Registered Scottish Highland Cattle
If you’ve driven down County Road J in the riverside community of Couillardville in recent months, you’ve probably noticed some unusual denizens enjoying the pasture at Meadow Brook Farm. These charming creatures with the wide horns and shaggy coats are Scottish Highland cattle, a breed developed to thrive in the harsh climate of their namesake country of origin.
But how did they end up Couillardville, you may ask? The answer is really quite simple. The Broderick family – Chris and Tina, plus their daughter Charli and son Jordan – purchased the former Glynn Farm, just off County Road J in 2023 to gain sufficient acreage to run their new venture raising Scottish Highland cattle. Their former farm near Pound wasn’t large enough to accommodate their dreams, so they picked up and moved some 20 miles south to the lush farmland along the Oconto River.
This unique breed (Bos taurus taurus) is distinguished by impressively long horns and remarkably versatile shaggy coats. Typical coloration ranges from reddish brown to yellow, silver, dun, and even black. Unlike other beef cattle, which depend upon a layer of subcutaneous fat for protection against low temperatures, Scottish Highlands have a long, oily outer coat that repels rain and a downy underlayer which provides exceptional warmth. Better still, scientific studies have shown their meat to be significantly lower in fat and cholesterol and higher protein and iron than other beef cattle, yielding a leaner, healthier, and tastier product.
The breed was first introduced into the U.S in the late 19th century. They typically grow to about 1,000 pounds for heifers and 1,400 pounds for bulls but can reach 1,100/1,800 under ideal conditions. Sexual maturity is reached at around 18 months. Mating occurs throughout the year with a gestation period of up to 290 days. A single calf is usually born, though twins are not unheard of. They also have a longer expected lifespan than most other cattle, up to 20 years.
Scottish Highlands are known as an even-tempered, intelligent, disease resistant, hardy breed that thrives in the more demanding climatic environments of Northern Europe (Scotland and Norway, for example), the Upper Midwest (including Wisconsin, of course, where a number of small herds are to be found across the state), Canada, and even the uplands of the southern Appalachians. On the other hand, they are much less tolerant of warmer climates than short-hair breeds. Their popularity is driven by their charming appearance, mild demeanor, low maintenance, adaptability, and excellent meat yield, even on marginal grazing land.
According to Wikipedia, these cattle have been extremely important to the Scottish economy since at least the 18th century when drovers from England purchased the cattle in large numbers (some 30,000 head in 1723, for example), moved them south over the Pennines to England where they were fattened for slaughter. Now, the Brodericks are planning to make Scottish Highlands significant contributors to the local economy as well. For more information on their operation and the beef products they offer, visit www.tabletopacres.com.