Randall Cows

The Randall Cattle is a landrace breed of cow from Vermont. They were akin to the multi-purpose cows that were typical on many homesteads throughout the eastern United States for hundreds of years. These hardy and gentle cattle were used to work the land and harvest wood from forests, while also supplying families with milk and meat. The 20th century brought dramatic changes in dairy operations, and landrace breeds- those adapted to the local climates and conditions- were replaced by more uniform breeds that produced higher volumes of milk. The Randall Cattle had nearly disappeared when in 1985 it was discovered that the last 15 were living on the farm of Everett Randall, in Sunderland VT. Since then the efforts of a handful of dedicated folks have helped bring the number of Randalls back into the hundreds, though there is still much work remaining to preserve this unique and historic breed of cattle.

Today the Randall status is listed as ‘critical’ by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC). Since the rescue of those 15 Randalls in 1985, the number of these animals has grown to over 600. There are Randall cattle in at least 15 states and in Canada. You can find Randalls on working farms, hobby farms, homesteads and in historic ‘villages’ such as Colonial Williamsburg. Today, as was the case with landrace breeds hundreds of years ago, Randall are raised for their milk, their meat, and for their use as draft oxen.

We believe strongly in the need to preserve heritage and rare breeds of livestock. Our Randall cows were once an integral part of the vibrant fabric of the New England landscape. We truly hope they can have a place once again here in Maine as a part of the local food economy- both for their historical value and for the traits that make them well adapted to the harsh climate.

There are some drawbacks to keeping Randall cows, as a commercial dairy. Randall cows are not nearly as productive as modern milking breeds of cows. We have also noticed that Randalls are not as fertile as our Jersey cows, which means we have fewer Randalls in milk than we do Jerseys. In addition, the components of Randall milk are not as ideal for making cheese as Jerseys.