Ness, Dillon and Stephanie get intimate.

Growing up in the North of Scotland I was very familiar with the great shaggy beasts, with huge curved horns that roamed through the snow and mists of the Glens. As a boy, it never occurred to me that these fine animals were actually quite small, and bred specifically for the inclement conditions. We always knew them as “Toffee cows” due to their distinctive colour, and indeed there was also a local toffee that had adopted their image as a brand.

With a lovely patch of land in the middle of Northland, business partners Amanda Corp, and Brett Dane, and their daughter Stephanie Corp-Dane started breeding Dexters for the lifestyle market. However, one day they saw Highlands and were completely enchanted by them. The Dexters moved on, and were rapidly replaced by a small fold of Highland Cattle, formally named Cordane Highlands. 

Whereas a ‘big is best’ mentality has pervaded the cattle breeding fraternity for generations, the Highland has been maintained as a medium sized animal. Its placid temperament means it is ideal for the lifestyler or small farmer, and they are easily trained to halter, as Amanda and Stephanie demonstrated to me.

“Highlands are well-known as a hardy breed,” Amanda explained, “and they can live in all climates. They are very docile and love human company.” In fact they seem to love any company – Dillon the cat, whom but for his size, could easily be mistaken for another Highlander, rested in Stephanie’s arms and was promptly licked by Ness!

“Highlands are also a very ‘low maintenance’ breed,” continued Amanda. “As you can see, we lavish attention on them, but they have very few health problems. Due to their long coats they need an occasional lice treatment, but the only other thing is a drench. We have also found that a small dose of Apple Cider Vinegar in their drinking water produces something in their system the flies don’t like. It is very marked how quickly the flies stay away.”

Amanda fully admits that after a hard day at work, the best therapy she has found is to go into the paddock and groom her cows. Their long horns mean you need to allow extra space between them and you. But as she showed me, most of the beasts have been trained to turn their heads away from the side she is combing. It is a very peaceful sight. “Horns may be regarded as dangerous by farmers,” Amanda told me, “but you need to remember they are a functional part of their anatomy. Blood circulates through the horns right to the tip helping to keep the animal cool overall. This is important in our hot Northland summers.”

Highland beef tends to be leaner than most, as there is less fat due to the long shaggy coat providing their main insulation. They have a notably long lifespan, sometimes in excess of 20 years, and they can quite easily have a calf every year. The oldest known birth was to a cow of 22! I have always been wary of bulls, but Moffat, the Corp’s handsome Sire, took not the blindest bit of notice of me in his paddock. He simply got on with doing what he did best – being groomed. Indeed, with a little imagination I could almost hear him purring…… but it might have been Amanda!