This ancient breed originated in the Scottish Highlands and Western Islands of Scotland and is the oldest registered breed of livestock in the world. Easily recognizable by long horns and long shaggy coats, these are hardy cattle, able to withstand extreme weather. There were originally two types — a smaller type, usually black, and a larger type, usually red or brown. The small Kyloe type was mainly in the Hebrides or Western Islands. They were called Kyloe because of the practice of swimming them across the narrow straits or kyles separating the islands from the mainland. The cattle of the mainland were larger and variable in color.
Highland cattle were important to the Scottish economy of the 18th century. Many were purchased by drovers from England, who moved them south over the mountains to be fattened for slaughter. In 1723, more than 30,000 Scottish cattle were sold into England.
A breed society was established in 1884. Some were imported into Canada in the 1880s and into the U.S. in the late 1890s. The American Highland Cattle Association was formed in 1948,
The most common coat color is reddish brown, but some are yellow, and a few are pale silver, black or brindle/dun. They have an unusual double coat of hair. The outer, coarser, wavy hair is oily and sheds water readily — the longest hair of any cattle. Underneath is a downy undercoat. This made them well suited to conditions in the Highlands, with abundant rainfall and sometimes strong winds. All British and European cattle cope relatively well with low temperatures, but Highland cattle are the most cold-tolerant and withstand the cold almost as well as arctic-dwelling caribou and reindeer. Highland cattle have been successfully established in countries where winters are substantially colder than Scotland, such as Norway and Canada.
Their meat tends to be leaner than most beef because Highlands are insulated by their thick, shaggy hair rather than by subcutaneous fat. Highland cattle can produce beef at a reasonable profit from land that would otherwise be unsuitable for agriculture.
Cheryl and Tom Larsen have been raising Scotch Highland cattle for many years on their ranch in southeastern Montana.
“Tom’s father bought his first Highland cattle in 1948,” Cheryl says. “He was one of the founding members of the American Highland Cattle Association and helped import some from Scotland. He was interested in this breed because he saw some during World War II. He was stationed in England, with the 101st Airborne, before they jumped at Normandy. They had a furlough for the men and they went to Scotland, and he saw those cattle for the first time.
“He thought they would be perfect for eastern Montana in cold weather. When he came back from the war, he became acquainted with Baxter Berry, a rancher in South Dakota, who already had some Highlander. They got together with several other breeders to form an association and start importing more cattle.”
There were only a few breeders at that time, so they had to develop some interest in this breed to have enough to form an association.
“At that time Hereford was the popular breed, and people thought he was crazy to want Highland cattle,” Cheryl says. “At first it was hard to sell them, so he crossed them with Shorthorns. This was a fantastic cross. The calves didn’t top the market, but they did okay.”
The beef quality is good.
“There was a guy who used to buy our calves and feed them out, and they graded Prime or Choice,” Cheryl says. “We got premium prices for them during that time because the packing plant didn’t care what color they were; the only thing that mattered was the quality of the meat. After another company bought them out, the new company discounted our calves on color so that didn’t work as well.”
Today the breed has become more popular.
“In the last few years things have really changed and it’s not hard to sell our heifers because many people want them.”
People with small farms want something a little exotic and different, or they want pets.
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