Vermont Yak:The Planet's GREENEST Red Meat.

"Ribbon Cutting" at our new Mad River FOOD HUB with Governor Shumlin

2012-01-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

Vermont Yak Company is excited about the new Mad River Food Hub, which will allow us to process, store and deploy our yak meat more inexpensively and efficiently. Thanks to Vermont governor Peter Shumlin for visiting with us today, shown here with Dave and Susan.

Yakking in Winter: 2012

2012-01-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

Zak The Yak says: "Happy Holidays!"

2011-12-07T07:39:00.001-08:00

Faithful readers of our blog may recall one of our yaks, named Zak, heading north to Vermont's Hero Islands a few years back to live on a farm up there. We just got a nice holiday card from Zak and owner Joan:

Joan writes: Thought you might like to see a current picture of “Zak the Yak”. Our vet estimates his weight to be about 750 lbs. – not bad for the little guy we picked up a couple of years ago! He still has his wonderful sense of humor, which includes bugging the crap out of Mac the llama and being regularly spit at by Mac. Zak is now above all the goats in the pecking order, which he seems to enjoy, and he is also their guardian. Whether he is protecting the goats or his territory I’m not sure but it works out well for the goats either way. His favorite treat is goat grain, which he gladly comes running for, with his white poof of a tail tossed up over his back, grunting occasionally along the way. He likes to be petted and hanging out with us, and I am able to put a halter on him while he is out in the pasture, which always amazes me. We trim his hooves in the spring and fall, and he tolerates that quite well. I haven’t gotten any usable fiber from him yet but he has more than enough “wool” to keep himself cozy even in the coldest of weather, but he always seems to take refuge in the barn! Hope all is well with everyone and all your critters. Happy Holidays!

YAKS FOR SALE! $5,000 for a BEAUTIFUL BREEDING PAIR.

2011-11-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

For more information on these magnificent animals, contact Rob @ 802-279.3364 (Yakberry mobile) or via e-mail @ rob@vermontyak.com.

JONAH: A 3 1/2-year-old yak bull. Born 2008. Grandson of the largest yak in North America.

KATE: A 5-year-old yak cow. Born 2006. A fabulous mama who produces healthy offspring.

Zach's Yak Attack (RECIPE): (Manly) Turkey Bacon Yak

2011-11-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Zachary "Mountain Man" Faulkner for this delicious and manly yak recipe.

So, this is what a manly dinner looks like before I ingest it.

A pound of turkey bacon, cooking next to a pound of delicious yak.

I don't recommend eating all of it in one sitting, the yak lasted two meals and the bacon made appearances for four meals.

Now, my cooking style is on the fly and with little to no measuring of any kind - I like to see what happens with a pinch here, a dab that, a top coming off...well, that's just too much.

Anyways, in the yak I added (to taste, after some "testing"): Garlic Salt, Onion Powder, Cayenne Pepper (me likes a little heaaat), and two eggs.

After it was all mixed together, I patted own the outside of each burger (on both sides) with an even ratio mix of ground pepper and salt (again, to taste).

Cook to you own liking, apply carb exterior with bacon, and I enjoyed garnishing it with some Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce - pro tip: add in some honey for some custom honey bbq action.

That about sums up my cooking adventure.

As always, a nice cold one goes well with red meat, and a manly pose while eating is quasi optional, meaning you should at least strike a pose initially for the first bite, or raise an arm in triumphant delight on the last bite.

Bon Appétit!

Yak Rodeo for Fall 2011: Jonah Jumps The Gate

2011-11-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Nope.

We'd never seen a 1200 pound yak bull jump a fence gate either.

Until today.

We've entitled this photo "Jonah Jumps The Fence."

Other than this moment, yak rodeo proceeded as normal.

Which is to say, never a dull moment when you are yakking.

RECIPE: Yak and Delicata Curry

2011-10-19T08:16:00.001-07:00

Thanks to our neighbor David Cohen @ Baked Beads for this yak'tastic recipe. And the photo.

Jarred curry paste, peeled delicatas, chopped onions, and ground yak.

Read more at his blog - David Doesn't Bake.

YAK TRACKS: TruthDig/"Yak = the Planet's Greenest Red Meat"

2011-09-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to indy journalist Chris Ketcham and TruthDig for publishing an in-depth article on grass-fed yakking as an alternative to typical beef production in giant corporate commercial grain-fed feedlots.

One correction - livestock grazing, when practiced properly, can work in tandem with other agri/permacultural strategies to create regenerative ecosystems. Here's hotshot Allan Savory's talk on this point.

Yak to the future, we go!

YAK TRACKS: Yak Rodeo - June 2011!

2011-06-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

Our annual early summer yak rodeo - rounding up the herd for tagging, worming, preg checks and general fun - went off without a hitch yesterday.

Which is to say - no one died.

Here are some photos of the big afternoon. Find many more on our Facebook site at "Vermont Yak Company."

Yak to the future, we go!

YAK TRACKS: The Calves Are Coming, the Calves Are Coming!

2011-05-15T06:28:00.001-07:00

Spring is in the air here in Vermont's Mad River Valley, and the yak nursery is beginning to fill with calves.

Here are our first two - with many more to come. We'll keep the photos coming!

Mama Dolores and the first yak calf of the spring 2011 season.

Mama Black Magic Woman and her newborn yak calf.

YAK TRACKS: Order your 2011 CSA yak meat "share" today!

2011-04-28T06:22:00.001-07:00

Yes, yak friends. It's true!

We still have 20 yak CSA "shares" left to sell.

Order yours right here at the Vermont Yak Company web site.

And enjoy the planet's greenest red meat all summer and autumn long.

YAK TRACKS: "Yak By Popular Demand" (BOSTON GLOBE article)

2011-03-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to journalist David Filipov and our friends at the Boston Globe for this article about our farm.

WAITSFIELD, Vt. — Big, strong, wooly, and ornery, Dolores the yak is named for a sadistic witch, and justifiably so. She once hoisted a 5-year-old boy on her long, sharp horns and tossed him over her back. She pinned an 8-year-old girl to a barn door. She knocked over her owner — the children’s father — and when he tried to get up knocked him over again.

For these random acts of violence, this shaggy rogue was neither put down nor sent to the barn without hay. Instead, Dolores became part of the lore shared by the hardy few Americans who herd yaks for a living. Each one you talk to has a yaks-behaving-badly story. Each one has asked him- or herself the question: Who’s herding whom?

Dolores is one of 40 yaks that belong to five farmers who brought the feisty bovids to the rolling glens of the Green Mountains. Their venture, Vermont Yak Company, aims to satisfy the growing appetite for exotic food that is locally raised, grass-fed, and free-roaming.

The farmers are part of a small but building movement of enthusiasts in the United States who value the yak for its lean meat — one-sixth the fat of grain-fed beef and 40 percent more protein.

Other exotic animals have caught on with niche audiences — bison burgers and ostrich jerky have their fans across the country — but none has gone so far as to replace the beef steer. The yak farmers do not expect to do that either — they know yak meat, with its sweet, slightly gamy taste, is not for everyone — but they figure they will attract the curious and a core market of locavores.

Yaks, which evolved in the Himalayas, make a certain amount of sense in Vermont, with its chilly climate and limited grazing land. They do not require warm barns and can thrive in fields where grass is sparse.

But ask herders what they like best about their yaks and they wax on about the individual personalities of animals that are curious like cats, spirited like ponies, and capable of far more mischief than one might expect from a ruminant cousin of the dairy cows that used to roam Vermont Yak’s 24 acres.

“Every day is different,’’ said Rob Williams, one of Vermont Yak Company’s founders. “Some days I call and they come. Some days they are like, ‘No, we’ll just stay here.’’’

The company supplies a stable of local eateries, grocery stores, and farmers’ markets with yak treats and is exploring direct sales to individual customers. The owners believe that their property, built on the former grazing land of a long-defunct dairy farm in the Mad River Valley, is the only working yak farm in New England. But they would like to be seen as pioneers rather than outliers in a state that they believe could be riding yak to the future.

“I would love to see Vermont become the New England go-to mecca of yak,’’ said Williams, a trim 43-year-old who also publishes an independent newspaper and teaches communications at Champlain College. “I would love to see a yak in every pot.’’

Williams said this one chilly morning, as he stood before a quintessential Vermont backdrop of snow-frosted farmhouses and silver-trimmed firs. He came under the regal gaze of a magnificent creature that looked as though it had wandered in from the Ice Age. This was Ringo, the 1,200-pound stud bull of the herd, unchallenged master of the pasture, whose long horns and occasional loud grunts were crying out for immediate attention. But Williams, a clump of hay clutched in his hand in front of him, was focused on a young steer with no name, just a number 4 attached to its coat.

“Mmmmmm, yakkie yakkie. Mmmm, yak,’’ Williams intoned, approaching carefully. The steer lowered its head and spread its front legs, the way a puppy might. It feinted. It grunted. It looked like it was about to charge.

“Oh, hello sweetie,’’ Williams cooed. “You want to come hit me. Yeah, yeah. That’s a yak thing.’’

Williams won this standoff. Steer Number 4 took the hay and wandered off, gratified.

Yaks — whose distinctive call lent them their Latin name, bos grunniens, the grunting ox — were first domesticated thousands of years ago. Tibetans and Nepalese have for centuries used them to plow and carry heavy loads high into the mountains, turned their thick hair and fiber into clothing, drunken their rich milk, and eaten their lean meat. Yaks were brought to North America in the 1900s; Minnesota yak herder John Hooper estimated that there are between 3,000 and 4,000 yaks in the United States, most of them in the high, arid parts of the West.

Williams and his wife, Kate, discovered the incredible, edible yak on a visit to her brother’s ranch in Montana. They figured the meat would be an easy sell to the thriving locavore market in Vermont. They learned that an acre of pasture can support as many as four yaks, as opposed to a single beef steer.

“We realized that yaks are the perfect Vermont bovine,’’ said Rob Williams.

The Williamses joined with David Hartshorn, whose family had owned the dairy farm, and Ted and Susan Laskaris, who bought the abandoned property in the Mad River Valley, to form their venture in the summer of 2007.

And they encountered the dilemma faced by other New England yakkers: the creatures are both loveable and maddening at the same time.

“They drive me crazy,’’ said Christopher Devaney of New Limerick, Maine, who owns 21 of the animals, all of them pets. “But it would break my heart to sell them.’’

Williams and his partners have an even bleaker problem — they love their yaks, but they have to slaughter them. So they raise only half their herd for meat. Those get numbers, like Steer Number 4.

“We don’t try to get to know them,’’ Williams said.

The other yaks are raised to breed, to attract visitors and possibly buyers. These have names, and are known for their personalities, including the ornery female named after Dolores Umbridge, the sorceress in the Harry Potter series.

Yaks are not easy pets to own. They can run surprisingly fast and leap fences. They routinely ignore their masters. But they can also learn to come when they are called, they are excellent substitutes for guard dogs, and they are popular among people who like to buy exotic pets.

Hooper, the Minnesota yak herder, makes his living that way. Marketing the meat, he said, is trickier.

“You need a yuppie type of people who are interested in lean, red meat,’’ he said.

That is not as big a problem for Vermont Yak Company. One customer, The Skinny Pancake, a trendy eatery in Burlington, recently sold out of the meat, which it was using in hearty dishes that bring out the sweet, earthy flavor of yak. These included chef Brian McDermott’s calorific masterpiece — yak sausage with pirogi crepes stuffed with cheddar and potato, and head-of-the-woods mushrooms sautéed in nutty brown butter. At $13.95 it was the most expensive item on the menu.

Vermont Yak is starting to roam beyond New England. A Tibetan restaurant in New York City has become one of its biggest customers. Williams is now trying to attract individual buyers; he recently sent 5 pounds of yak meat to a woman in Brooklyn who had tried the stuff at an outdoor fair and now cannot get enough.

“Once you go yak,’’ Williams said, “you never go back.’’

YAK TRACKS: Team Yakitome's IRON CHEF Camp Champ 2011 "Meat It" Music Video

2011-02-21T08:41:00.001-08:00

YAK TRACKS: "Get Your Yak On" for IRON CHEF 2011 - Yakitome!

2011-02-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

We're gearing up for our first-ever Champlain College IRON CHEF competition.

Team "Yakitome" - featuring Ryan Fitzpatrick of 156 Bistro, Kathleen Barnes of Champlain's Office of Advancement, and the Vermont Yak Company, working with a DREAM team of Champlain students, will prepare and serve 500 servings of a special GET YOUR YAK ON dish at Champlain College's dining hall on Thursday afternoon, February 17, from 1-7.

Come by for some tasty treats, music by Michael Yakson, and more!

All in the service of raising money for the DREAM program.

Get your yak on!

YAK TRACKS: At a Beijing Penis Restaurant, Yak Penis Is The "Best"...

2011-02-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

We'd like to say we're surprised. But no, just another reason to love yak.

YAK TRACKS: "Yak to the Land" in VERMONT LIFE magazine

2010-12-31T07:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to writer Sky Barsch Gleiner, photographer Curtis Savard, and our friends at Vermont Life magazine for this winter 2011 feature article on Steadfast Farm and Vermont Yak Company.

YAK TRACKS: "Yak Pack:" Deadline Poet (courtesy Vermont's Dana Jewell)

2010-12-16T12:38:00.001-08:00

Yak pack arrived intact.

Still frozen in fact.

Steak and ribs and sausage in sacks.

What, no yak Big Mac?

I'm going to cook it on the deck out back.

My grill came with a nice yak rack on a track, so I'll give it a whack.
I guess poetic skills I lack.

I'm a hack, a quack, like the duck from Aflac, I don't have the knack.

And so ends this yak crack attack.

Excerpt from Dr. Seuss, "Horton smacked a yak, and put him in a stack.'

YAK TRACKS: Sausage at Sugarbush - Winter 2011 Season!

2010-12-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to have our yak sausage featured on the menu at Sugarbush Resort's beautiful TIMBERS restaurant.

Here's a photo of the menu, shot while skiing at Allen Lodge, midway up the mountain at Lincoln Peak.

YAK TRACKS: Seeking Yak Hide for Brussels Museum...

2010-12-03T04:04:00.000-08:00

Note: You just can't make up stuff like this email we received from Belgium. We'll get that hide right over the Pond...

Dear Miss/Mister,

The Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels (Belgium) is looking for a
hide of a adult yak to mount it for display in an exhibition called,
Extremes.

Therefore, I'm contacting you: do you have a complete yak hide (head,
tail, etc) available, that would be suitable to mount?
If yes, how much would this cost? And how long would it take to get to
Belgium?
If no, could you prepare one? And again how much would this cost? And
how long would it take to get to Belgium?

I look forward to hear from you,

Have a nice day,

Kind regards,

Sophie Boitsios

YAK TRACKS: Yak Rodeo! November 2010.

2010-11-14T04:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick look at the fun and excitement that is yak rodeo. Don't miss the yak testicle at the very end. Thanks to Emma Laskaris for FLIPping our adventures in yakking.

Our first YAK CSA 2011 Investor!

2010-11-06T13:43:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Kristin Sorenson,our very first 2011 Vermont Yak Company C.S.A. Investor.

Here she is writing us a check for $100. She'll get 10 pounds of tasty yak meat come June 2011.

Yak to the future!

YAK TRACKS: Training Yaks to Come When We Call...?!

2010-10-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Stuck In Vermont: Vermont Yak Company

2010-09-08T13:32:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Seven Days' videographer Eva Sollberger for getting "Stuck in Vermont" with Vermont Yak Company.

Yak it up, Eva!

YAK TRACKS: Meeting Tashi Sherpa, the GM of our Biggest Yak Buyer

2010-07-14T11:07:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago, the GM of Himalayan Yak restaurant took his day off, and drove up from NYC to Steadfast Farm to buy some yak meat to take back to their popular Jackson Heights eatery. Turns out, he was born in urban Nepal, and had never actually seen a live yak before. We remedied that immediately.

Here's an email from him of a few days ago - always good to strengthen our relationships with our business partners.

Hi Rob,

Sorry for replying late because of the busy july 4 weekend. We also included yak menu this time and people are loving it.

Our chefs has thanked you for your caps and shirts.Also, your souvenir (Yak skull) looks great in our displaying area. I have attached our picture taken by myself . Thank you once again for showing and introducing your yaks. It was fun.

Hoping to visit you soon to get more when we ran out of it.

Take care.

Tashi L. Sherpa, General Manager
Himalayan Yak Restaurant
72-20 Roosevelt ave, Jackson Heights
NY 11372

YAK TRACKS: Yak is Back (at the Summer Farmer's Market)

2010-06-25T03:43:00.000-07:00

Say no more!

Come yak with us from 9:00 to 1:00 every Saturday in Mad River Valley on the Green.

The best place to come eat, drink, shop, and of course, purchase yak meat.

Yak to the future.

YAK TRACKS: The calves are coming!

2010-05-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

Christine is our fifth mama to birth this spring.

Here are some photos of her with her newborn - an all-black calf.

Spent part of the week-end clearing grass from 20 acres of fence line - go team!

YAK TRACKS: Yakking About Bees at the Farm

2010-05-11T06:42:00.000-07:00

YAK TRACKS: Celebrating our YAK MAMAS on MOTHER'S DAY!

2010-05-10T08:26:00.001-07:00

We;'ve got four proud yak mamas and four new calves at the farm, as of mother's day. Here they are - posing.

Left to right: Lady Slipper, Ilia, Black Magic Woman (BMW) and Kunga.

And here's my favorite yak - Kunga the Wooly - with her day-old calf. Fetching, aren't they?

YAK TRACKS: Yakking in our "Satellite" Pastures - Vive Spring!

2010-05-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

A big morning this morning. We moved eight of the weanling and yearlings to two small grass pastures.

Four - Uno, Carl, Nox, and Roxanne - to new a temporary pen with fine grass on the southwest side of Dave's farm.

And another four - Tashi the Wonder Yak, Natasha, Jessie, and Isadore - to the Yellow Farm Inn.

Good to have yaks out on pasture.

YAK TRACKS: Cinqo De Mayo - Yakking About Summer Grass!

2010-05-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

...Thanks to warm weather, and a nice mix of moisture and sun, the yaks are on their summer grass/pasture - and wickedly happy to be there. Look closely - see them grinning! And what a stunningly beautiful afternoon in Mad River Valley.

YAK TRACKS: Yakking with the FLIPpin' Young 'Uns...

2010-05-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here's what happened when I passed my 8-year-old son Theron the FLIP camera for 10 minutes the other day.

I ought to give him the camera more often.

Yak on, and stay cool, four-leggeds, in this 85 degree humidity!

YAK TRACKS: Good to be Back on Grass

2010-04-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

I spent two hours this afternoon in one of my favorite places.

The little fenced-in pasture on the Loop Road by Mike and Sandy's Yellow Farm Inn.

Got the hoses hooked up, the yak trough filled with water, the temporary fencing and wires installed, and the pasture cleaned up.

In time for the four-leggeds arrival on spring pasture next week.

Good to be back on grass.

Yak to the future.

YAK TRACKS: The Russians are Coming!

2010-04-28T10:55:00.001-07:00

We had a whole posse of Muscovites drop into the farm last week - guests of Champlain College in Burlington.

Thanks to my colleague Gary Scudder for the photos.

And could Lady Slipper's new calf be any more cute?

And why is it that all the yak farm kids only turn out to help when we have guests at the farm?

YAK: "The Best Alpine Bovine You'll Ever Eat!"

2010-04-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

We couldn't make up a better headline.

Thanks to Atlantic for publishing this story on our farm.

And welcome to our first calf of the spring!

YAK TRACKS: Montpelier's Skinny Pancake features new YAK IN A BLANKET special

2010-03-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

Take Vermont Yak Company Beer Bratwurst...
...wrap the wiener in a Butterworks Farm cornmeal "blanket."
Add Greenfield Highland Beef Chili, and Cabot Cheddar, and pickled red onions.

Voila!

Pass me a napkin...

Yak on, chef Jeremy and the SKINNY crew!

YAK TRACKS: Our TOP THREE 2010 Marketing Slogans - PLEASE VOTE!

2010-02-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

Our TOP THREE new MARKETING slogans for 2010.

1. Yak: Like beef, only better.

2. Yak: The planet's GREENEST red meat.

3. Yak: 1/6 the fat, 40% more protein. Lean, keen, and grass fed green.

Tell us which one you like best, and why, and we'll mail you a FREE 'Yak To The Future" bumper sticker.

Email me at rob@vermontyak.com.

YAK TRACKS: Can You Spare Some Hair (Yak)?

2010-02-03T19:01:00.000-08:00

Every day brings new adventures in yak. Here's an example, an email we received today...

Hi Vermont Yak:

I am a gifted and talented teacher in Iowa. I have been teaching a unit to my kindergarten classes about yaks and have been desperate to find some yak fur (hair?) to use as a sensory exhibit. Can you aid me in this search? I don't want to purchase a whole hide (which I saw on your website). I just want a handful or so of the fur/hair or part of a tail or something similar in a small quantity. I don't know if you would be able or interested in securing a sample for me? I would pay you of course, through paypal or through a shopping cart if you have one on the site....Hope to hear from you soon! If you do not have something like this, can you point me in the direction of someone who would? Thanks!

Ruby Bodeker

We'll be mailing Ruby some hair tomorrow.

YAK TRACKS: Meet Betty the Yak Calf

2010-01-31T18:36:00.001-08:00

YAK TRACKS: First Big Snow of 2010!

2010-01-28T18:59:00.001-08:00

YAK TRACKS: We love emails like this one yakking with us!

2010-01-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

We love getting emails like this one we received today:

Hi there!

This will be our 3rd annual trip to the Inn at the Round Barn farm - last year they served your YAK sausage for breakfast one morning and we were hooked! Drove past your farm and saw your YAKS way off in the distance. I was curious as to whether you offer tours or???

Would love to see your farm and meet some of your yaks! It is fascinating to me and my husband - we are not only animal lovers but also love to support local farms!

I didn't see anything on your website but figured I would contact you - we will be staying Jan 23rd-26th.

Thanks!

CK

New Year 2010 YAKbread Special: Burlington's American Flatbread Hearth

2009-12-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

Chef Brian at Burlington's American Flatbread Hearth just emailed us with this week's YAKBREAD special:

Vermont Yak Co. Hot Italian Sausage
Chipotle Cream Sauce
Fire Roasted Broccoli
Baby Arugula
Cabot Cloth Bound Cheddar

Reservations, anyone?

YAK TRACKS: Happy New Year 2010!

2009-12-27T07:19:00.000-08:00

Vermont Yak Company Localvore holiday dinner.

Yak tenderloin, with roasted root vegetables, Cyrus Pringle Red Hen loaf, crispy kale, and a bottle of Boyden Valley Riverbend red.

Happy new year from all of us!

YAK TRACKS: Merry Christmas 2009 from Vermont Yak Company!

2009-12-24T04:56:00.001-08:00

YAK TRACKS: The Story of Christmas (As Told By Yaks)

2009-12-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Yak Over the Holidays!

A longhaired bovine, similar to an ox, the yak is found throughout the Himalayan region of South Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and North Mongolia. Also known as the “grunting ox”, it has short, thick legs and humped shoulders. The large, up-curved horns are 3 feet long and the animal has a thick shaggy coat that hangs down to the ankles, providing it warmth. The yaks are domesticated for a number of sources, such as milk, butter, meat, wool, dung and leather. Their coarse outer-hair is used in weaving ropes, belts and bags. The animal is also employed for pulling heavy farm machines and transporting large loads through the mountain passes. Yak milk is high in fat; hence, it is processed into cheese, yoghurt and butter. To know some more interesting facts and amazing information on yaks, explore the article further.

Facts About Yak

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Genus: Bos
Species: B. grunniens
Height: 6.6-7.2 feet
Weight: 661-2,200 lb
Lifespan: Up to 26 years
Diet: Grass, herbs, mosses, lichens, tubers.
Habitat: Alpine meadows and open hills.
Age of Sexual Maturity: 738 days
Gestation Period: 274 days
Number of Offspring: One every year

Interesting & Amazing Information About Yaks

* There are two types of yaks, namely, the wild yak and the domesticated yak.

* The respiratory rate of a yak increases with heat and at low altitudes, while at higher, cooler climates, the rate decreases. This helps the animal adjust to the varying climates.

* A yak can climb an altitude as high as 20,000 feet, the highest elevation of any mammal’s habitat.

* The large lung capacity of a yak enables it to inhale lots of oxygen.

* The male yak is known as “Yak and the female yak as “Nak” or “Dri”, by the Sherpas of Nepal.

* The wild yaks are black or brown in color, while the domesticated ones can be found in white.

* The domesticated yak is smaller and has a less shaggy coat, as compared to the wild one.

* The wild yak can survive a temperature as low as -40°F in winter.

* Even at freezing temperatures, a yak likes to bathe in lakes and rivers. Its warm coat provides insulation through a thick outer coating of long hair and a dense inner coating of matted, shorter fur.

* The digestive system of a yak is an internal heater, allowing food to digest at a temperature of 104 °F, keeping it warm in extremely cold conditions.

* A wild yak reaches its full size only between 6 to 8 years.

* Yaks can be seen in herds of 10 to 100, comprising of mostly females. Only a few male yaks can be found per herd.

* A yak has more than one stomach, which it uses to absorb all the nutrients from the plants it eats.

* The animal uses its firm, dense horns to break through the snow and get to the plants buried beneath. The horns are also used in defense.

* Yaks breed in the month of September and after a gestation period of 9 months, give birth to a single calf. In rare cases, twins are also born.

* The yak dung is dried and used as fuel in the treeless Tibetan plateaus.

* A yak can produce two to three pounds of under-hair each spring, which can be sold in the market up to $16 per ounce, when spun.

* North American yaks are divided into 5 categories: black, trim (black with some white trim), royal (black and white pied with a white blaze face), golden and woolly.

* A mature yak can graze as much as 6-10 pounds of grass hay per day. It alternates its day between browsing and lying quietly chewing its cud.

* The domestic yak can be found in large populations, while the wild yak is less in number, due to loss of habitat and extensive hunting.

YAK TRACKS: VIDEO - Snow, Yaks and Hay

2009-12-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

YAK TRACKS: Yak Berry Footage of the "Tail Gate Special"

2009-12-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

Chef Tim at Burlington's Skinny P has created a masterpiece.

I felt like I was at Fenway...with a beautiful white plate.

YAK TRACKS: Yak Special at the Skinny Pancake!

2009-12-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

At Burlington's Skinny Pancake this week, beginning Wednesday!

"Tail Gate" Crepe for $9.00.

Vermont Yak Company Sweet Italian Sausage
Sauteed Peppers and Onions
A sprinkle of Cabot Cheddar Cheese
All rolled in a Savory Crepe

Chef Tim serves it up - hope to see you there!

YAK TRACKS: Yak Berry Shots - Yaks In Winter

2009-12-06T17:28:00.000-08:00

Our second snow of the season here in Mad River Valley. Two inches, a harbinger of things to come, we hope.

YAK TRACKS: YAK SPECIAL - Yakking It Up at Burlington's Flatbread Hearth

2009-12-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

Chef Brian at Burlington Hearth just emailed us:

The yak short rib special is going on tonight, it is a follows:

Vermont yak co short ribs braised in zero gravity porter.

With an apple cider demi-glace, roasted organic portabello mushrooms,
Yukon gold potatoes, and Shelburne Farms 1 year Cheddar.

Waiter, get me a table...

YAK TRACKS: Yakking About Yaks And Soccer

2009-12-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

I think they need better coaching.

YAK TRACKS: Meet Our Bobcat Neighbor

2009-11-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

Rare to see a bobcat in the Mad River Valley.

But sure enough - one's been around the yak farm of late.

We're all that concerned about the yaks - they'd have no trouble dispatching a Bobcat - but we are curious about keeping the neighborhood safe. This fella looks to be nursing a hurt paw and maybe slightly older. We'll keep you posted.

YAK TRACKS: Happy Thanksgiving from Vermont Yak Company!

2009-11-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

The Thanksgiving Farmer's Market at the Round Barn today proved a huge success.

Good to reconnect with Valley neighbors and friends.

Here are some images from the day, below.

We'll be taking this coming week off from blogging - a "social media fast," to rest, recreate, and enjoy the company of family.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

YAK TRACKS: American YAKBread in Burlington

2009-11-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

Delivered 30 pounds of sausage and ground to American Flatbread in Burlington this afternoon.

"We're very impressed with the product," said Chef Brian as I was leaving. "We'd like to get yak up here as a special every few weeks." I'll be sure to pass that on to the rest of the team.

Here's Chef Brian's full recipe:

I fire roasted a mix of the sweet and hot Italian sausage in our hearth,
then put the sausage on a flatbread with creamy alfredo sauce, roasted
delicate squash, baby arugala, and red onions. All the ingredients used on
this flatbread were either local or organic.

Yak to the future!

YAK TRACKS: Yakking with Pete's Greens In Vermont's NEK (Northeast Kingdom)

2009-11-18T05:33:00.001-08:00

I delivered 70 pounds of our fabulous YAK BEER BRATS sausage to one of Vermont's most forward-thinking farm operations yesterday.

Pete Johnson of "Pete's Greens" is a true visonary.

Here's a look at his Craftsbury-based farm up in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.

He's laid out several giant four-season greenhouses on his property, buildings big enough to get a tractor in for planting and plowing.

Pete currently offers several hundred individual "shares" of vegetables. Vermont Yak Company is excited to be part of their fairly new 65 customer "meat share."

YAK TRACKS: SPECIAL! Vermont Yak Stew at SKINNY PANCAKE

2009-11-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Vermont Yak Stew with Pete's Greens' organic carrots, potatoes and onions.

Only at Montpelier's Skinny Pancake this week.

YAK TRACKS: Got Yak For the Holidays?

2009-11-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Vermont Yak Company
November 2009 “Yak to the Future” E-Newsletter
www.vermontyak.com

November: Yakking for the Holidays!
“Lean, keen, and grass-fed green.”

Thanksgiving Farmer’s Market
Sunday, November 22 from 9 – 1
Waitsfield’s Round Barn Inn

Buy your steaks, ground and 4 kinds of sausage – hot, sweet, beer, maple - for the holidays!

For more information, or to buy through us at Steadfast Farm, contact us via e-mail at info@vermontyak.com, # 802.279.8302 (the yak phone).

YAK TRACKS: Yakking About Yak "Retirement"

2009-11-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Hunting Season here in Vermont!

I stopped by the local general store this morning to put air in the ties of the F-150, and ran into a small group of hunters who bagged this deer literally 20 minutes into their morning, the first day of hunting season here in Vermont, up off of the Moretown Common road.

It got me thinking about how we at Vermont Yak Company are in the meat business ourselves, though we are working with a domesticated animal, not one in the wild.

And then, I remembered an ongoing discussion on our YAKS YAHOO listserve about how to process yak meat.

From our YAKS YAHOO list - an elegant;y simple description of how to process yaks on-farm. We've done one of these ourselves at Steadfast Farm - to those who aren't used to local meat processing, the procedure may seem a bit grisly. But this is how its been done for thousands of years, friends.

Call animal to a special area with alfalfa they love, and that we can access easily with the backhoe or a tractor and fence off. Shoot and cut throat to bleed. (This is the hardest part for me, fortunately my husband does this, because they trusted us and were happy to come over, but by the time the bleeding stops I've wiped away the tears and have to go to work.)

Hook back legs through a cut near hock to bucket of backhoe with chains. Lift and lay out carcass on back on 2 big beams, to aid in skinning, covered with clean tarp. Begin skinning. Periodically lift with backhoe to allow hide to fall away while cutting off feet. Hang and gut. Use sawzall to split down backbone. Rinse to remove any cartilage or debris. (Am told by processor, getting it too wet could interfere in the aging process). Quarter with a hand meat saw, allowing quarters to lay down on clean sheets in which they're wrapped, and take to the processor where they're directly hung in the cooler to age for 2 weeks.

YAK TRACKS: Yakking About "To Nose Ring, or Not to Nose Ring?"

2009-11-11T02:39:00.001-08:00

From our YAKS YAHOO list:

Hello All:

Please help me with the decision as to whether to place a nose ring in my bull yak or not. He is very sweet, but he is a bull. However, I'm afraid of him getting the ring caught on something and injuring or ripping off his nose. He is 19 months old.

He has been raised as if he was a steer, and only realized this summer that he was a bull, and soon to be a father.

Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

YAK TRACKS: Yakking About The "Yakity Yak" - and SNOW in Mad River Valley!

2009-11-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Picked up a "to go" order this afternoon from Skinny Pancake chef Tucker for four "Yakity Yaks."

I realize I am a bit biased here - but the garlic and onion infused ground yak, when combined with the apples and cheese, proved delicious.

And look, Tucker can "chalk" a yak, too!

And here's the F-150 Pick Up with a light dusting of the white stuff - bring on the winter.

BIG FARM day today: yaks separated, vaccinated, and young boys are now castrati.

YAK TRACKS: Yakking About the "Yakkity Yak" Special at Montpelier's "Skinny Pancake"

2009-11-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

...All I have to say is - I gotta get over to try this special.

Skinny Pancake Chef Jeremy Silansky (with whom I have had the good pleasure of herding our yaks last summer) has prepared a mouth-watering-ly "yaktastic" special at the Skinny Pancake in Montpelier this week.

Here 'tis:

VT Yak Company Yak with Champlain Orchard Apples, Pete's Caramelized Onions, and Grafton Smoked Cheddar in a Gleason's WW Crepe.

All week long. For $10. Sign me up.

YAK TRACKS: Yakking About Hay Bale Art...

2009-10-26T18:18:00.001-07:00

I wish we could claim credit for some of these remarkable hay bale designs.

Alas, we are simply applauding...

YAK TRACKS: Smokin' Yak Maple Jerky Recipe!

2009-10-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to neighbors Jon and Krissa Hammond for this yak jerky recipe.

Mixing up the brine for 2-3 pounds of trimmed meat.

1 cup of maple syrup.

1 cup of water.

2/3 cup of non-iodized salt.

1/3 cup of worcestershire sauce.

1/3 cup of soy sauce.

1 tbsp. of black pepper.

1 tbsp. of cayenne pepper.

Place meat in brine overnight, stirring a few times.

Before smoking, drain meat, place on racks, and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

To smoke, warm smoker while meat is warming.

After adding meat, replace woodchips every hour for three hours.

After that replace every two hours.

Total smoking time will be 8-12 hours, depending on how lean the meat is.

YAK TRACKS: The "Daily Princetonian" Yaks About Our Yaks

2009-10-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kate and Rob's alma mater's Daily Princetonian for this nice story today about our Vermont Yak Company work at Steadfast Farm.

And one reader already posted a comment, wondering why we don't call ourselves a "ranch" rather than a "farm.

The answer? We are a small operation, built on land that was devoted to dairy farming for decades.

The term "ranch" smacks of bigness, and the West, and feedlots - none of which are to be found at our Vermont operation.

We prefer the term "farm."

Thanks for writing the article, Andrew!

YAK TRACKS: Zak the Yak, from Zero to Hero(es)!

2009-10-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

Take a look at little Yak Zak.

He survived birth to us at Steadfast Farm in an early season snow storm last fall 2008.

We nursed him along, the little guy, and then sold him as a bottle-fed to a sweet woman in the Hero Islands last summer.

And now look at him! What a stud.

Way to go, Lucky Boy!

YAK TRACKS: Happy FIFTIETH birthday, Yak Man Dave!

2009-10-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Our Vermont Yak Company team member Dave Hartshorn turns FIFTY this week, so we threw him a surprise party at the BIG PICTURE Theater in Mad River Valley. Here are some photos of Vermont's studliest farmer.

Dave and his partner Amy (who rocks).

The cake with a yak on it:

I got to pin the "flashing 50" button on him.

His new TIGGER surfboard.

YAK TRACKS: High Cholesterol? Eat Yak Meat!

2009-10-15T10:36:00.001-07:00

Always good to have the global press support our farm work.

And here's a still shot of the snow on Tuesday.

Yak on!

YAK TRACKS: October 13 - Snow In Mad River! (Yaktastic!)

2009-10-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Yakking With Jet Black, Son of the Largest Yak In North America

2009-10-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

YAK TRACKS: Yak Mud-Wrastlin' 2009

2009-10-05T17:41:00.001-07:00

I know what you're thinking.

Little Flo is such a small yak.

But she's quick as lightning. Trust me.

YAK TRACKS: Random Snap Shots of the Fall Farm

2009-10-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

YAK TRACKS: Four more yak recipes!

2009-10-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yak Sausage and Wild Rice Pilaf

3 cups cooked wild rice (1 c uncooked)
Saute the following...
1 medium, chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
3 yak maple sausages
pepper to taste if you like
Take out the cooked sausage and cut into 1/2" slices.
Add a little water to the saute pan to create some broth.
Add everything together to heat and serve.
Top with some sliced, toasted, almonds or pecans
Serve with wilted greens or corn on the cob

Yak Sausage with Scrambled Eggs

Saute 2 yak sausages... any kind you like
When nearly cooked add 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic if you like
Slice up the casing and scoop out the sausage and crumble into bite-sized bits
Scramble 3 eggs seasoned with s & p and add the following ingredients when nearly done.
Sausage crumbles and 1/4 c. grated cheddar cheese if you like

Yak Hash

Dice a couple medium potatoes into small cubes.
Slice up a small onion and a 1-2 garlic cloves diced
Saute potatoes until nearly done and add onion and garlic cooking 'til soft
Cut up leftover yak roast into small cubes and add when potatoes nearly done to heat up.
Serve with scrambled or fried eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Serve with Salsa if you like.

Yak Sausage and Potatoes

Slice a couple large or 3 medium potatoes
Slice up a medium onion (I like to go with the grain) and 1-2 garlic cloves sliced
Cut a pepper (any color) into chunks and add to potatoes when they are almost done
Add onion and garlic a little later and cook til soft
Cook yak sausage separately and cut into 1/2" slices adding to potatoes and cook til heated

YAK TRACKS: Kids and Yaks - What A Combo!

2009-09-29T18:01:00.001-07:00

YAK TRACKS: Yak Izzy Goes Wild!

2009-09-27T07:48:00.001-07:00

YAK TRACKS: RECIPE - Yak, Onion and Barley Soup Over A Swiss Cheese Flan

2009-09-23T01:35:00.000-07:00

Vermont Yak, Onion & Barley Soup Over a Swiss Cheese Flan

Recipe by Patricia Teague of Champlain College

Ingredients:

Barley 1#
Olive Oil 3 Tbs
Yellow Onion Diced 2 ea.
Ground Yak 2#
Mushrooms Sliced 3 c.
Swiss Chard Chopped 1 bnch
Minced Garlic 1 Tbs
Beef Stock/Broth 2 qt.
Salt 1 Tbs
Black Pepper 1 Tbs

Cover Barley with Water and Cook Separately in a Sauce Pot. When Done Rinse with warm water and set aside.

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add and cook until tender. Add Yak meat and stir until crumbly. Add the remaining ingredients mushrooms – stock. Cooking for approximately 40 minutes. Add Barley and heat through.
Serve in a large bowl over the Swiss Cheese Flan.

Swiss Cheese Flan

Butter 3 Tbs
Small yellow onion finely diced 1 ea.
Heavy Cream ¾ c.
Eggs 3 ea.
Salt ½ tsp
Black pepper ½ tsp
Swiss Cheese shredded 1 1/4 c.

Melt butter and cook onion. Take off heat and add cream. Add the remaining ingredients. Pour into ramekins. Place into deep pan and fill with water. Cook in oven until firm, approximately 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Using a sharp knife go around the edges of flan and turn out into soup bowl. Pour Yak on top and serve.

*This would be very tasty served with popovers, Yum!

YAK TRACKS: Meet our Yak Vet (and two yak calves)

2009-09-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

YAK TRACKS: A breakout recipe for YAK BOREK

2009-09-21T01:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our neighbor Jeannie Elias for passing this on!

Adapted from Contemporary Turkish Cooking
By Filiz Zorulu

Yak Borek
8 sheets phyllo dough (must be thawed)
(Phyllo dough tears easily, but ignore that and keep working!)
¼ lb. (1 stick) butter (melted)
1 egg (beaten, in a small bowl)
1 recipe Yak filling

Yak Filling
4 TB olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 lb ground yak meat
3 TB tomato paste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Butter a ten inch quiche or tart pan
3. Heat olive oil in frying pan.
4. Add garlic to pan and allow to become fragrant for 30-60 seconds.
5. Add onions to pan and allow to soften 3-4 minutes.
6. Add ground yak to pan and cook until all pink is gone.
7. Add tomato paste to pan and turn pan off and allow to cool.

Assembly

1. Lay a sheet or two of aluminum foil on a counter to make a work surface that is bigger that the dimensions of the phyllo dough.
2. Lay one sheet of dough on foil, with widest edge toward you, brush with butter.
3. Lay second sheet of dough on foil.
4. Place one quarter of the yak mixture in a long line at the bottom of the wide side of the dough, the side closest to you.
5. Starting from the edge with the meat on it, carefully roll the phyllo, jelly roll style, or like you are rolling a cigar, roll it away from you, so that you end up with a cylinder of phyllo wrapped around your yak mixture.
6. Brush your cylinder with butter.
7. Now roll this first cylinder pinwheel fashion and place it in the quiche or tart pan. Be gentle and careful with the dough, but don’t fret. So what if it tears, it will still taste great.
8. Repeat steps 2-6 and then take the next yak filled phyllo cylinder to continue the pinwheel pattern in your pan.
9. Repeat step 8 twice more. You will ultimately make 4 cylinders and keep curling them around each other.
10. Brush finished Yak Borek with beaten egg.
11. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

You will almost certainly be the only family on the block, or person at your Pot Luck eating Yak Borek!!! Thanks to the Vermont Yak Company!!!

YAK TRACKS: Meet Pema's new calf! Born today!

2009-09-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

YAK TRACKS: September Special! $7 Per Pound Ground!

2009-09-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

The headline here says it all.

Now's the time to stock up on yak meat for the winter.

And, if you'd like a live yak to do your laundry for you, give us a call.

BYOC - Bring Your Own Clothesline.

YAK TRACKS: Yak It Up! Sunday Community Celebration On Waitsfield's Old County Road

2009-08-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Can you say "yak meat balls"?

Join the owners of Vermont Yak Company - Dave Hartshorn, Susan and Ted Laskaris, and Kate and Rob Williams - at the Yellow Farm House Inn on Waitsfield's Old County Road this Sunday, August 30 between 3 and 5 p.m. for an afternoon of music, munchies and fun. "We wanted to celebrate our first full year in business, and thank our Mad River neighbors for all of their support, and having a community party seemed a good way to do it," says the yak team. Yak meatballs and other light food fare, live music byEliza Lynn and Phineas Gage, and a chance to visit with the yaks grazing in the Yellow Farm Inn pasture will be a part of the afternoon. The event is free and families are welcome. Bring a picnic blanket, some drinks, and a frisbee or three to try your hand at the Inn's frisbee golf tee.

For more information, call 279.3364 or email rob@vermontyak.com.

YAK TRACKS: Surf and Turf, Yak Style!

2009-08-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

We had a chance to visit with some old friends in Yarmouth, Maine, this past week-end.

They had not yet had yak, so we threw some yak sirloins in the cooler, and they gathered some fresh Maine lobsters, and we combined culinary forces for one of the most remarkable summer meals of the season.

Here are the "ocean spiders:"

And here is the yak sirloin:

Papa Steve and son Elias are chowing down on some yak meat here.

Yak and Lobster - a great combo!

YAK TRACKS: Come On Down To The Washington County Fair!

2009-08-14T06:32:00.000-07:00

Fair Days are here!

The yak team met early this morning at Steadfast Farm to load up Tashi (the very first yak born on Vermont soil - born May 12, 2008) and baby calf Kate's Pride (born August 1, 2009 - just 2 short weeks ago) on the big John Deere pick-up/hauler and bring 'em down the road to Kenyon's General Store.

Tashi seemed in his element - he's gotten awfully big since last spring, but is still happy enough to have a halter on him - all that bottle-feeding seems to be paying off (fingers crossed). And Kate's Pride is the durn cutest yak I ever did see.

Here's a look at the animal tent - we're easy to find, on the south end of the fair grounds, almost right next to to the incoming road.

Here's the official skinny on the Washington County Fair:

Come enjoy the yesteryears of a small fair. Cows, goats, horses, sheep, Gymkhana, amateur photo contest, quilt contest, ice-cream eating contest. Many 4-H displays to include new for 2009 vegetables and floral arrangements. Great food and entertainment daily plus a midway carnival to entice any age. Free on grounds parking.

This is Vermont Yak Company's very first county fair - we're a bit nervous, very excited, and looking forward to sharing our yaks and our vision with all comers. Here's a look at our booth, with Theron, Anneka and Emma holding down the yak mojo.

This is the first time in a while that the county fair is being held in the Mad River Valley - thanks to Doug and Donna Kenyon for offering their property - and here's a map to get to the fair.

We hope to see you this week-end!

YAK TRACKS: American YAKBread, T Shirts and Burdock Bashing...

2009-07-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

What a week! Before we head out on vacation tomorrow, let's do a photo wrap up.

Here are some "Yakberry" photos.

AMERICAN FLATBREAD served up a delicious yak sausage Flatbread.

THE COLLECTION gift shop in Waitsfield is now carrying our T Shirts:

We've adopted a new "stuffed yak" mascot - you haven't seen the last of him.

We've had quite a week at the yak farm.

And five UVM students showed up today to help me bash burdocks. Here. Brittany is wearing a "burr lei."

Sweet.

YAK TRACKS: Why Yak Burgers Are So Durn Good!

2009-07-28T19:30:00.001-07:00

Check our the Passionate Foodie's blog for some tasty thoughts about yak burgers.

The guy seems to know what he's talking about.

And get a load of these yak burgers, above!

Throw another yak on the barbie, eh?

YAK TRACKS: Where Can I Buy Yak In New York City?

2009-07-28T10:10:00.001-07:00

Look no further than Himalayan Yak.

Their Nepalese restaurant is featured in today's New York Times.

YAK TRACKS: Haying and the "Hamster Habitrail" Maneuver

2009-07-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

Sure, haying is hard work.

But there are moments of inspiration, as well - like when Ben taught me how to properly move the giant round hay holder from one paddock to another a few weeks back.

50 round bales in - another 60 plus to go - come on, sun!

YAK TRACKS: LETTER - Hi, this is Texas calling - we'd like to buy some Yak Ribeye..?!

2009-07-25T18:29:00.001-07:00

From the "You know you might have a successful product when..." department. Or - "When Texans call you to order Ribeyes, you know you are on to something."

This is an email we received yesterday.

Hi Rob,

My son and I were there at the last weeks Farmers Market and bought 5 of the Rib Eyes and they were absolutly fantastic.

Now we are back in Austin, Texas and would like to get some shipped to me for all my friends here in Texas.

This is possible I hope, as we are looking forward to getting some shipped to us.

You charged me 14.99 a pound and I know there is shipping.

Can you tell me what it would cost to get 5 or 10 pounds?

Thank you and have a fantastic day.

YAK TRACKS: Thanks to FARMING magazine's Patrick White for this story!

2009-07-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Patrick White wrote a nice feature article on our efforts for the current issue of FARMING magazine.

His article THE YAK TRACK details the background for our first year of efforts.

Thanks, Patrick!

YAK TRACKS: Scenes From Saturday's Farmer's Market

2009-07-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

And the best moment?

The 12-year-old kid from New Hampshire who sampled our grilled ground yak and said:

"That is the best meat I've ever tasted."

Now that's a rave.

Here are some shots of Emma and Ani, who worked the register like experienced veterans.

YAK TRACKS: Getting the Hay In...

2009-07-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

Always good to start storing winter feed for our yaks.

Especially this year, with the rain-soaked June and July we've had - nice to have just a wee bit of dry weather to tedder our way to success.

Watch Susan rock it on the Deere.

Noice!

YAK TRACKS: "Two Fisted" Bottle Feeding and the latest in YAK FASHION!

2009-07-10T02:35:00.000-07:00

Is Kate a pro, or what?

And Ted models the latest in yak fashion with hair right off the farm. Someone call Versace!

YAK TRACKS: Mama Ilia Gives Birth, and Nox Comes to Nursing HQ!

2009-07-07T03:35:00.001-07:00

Years from now, when people asked us what in our lives brought us he most joy, we'll be able to say:

"Bottle-feeding yak calves."

Congratulations to first-time Mama Ilia, who gave birth yesterday to a sturdy baby girl.

And welcome to Williams summertime bottle-feeding HQ, Nox! We trust that you and Baby Flo will get along famously.

YAK TRACKS: Burr Bashing and Bottle-Feeding

2009-06-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Never a dull moment down on the farm.

Here's a big shout-out to our farm neighbors Tyler and Brittany, for coming to help finish our epic "burr-bashing" project in the south pasture yesterday in the rain! They each drive a mean pair of farm shears, let me tell you. The giant burrs didn't stand a chance.

And here's a glimpse of Baby Flo, who we "yak napped" from the farm last night to give her mama, Baby Jane, a breather. Flo will be living at the Williams homestead this summer. Welcome, Flo.

YAK TRACKS: Yak "Meet For Meat" - Come And Get It!

2009-06-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Come and get it!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of market season for Vermont Yak Company.

We just unloaded sixteen boxes of meat into our farm freezers.

Ground yak burger, ribs, sirloins, shin steaks, porterhouses, tenderloins, t-bones - and more.

We even have organs - hearts, tongues, and livers - for the uber-adventurous eaters.

The only item we don't have yet are our signature yak sausages - but we hope to have them in time for July 4th market.

Here's a little video of Chef Paul from American Flatbread talking with farmer Dave about their sausage flatbread form last summer.

Unbelievably good.

We'll be selling every Saturday this summer from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Waitsfield Farmer's Market on Route 100 in downtown Waitsfield.

Or, you can buy direct from us at the farm - just call us at 496.5199 (home) or 279.8302 (yak mobile) to set up a "meet for meat" rendezvous.

If you've always wanted to try yak, or are a return customer - now is the time to buy!

See you at the market!

YAK TRACKS: "Yakking" with "Vermont Maturity"?!

2009-06-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Vermont Maturity magazine for covering our "yakking" efforts at Steadfast Farm in Waitsfield.

I guess this means we are getting old.

Don't tell the yaks. We gotta stay nimble.

For the record, Dave has Ted beat by several months in the age department - approaching fifty as we speak.

Though he doesn't look a day over 40.

As Ted said, maybe we should start a magazine called "Vermont Immaturity."

Never a dull moment at the farm.

YAK TRACKS: Meet Baby Jane's new calf!

2009-06-24T05:01:00.000-07:00

It is always exciting to have a new calf born on the farm.

This is Baby Jane's very first calf.

And as Baby Jane is a bottle-fed yak, one of our friendliest, she is happy to have us come right up to her baby and get acquainted. We've never been able to get this close to a calf before without the mama putting up a fight.

She's muddy, but a real cutie.

Way to go, Baby Jane!

YAK TRACKS: Ever see a yak drink from a garden hose?

2009-06-23T12:00:00.001-07:00

We hadn't, either.

il pleut

2009-06-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

today it rains. no haying today. too bad.

YAK TRACKS: Welcoming Yaks to our first Bed and Breakfast...

2009-05-29T05:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mike and Sandra at the Yellow Farmhouse Inn in downtown Waitsfield for making some pasture available for four of our yaks.

This "yakberry" video indicates much joy in good grass, despite the rain...

YAK TRACKS: Yakking About New Yaks!

2009-05-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Big news down on Steadfast Farm!

Vermont Yak Company would like to welcome fourteen new yaks - 11 steers and 3 1-year-old heifers - to the herd.

Watching the veterans greet the newbies (and listening in) proved the most fun.

Jet Black, as always, remained unfazed.

Take a look on the "Yakberry":

YAK TRACKS: Bottle Feeding "Nox" the Yak ("Yaklet")

2009-05-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy arriving at the farm and seeing this sign on the front door.

"New Baby Inside."

Let the bottle feeding begin!