The Irish Dexter cattle breed originated in the rugged, mountainous terrain of southwest Ireland,. Developed  in the late 1700s by an  estate manager, Mr. Dexter, the new breed was later reported in Irish cattle breed registries in 1845 as an established Irish breed.

Irish Dexters we're introduced to England in 1882. The breed virtually disappeared in Ireland, but was still maintained as a pure breed in a number of small herds in England and the US, where Irish Dexters were imported in the very early 1900s. 

The Irish Dexter is the smallest breed of European cattle breeds, however it is not a miniature, as many pet owners would like to believe.  Don't call them a mini-cow. It's disrespectful of the breed. With mature cows weighing between 700 and 900 lb and mature bulls weighing about 1,000 -1200 lb, the Irish Dexter is hardly a miniature breed. Considering their small size, their bodies are broad and deep with well-rounded hindquarters. Dexters have three coat colors which are black, red, and dun (brown). Dexters should have no excess white markings except for some minor white markings on the belly/udder and genitalia behind the navel and some white hairs in the tail switch. While many Dexters in the present day are naturally hornless (polled), many have horns that are rather small and thick and grow outward with a forward curve on the male, and upward on the female. The breed is known for both beef and milk production, although individual herd owners often concentrate on growing one or the other.

Dexters are a small, docile dual-purpose breed, however Dexters are often considered a tri-purpose breed, since they are also used as draft animals. Management practices vary by owner and country. Their versatility is one of their greatest assets, and probably has something to do with the number of countries where Dexter cattle are found, including North America, South Africa, Australia, and much of Europe.

Dexters, as beef animals in the US, are expected to mature in 18–24 months and result in Irish Dexter Gourmet Beef cuts of high-quality, lean meat, graded USDA Choice, with little waste, and exceptional flavor. We take our steers to 24 months and a live weight goal of 800lbs.  The expected average dress out or hanging weight is 50 to 60% of the live weight.  Ours dress at 60% or slightly less. The beef produced by Dexters is well marbled and tends to be dark and high in omega-3.

Dexters produce a rich milk, relatively high in butterfat (4%) and the quality of the milk overall is similar to that of Jersey cattle. Dexters can reasonably be expected to produce 1.5 to 2.5 gal (7.6 to 9.5 L) per day.

The cows are exceptionally good mothers, hiding their calves from birth, if they have cover for them to hide. Some produce enough milk to feed two or three calves, and often willingly nurse calves from other cows. Irish Dexters are known for easy calving. This trait, along with the smaller size of the calf, has produced a small but growing market in the United States for Dexter bulls to breed to first-calf heifers among the larger beef breeds to eliminate problems at calving.

Originally, Dexters were typically horned, but a naturally polled strain was developed in the 1990s.

Dexter cattle have short legs compared to other breeds; increased shortness is displayed from the knee to the fetlock.

Dexter cattle are very hardy, efficient grazers and are able to thrive on poor land.

Once very rare in both the UK and the US, Dexters have been having a resurgence in both countries in the last 20 years.

The popularity of Dexters has been fueled by a desire for organic food, health concerns over factory farming, antibiotic use, steroids, diseased filled feedlots and processing. "The government has no interest in where our food comes from or how it tastes.  t's nice to set your own welfare and quality standards,” said Pam Ayres, who has a small herd of Dexters on her 20-acre Cotswolds, England property.