 1929. The “low” line of cattle that developed from the research into protein and feed conversion was so popular, they were registered as a separate breed. There are now approximately 1,000 full-blood Lowlines in Canada, with herds in the US, New Zealand, Australia, China and the UK. “We bought the first heifer naturally born in Canada in 1999,” says Laurie. She and her partner, Kevin Tiede, have been raising and promoting the breed ever since. “Lowlines have all of the positive characteristics of Angus without the height,” Kevin points out. “And you can’t eat the legs,” he quips, later admitting that he makes too many “small cow” jokes. “They are such an ideal animal for smaller farms in BC,” Laurie says. Though Laurie and Kevin have 40 acres next to the Monashee Mountains, only about 14 of that is in pasture. “We run about 28 head and sell up to 10 to customers each fall and lease out our bull,” she says. They are the first BC ranch to have a retail presence for branded Lowline beef – at the Lumby Community Market.


Laurie and Kevin are long time members of the


Canadian Lowline Association. Laurie has been a director since 1999. They brought their original heifer to the IPE that year for a one-animal display and are proud that Lowlines now have their own show and were the featured breed in the IPE cattle barn in 2016. “Lowlines do very well here in the cold weather,” says Laurie. (It was -25 the day I visited and took pictures.) “My friend Melanie (Guttner,


also a director) at Pink Mountain (Mile 143 on the Alaska Highway) can’t haul water to her herd when it’s -50 but they can survive by eating snow.


“They also calve easily and can do it on their own so you don’t have to be out at all hours and weather,” says Laurie, adding that the 35 to 50 lb. calves are naturally polled. “The animals are very feed- efficient and can be maintained and finished entirely on grass, making them ideal for today’s specialty market,” Laurie points out. “But they do forage well and we even find that if we whack down the thistles, they will eat them after they’ve wilted.” The meat is lean, averaging less than 5% fat.


“They produce a 30% larger rib eye proportionately,” says Laurie. “The rule is, where I can raise six regular Angus, I can have 10 Lowlines and put more cuts in the freezer. I end up grinding quality meat just for the ground market.” The smaller carcass size is easier for the butcher to work with. Individual cuts are smaller and ideal for home freezers and smaller families. And the size can be an advantage. A mature cow will range 750 to 900 pounds (and be approximately 39 inches at the shoulder). Mature bulls weigh 1,100 to 1,400 lbs. and stand 42 inches at the shoulder. A market steer is 700-800 pounds.


“You don’t need a lot of big equipment to manage an operation,” Kevin points out. Indeed, he hauls hay with an aging three-wheel ATV and a u-build trailer.


Smaller hay storage, smaller pens and lighter fencing are all positives for the breed. And the smaller animals are much easier to handle.


“A cow that’s easy on old guys,” Kevin deadpans. A challenge is to have Lowlines accepted by commercial cattlemen, and bulls are leading that charge. The bulls are known for their vigour and ability to clean up cows (particularly dairy) that technicians have failed to impregnate.


Lowline bulls cross well with many breeds and produce an easy, vigorous calf with a lower birth weight and lower feed costs.


“That percentage animal has a smaller frame, but gives you more steaks,” Laurie says.


Winter treat! Laurie Brunsdon offers an apple to her Lowline cattle during a sub-zero cold snap in Lumby. TOM WALKER PHOTO


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