Yaks in North Idaho?

by Kathleen Mulroy of Sagle, ID

Pack River Yak Ranch is a pretty quiet place, even with a herd of 20 Registered Tibetan Yaks pastured near Christine and Sam Stoneham’s log home. That’s because yaks don’t moo… they make a low grunting sound. And they don’t even do that very often.

So, what exactly is a yak? It’s something like a hairy bovine with a personality! In the lands where they originated – the high plateaus and mountains of Central Asia – domesticated yaks thrive. They’re extremely well-adapted to the cold climate in that region, surviving even at temperatures of -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The yak is aided by its thick coat, great lung capacity, and the ability to navigate rough terrain.

Yak males are called bulls and females are cows. It’s difficult to tell at a glance which is which, because both bulls and cows have horns and are very hairy. Yak colors include brown, black, brown and white, and black and white.

Four years ago, Christine began to think about raising this interesting animal on her family’s rural property near the Pack River between Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry, Idaho. It was apparent to Christine that the long-haired herd animal would be perfectly suited to life in cold, mountainous North Idaho. But it took some serious persuading on her part to get Sam to fall in line with her idea. When he finally did, he grew to love yaks as much as does Christine. And the ranch is turning into a viable business, because yaks provide ultra-lean meat, fiber, hides and skulls. The couple is selling those products, supplementing their income from Sam’s log house-building business. Sometimes they sell yaks as “pasture pets,” too. Recently a couple visiting from Virginia bought four yaks as pets for their ranch.

Yaks produce high-butter-fat milk, which can be made into butter, yogurt, cheese and soap. In Tibet, hot yak-butter tea is a staple. This delicacy hasn’t caught on in the U.S., though! Christine sells Tibetan and Nepalese-made yak-milk soaps on her website, www.packriveryaks.com. Eventually she’d like to make yak-milk products for her own family, as well produce soap. However, this is unlikely to happen in the near future; Christine says she recently discovered that milking a yak is easier said than done. She plans to keep trying, though.

The Stonehams have a breeding bull named – appropriately, as he weighs about 1,400 pounds – Bull Dozer, a few other bulls and steers, and several cows and calves. They’d like to double the size of the herd over the next few years. Bulls and steers are separated from cows and calves, which are quartered in two or three pastures. Some of the cows are very protective of their calf – which weighs about 25 pounds at birth – while others are more easygoing. During the warmer months, ground squirrels scamper among the yaks as they graze in the pine tree-dotted pasture. In the winter, the yaks lounge about on the snow or playfully kick up the white stuff with their sturdy legs.

Christine says it’s easy to become attached to yaks, each of which has a distinct personality. Animals which are bottle fed or have friendly dispositions – like three-year-old Misty – are considered pets by the family. These bovines will even come running when they hear the rattle of treats in a tin bucket. They also respond to the ringing of Christine’s Tibetan hand bell. The more docile yaks can be taught to wear a halter and be led on a rope. The Stonehams plan to train some of them as pack animals.

The Stoneham’s herd is fed only grass or a grass/alfalfa mix – no grain. They don’t spend any time at a feed lot. Yaks (only the more aloof or skittish animals at Pack River Yaks) can be slaughtered for their meat when they’re two to two-and-a-half years old. The meat is USDA-inspected and processed locally. It’s 95 – 97% lean, high in protein, iron and poly-unsaturated fats, and low in cholesterol, calories and saturated fats. Deep-red in color, the meat isn’t gamey or greasy. It’s similar to beef but more “delicate” in flavor. Because the meat is very lean, Christine says it should be served medium-rare to rare.

While bull yaks can be bred to female beef cows to produce a cross-breed, the Stonehams are committed to raising only Registered Tibetan Yaks. The benefit of registering their animals is that breeding can be tracked through the International Yak Association. This organization, which Sam and Christine joined when they bought their first yaks, is dedicated to the advancement of yak breeding, research and public education.

Christine is “fiber-crazy,” as she acknowledges. She’s involved in the local fiber community, and actually looks forward to the winter months when she has more time to work with fiber and yarn. Yak yarn is exceptionally soft yet sturdy.

To comb a yak, Christine or a family member first puts the animal in a squeeze-shoot to restrain it. Then they comb the yak with a one-row rake comb. During the summer months, yaks shed prodigiously, so the Stonehams spend time picking fiber off the ground, too. Yaks produce both coarse guard hairs and a soft underdown. Christine sends this fiber to Going to the Sun Fiber Mill in Kalispell, Montana. There the fiber is cleaned and “dehaired.” The waste product, consisting of coarse hairs and a little dirt, is sent back to Christine, who uses this “underbin” to felt. The best fiber is spun by the mill into soft yarn or “rovings.” The latter is a long piece of ropelike fiber used by spinners. Christine spins a small amount of the rovings on her own spinning wheel.

From April through September, Christine travels once a month to fiber shows in the Inland Northwest. She sells not only her own yak fiber and local buffalo fiber, but also exotic fibers and yarns from other countries. These include musk ox (Canada), camel (Mongolia) and New Zealand possum. The latter is an introduced species which has proved to be a terrible pest in New Zealand, destroying many native birds. Part of Christine’s sales of the possum fiber go to a bird conservation group in New Zealand.

The Stonehams sell their yak products at two North Idaho farmers’ markets from May through October. And chefs from several area restaurants have discovered Pack River Yak meat, which they prize for its flavor and leanness.

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Recipe for Yak Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
(from Christine Stoneham)

1 boneless yak roast (2-3 pounds)
1 tbs. olive oil
1 can beef broth (14 oz.)
1 pound small red potatoes cut in half
1 pound carrots, cut in pieces
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup frozen or fresh peas
2 tbs. flour dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp. crushed thyme leaves
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper

Combine salt and pepper and thyme leaves and press seasonings evenly onto all surfaces of pot roast. Heat oil in stock pot over medium heat until hot. Place pot roast in pot, brown evenly. Add broth to pot, bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 2-1/4 hours. Then add potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic to stockpot, and add salt and pepper if needed, to taste. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and continue simmering, covered, 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in peas and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove roast and vegetables, keep them warm. Measure 1-½ cups of cooking liquid and return to stockpot. Stir in flour mixture, bring to a boil and stir constantly. Cook and stir about 3 minutes or until thickened. Carve pot roast into thin slices. Serve with vegetables and gravy.