North American Yak are majestic, intelligent & beautiful additions to our farm & life.

At Silver Cuff Farm, our small herd is cared for with an abundance of love & attention. We make sure to offer a daily schedule they look forward to which results in an equal amount of trust & respect between us. We pride ourselves on the gentle nature of our yaks.

Why yak? Why not?

Do you love driving by a pasture to find delight when you see the presence of a group of animals grazing--we used to point, gaze, smile when we saw a field of animals. It's what would wake the kids up during road trips, spark conversation & wonder. But now the striking presence of yak in our pasture--how they move, run, interact & look--simply sublime.

A yak herd can thrive on a smaller acreage farm, as they graze more efficiently than traditional cattle & are easier on the land. Their undisturbed core instincts, grazing requirement, hardiness, & ability to harvest wool in addition to everything else sold us--in 2013 we started looking into this breed, developed our husbandry & networks as we worked on infrastructure for their arrival. We soon were ready to bring home our precious foundation heifers, each 8 months old. It took us 2 more years to find them "a perfect bull"--now we celebrate our thriving calf crops each year, over 25 heathy calves seamlessly birthed and cared for entirely by the yak mommas.

As we approach the fence line each herd member comes to greet us, calves in tow, to receive head scratches & rubs behind their ears--every one a different personality.

The fiber we harvest from this herd year after year is phenomenal in it's softness, fineness & volume! "Spa Days" at Silver Cuff each spring allow us to comb out their down undercoats to make them more comfortable in the summer months as well as form a closer bond with each of them. Fiber is sold at local yarn shops raw for spinners & sent to a mill to process into yarn among other end products. Fineness of the down is analyzed yearly by a lab to confirm the Silver Cuff herd fiber harvest averages less than 22 microns.

Yak vary in their markings, nose color and coat lengths. When starting our herd, we wanted variety & continue to enjoy the "look" of our herd. Every farm has it's own preference for what they like to see--shape of head, markings vs. solids, nose color, fiber length, etc. We found one of the traits we particularly are drawn to is horn shape & symmetry.

Please feel free to call or email us to chat about our animals if you are thinking about if yak are for you. We have visited many yak farms throughout the U.S. for over a dozen years, facilitated yak fiber & niche market seminars, attended many events where yak breeders bring their animals. IYAK, USYAKS, NAYAK, we've learned from & contributed to each association. We have done the research & began the dream. You can too.

Looking forward to your call,

~Eric, Susan, Tina & Jenna