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Centreville's Belted Galloways
Digital Photo by Seth Fox, Chadds Ford, PA
Kodak DX 3500
A small herd of black and white Belted Galloways can occasionally be seen grazing in a field on Center Meeting Road less than a quarter mile from Rt. 52 at Centreville, Delaware. If you're lucky you'll catch a glimpse of them in the afternoons, but in the early morning they graze nearer the road.
The picture above was taken in early August at about 3:30 PM. Two calves had knocked down the lower rail of a section of split rail fence without barbed wire and were grazing on the side of the road. I helped a smiling, friendly woman who had stopped to get them back into the field. She said she had cows at one time and seemed comfortable around them. I think I made the calves as uncomfortable as they made me, not knowing what they would do next. When they had re-entered the field I replaced the rail and took the photo and noticed about nine cars that had stopped to watch the proceedings.
Belted Galloways are a rare breed of beef cattle. While the exact origin of the breed is not documented, it is believed to be traced back to the Vikings and Scotland. The first herd book for Belted Galloways was started in Scotland in 1921. They're known for their double coat that makes them suitable to graze outdoors in very harsh weather. They can subsist on just about anything, and calf easily according to the U.S. Belted Galloway Society. If you're interested to learn more about these whimsical cows, click to their Web site at www.beltie.org.
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