MAYSVILLE, Ohio – While Yaks are antive to the Himalayan region of South Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau, and as far north as Mongolia and Russia they can be found on farms in the United States  

Blake Mathys is owner of Covered Bridge Yak Farm in Union County, Ohio. He has a herd of 12 yaks on his 60-acre farm. He and his family enjoy them immensely.

“When we started raising yaks, we thought of it as a business but we’ve come to realize it’s mostly a hobby,” Mathys said. “It’s not going to ever be a major money-making operation. They’re amazing animals. They’re very smart. When it’s a nice cold snowy day in the middle of winter you can look out and see their hair blowing in the wind. They look like they should be up in the mountains.”

Yaks are cold-hardy, sure-footed beasts with stocky hooves and they can withstand some of the planet’s most extreme environments.

They may appeal to farmers in the U.S. for many reasons. They are specially adapted to sparse vegetation. They provide a variety of valuable products, including milk, meat, fiber and hides. They can act as talented draft animals. They’re known for their resistance to diseases, requiring less intensive care compared to some other livestock. 

While yaks can generally be managed like cattle, they live longer (up to 25 years) and have slower growth rates. They’re both browsers and grazers, while cattle are grazing focused with minimal to no browsing. This means yaks might snack on leaves,  and woody plants vs just eating grass. Yaks have evolved to handle extreme environmental conditions, such as low temperatures and high altitude, but they can thrive in more temperate regions with proper care and management.

“I grew up on a central Ohio farm, where our family collected Scottish Highland cows, Jacob sheep and peacocks,” Mathys said. “When we moved back to Ohio 12 years ago, I wanted to raise something unusual, and yaks fit the bill and made for a thriving hobby.”

Many yak owners covet the fiber these animals produce. Diet management is vital to a fiber harvest as inadequate protein in their diet will have a negative impact on the fiber soundness. Yak fiber is known for its softness and warmth, often comparable to cashmere. Their fiber is durable and resistant to pilling. The fiber is rare, with only a small amount produced each year.

“Some yak producers make extra money with the fiber,” Mathys said. “In the spring they comb out the fiber, which is very soft and relatively valuable. Yaks come in a few main colorations here in North America. Black and white yaks are known as ‘royal’ and then the yaks that are mostly black with a little bit of white on the forehead and usually on the back feet are called ‘trim.’”

Yak nutritional management is similar to that of most other ruminants. And, yaks are generally susceptible to most common cattle diseases. Proper care, including nutrition, housing and protection against diseases, is essential for their health and well-being.

Yaks are good-natured and enjoyable animals to work with. Quality genetics are the foundation to good temperament, Mathys said.

“As with any livestock you’ve always got to keep an eye on the bull, but most of them are pretty easy to work with,” Mathys said. “They’re a little smaller than regular cattle, and that makes it a little easier to keep them. They’re a little less hard on gates and fences.”

Selling the baby yaks to petting zoos is one of the few ways that Mathys is able to make a profit from his yaks. He also collects yak fiber to sell for yarn, as well as selling their lean meat.

“When they’re growing, they put their fat more on the outside of the muscle so there is less of the marbling inside the muscle,” Mathys said. “That results in a very lean meat. They’re pretty slow growing. It takes about three years to at least get a steer up to appropriate weight to butcher. Because the meat is so lean, it really is something that a lot of consumers are looking for. They also are kind of nice because yaks do cross with regular cattle.”

Mathys has found local grocers to accept his meat, though he said it’s not all about profits. Most owners, like Mathys, form bonds with their yak herds and keep them for their novelty.

Gregor Dike, board chair of the North American Yak Association, said yak is a niche meat market that offers potential as a red meat alternative.

“The yak meat is high in protein, at 22 to 23 percent,” Dike said. “They’re hardy. They have a smaller or a lighter environmental footprint in terms of methane gas release, in terms of soil compaction and things like that.”

Despite all the ecological and health benefits of their meat, yaks are unlikely to catch on as a major agricultural product in the U.S. anytime soon. The USDA doesn’t allow the import of yaks for farms. That means the yak population in North America is basically limited to what’s already here and what farmers like Mathys can breed.

“They’re not going to compete with Angus,” Dike said. “There are 7,000 yak in the U.S. You probably slaughter 7,000 Angus a day for meat.”

Yaks can range in weight from 300 to 1,000 pounds. They can run up to 40 miles per hour.

The Mathys family has been raising yaks in Union County since 2015. They also tend to horses, sheep, goats and chickens. They’re looking to diversify their herd, perhaps adding a water buffalo or two.

There are three additional yak farms in Ohio: Heartland Yaks in Leipsic; OH Yaks in Lebanon; Bauman’s NH Farm in Waynesburg; and Covered Bridge Yaks in West Mansfield.

Yak farms can be found throughout the Farm World readership area. In Indiana, yaks can be found at the Woolly Yak Ranch & Winery in Arcadia. In Tennessee, Deep Draw Yak Ranch in Crossville raises yaks and offers educational farm tours to the public. In Michigan, large yak herds can be found at A Yak or 2 Ranch in Mancelona, or Kwididinok Farm in Boyne City, the latter offering a petting farm.