apply : Florida Crackers and Pineywoods are triple - determination cattle ideal for small - farm beef output , milking , and draught intention ( they make outstanding small kine ) , specially in the Southeastern grade of states . Beef farm by these breeds is skimpy , flavorful , and their small carcass make ideal Deepfreeze boeuf for today ’s humble family . Thanks to their tasty beef , both Pineywoods and Florida Cracker cattle are list on Slow Foods USA ’s Ark of Taste . And , since some strains emphasize dairy timbre ; cows from these syndicate make excellent hobby farm family dairy moo-cow .
History : If you ’re looking for a hardy , all - American cover custom - orient for the South , essay no further : Florida Crackers and Pineywoods are the breeds you necessitate . The basal difference between Pineywoods and Florida Cracker Bos taurus is their place of origin . Both descend from criollo ( Spanish stock born in the New World ) cows . One breed , the Pineywood , acquire in the longleaf pine woodland of Louisiana , Mississippi , Alabama and Georgia , while the Florida Cracker is a Cartesian product of the Sunshine State . Both stock share a usual history . When Spain set out to claim the New World , she beam cattle with her conquistadors and settler , to the tune of about 300 pass . These animate being proliferated . In many cases cattle escaped or were abandoned to the wild so that in time a vast savage population roamed New Spain . They became the Longhorns of Texas , the Corriente of Mexico , and the Pineywoods and Florida Crackers of the Southeastern res publica . Eventually , breeder ‘ improved ’ aboriginal cattle by frustrate them with heat - hardy , kyphotic zebu crap like the American Brahmin , until purebreds almost quit to be . However , a handful of dedicated family in both regions maintained herds of arrant , native stock and in the 1990 ’s the Pineywoods Cattle Registry and Breeders Association and the Florida Cracker Cattle Association were make to preserve them . Both breeds are list under the Critical heading of the American Livestock Breeders Conservancy ’s watch leaning and additional conservators are needed .
contour : Florida Crackers and Pineywoods come in a wide-eyed palette of spotted and self-colored colors including Shirley Temple , Marxist , yellows , and blues in fleck , linebacks and roans . Some descent list toward beefiness , others more toward dairy farm type . Most Pineywoods and Florida Crackers are fairly rangy with light- to somewhat - heavy muscling and pearl , and they weigh in the 600 to 1000 pound range . “ Guinea ” or dwarf Bos taurus with shorter heads and legs fall out in both breeds . Both horned and polled blood live but the majority of Pineywoods and Florida Cracker cattle are horned , with horn types deviate from short , curved , Friesian - like horns to large , upswept , more or less Longhorn - type mixture . They have short , shiny summertime fuzz coats but uprise longer hair in the winter months .
Special Considerations / Notes : Florida Cracker and Pineywoods cattle are ego - sufficient animal that thrive on rough forage and brush with minimum human intervention . They are unmistakably easy keepers . Both breeds are long - hold up and prolific . Pineywoods and Florida Cracker cow have substantial paternal inherent aptitude and produce pile of milk for their calves .
