DENVER, Colorado Ñ There are many things Jim Watson likes about Tibetan yaks.
They are hardy, produce flavourful meat and luxurious fibre and in spite of a formidable set of handlebar horns, are gentle and quiet.
But best of all, “they are smarter than cattle,” said the Montana breeder who also raises bison.
Watson inherited the herd from his father-in-law and raises about 140 head destined for the breeding stock market. The Watsons sell meat from those that did not make it as breeding animals.
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Watson recently had a yak display at the National Western Stock Show in Denver.
The Tibetan yak was domesticated 5,000 years ago and came to North America via Europe in the early 1900s. There are fewer than 3,000 head in North America.
“They are genetically between cattle and buffalo,” said Watson. Some yaks have been crossed with cattle.
The cows reach about 700 pounds and the bulls range from 1,200 to 1,500 lb. They live for 20-25 years and remain fertile for life.
They produce darker, sweeter meat than bison that is low in cholesterol and high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Yak milk is also well known for its high fat content and is used to make a specialty butter.
The international yak association includes three Canadian members and one from Norway. No imports are allowed anymore from China, Tibet or Nepal because of bluetongue and foot-and-mouth disease.
“We have a closed genetic pool here,” said Watson, who registers his animals with the association. The herd book is still open and members can register animals if a sire or dam is unknown.
“DNA testing is not reliable because they all have a certain amount of cattle DNA from the wild,” he said.
The fibre is of special interest to spinners and weavers.
The yak has an overcoat of long, coarse guard hairs, a middle coat of finer hair and a downy inner coat that is combed out to produce soft wool. Up to two lb. of down can be collected from an adult yak.
Carol Wilkinson of Colorado Springs, Colo., has found that yaks from colder, damper climates produce more of the insulating down.
Finding wool mills to handle the product properly is a challenge because not all are equipped to remove the coarse guard hairs.
It remains a rare, expensive fibre, selling for about $15 per ounce. It is also painstaking to collect, with the extra labour adding to the cost of yarn and finished items.
“It is rare to see yak fibre on the market or in stores,” Wilkinson said.
“We just don’t have the animals.”
She finds it comparable in quality to cashmere or qiviet from musk ox. The down is a product that Asians often blend with the middle level fibre to make blankets, tents, felted clothes and wigs for stage performers.
