Yaks on the Farmstead: What is Yak Meat?

These hardy and majestic bovines might be the next addition to your farm.

By Greg Dike
Updated on October 23, 2022
article image
by Greg Dike
Check on the health of your herd daily, especially since yaks tend to hide signs of illness.

What is yak meat? Is there a market for yak cheese and yak fiber? Read all you need to know about raising yaks for profit.

Domestic yaks (Bos grunniens) share a common ancestry with Western cattle breeds (B. taurus), Brahman and zebu cattle (B. indicus), and bison (B. bison). The wild yak (B. mutus) is believed to have diverged from this ancestor 2 to 5 million years ago. Over the subsequent millennia, it interbred with indigenous B. indicus cattle. The ancient Qiang people on the Tibetan Plateau domesticated the yak, starting around 4,500 years ago. The domestic yak has been central to Tibetan culture. It thrives at high altitudes. The domestic yak is a work and pack animal, and a source of milk, meat, high-quality fiber, hair for making ropes and carpets, and hides for tents.

Domestic yaks are much smaller than the wild yak. Where there’s good nutritional forage, domestic yak cows weigh between 500 to 800 pounds, while the bulls can weigh between 1,200 to 1,500 pounds. Yaks have a gestation of eight and a half months and seldom have calving problems, with calves weighing between 25 to 35 pounds. Yak breeders raising yaks for profit in the United States selectively increase the size of bulls through high-protein forage and breeding practices. Yak cows and bulls can reproduce at 3 years old, but continue to grow until 6 years old. Yaks live to be in their 20s and remain productive when properly cared for.

yak calf in a collar laying in a dog bed beside a large black dog

Today, the vast majority of the 14.2 million yaks (wild and domestic) worldwide live on the Tibetan Plateau, with yaks also found in Mongolia and countries near the Himalayas. Roughly 6,000 yaks live in the U.S., mainly in the Northwest because of the high altitude. Yaks also do well in the Southern U.S., particularly eastern Kentucky. The foundation herd came principally from zoos and entrepreneurial ranchers who brought several hundred yaks from Alberta, Canada, to the Northwest in the 1980s. As a result, the U.S. herd has a small gene pool, requiring breeders to be wary of inbreeding.

What Is Yak Meat

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368