According to one breeder, Highlands winter feed intake does not increase until outdoor temperatures dip below -18✯, this compares to 32✯ for many other breeds. Long hair over the eyes reduces the incidence of pinkeye and other fly-borne diseases. This unique coat reduces need for shelter. These cattle have a double coat of hair – a long, coarse outer layer and a soft, wooly inner layer. Highlands are docile, hardy cattle with outstanding meat quality: low in fat and cholesterol and high in iron and protein.
People unfamiliar with Highland cattle often mistake them for buffalo, which they are not. ALBC hopes that this article and the associated article Highland Promotions will inspire breeders of critically rare breeds, and that some of the strategies that have succeeded for Highland cattle can be adapted to help other breeds succeed as well. Efforts of breeders worldwide have brought this breed back to healthy population levels. Please support our work, join today! From the September/October 2008 ALBC Newsletter:Įditor’s note: Highland cattle are a conservation success story. Members also receive an annual breeders directory that provides contact information for ALBC members who have breeding stock available, as well a list of products from these breeds that they offer for sale. ALBC members receive 6 bi-monthly newsletters that contain articles about the breeds of livestock and poultry that we work to conserve as well as the people involved in these efforts. It lends itself magnificently to a range of cooking methods and different recipes.This article appeared in the September/October issue of the ALBC newsletter. It is unsurpassed for flavour, tenderness and juiciness that comes from having just the right amount of marbling through the meat to give that succulent flavour so typical of old-fashioned traditional beef. Pure Highland beef is slow-maturing, lean, firm and very low in fat, while at the same time rich in protein and iron.
Grass-fed animals therefore produce ultimate flavour beef. Feed can alter the fatty acid composition, flavour and oxidative stability of meat, and forage-based feeds tend to give lower saturated concentrations of fatty acids. The wonderful taste of the Highland beef produced is reflected in this diet of natural goodness because beef from grass and grass-fodder fed animals, as opposed to grain-fed animals, generally produces a better quality meat. Highland Cattle do well roaming freely and enjoy a diet of natural grass and fodder. This is because the composition of diet influences the products of digestion and hence the flavour and fat characteristics of the beef, both of which have profound effect on eating quality. Their non-selective grazing and foraging habits enhance the flavour of the beef. The considerable attributes of Highland Cattle make them the first choice to produce specialist beef.
Because of the excellent way Highland cattle pass on their many virtues to their progeny, they have become the basis of many breeding programs for beef with that sought-after quality. The breed's outstanding hardiness minimises costs and many farmers are now recognising the inherent qualities of Highland cattle as a beef breed because of its ability to efficiently convert rough fodder into low-fat, high-quality beef. The Highland cow is long-lived and matures on low input natural feed. Capable of surviving in the harshest weather conditions, Highland cattle thrive where other breeds would fail. Highlanders are fertile and usually calve outside unaided and unattended. Being largely self-sufficient, they require minimal maintenance. They are natural foragers in a variety of terrains and years of breeding have adapted them to out-wintering in the severest of climates. Highland Cattle have developed into an efficient and versatile beef breed.
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