About Us - Specializing in Heritage Scottish Highland Cattle

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American Highlands Ranch is a mountain ranch focused on a fully sustainable lifestyle. Among our ranching & farming activities we raise & sell Scottish Highland cattle for breeding, show, pets &/or Beef. Our Ranch’s primary mission, focus & goal is for the preservation & continuation of “top of the line”, “best of the best” classic, Heritage examples of the unusual, intelligent, easily adapting, long lived, majestic looking breed known as the "Scottish Highland Genus”. - Toward that end we breed our Highlands primarily by A.I. (insemination) through a protocol developed with the help of professionals from the University of Wyoming’s Genetics and Beef Management & Nutrition research facility. - The protocol allows us to efficiently use semen from some of the “Top of the Line”, "Best of the Best” prize winning Champions, Grand-Champions & Champion producers from across our Country as well as Canada, Britain, Scotland and the globe. As a result, we have cattle with beautiful deep red, black, silver, brindle, blonde & white coloring and top-notch characteristics such as straight backs, magnificent horns, long flowing hair, great legs, good sturdy feet, tight udders, and more.

In addition to the Ranch’s general focus toward a fully sustainable lifestyle, the Ranch is also environmentally focused. We pay attention to the type & nutritional content of our grasses and the numerous beneficial plants that grow on our pastures & properties. In our gardens & greenhouse we plant & harvest only heirloom seeds for fresh, natural plants, vegetables & fruits. We also raise & harvest free range turkeys and heritage breed chickens. As a result, we gain the healthiest of grass fed, grass finished premium Highland Beef, healthy free-range turkeys and chickens & premium large, farm fresh, superbly delicious tasting eggs. Following our crop harvests we also regularly process some of the fresh vegetables and fruits from our lands into Mason jar filled fruits, vegetables, jellies and jams. 

Combining all of the above, we conduct a variety of online teaching programs for adults, children and schools. At our Colorado Ranch at the time or prior to our new customers pick-up of their Highlands, we conduct two to four hours long general “hands on” introduction to their Highlands classes that includes the haltering of their Highland(s) to combing, brushing, feeding nutritional high protein “cookies” and walking your Highland(s) along mountain roads & trails. Our Colorado Ranch also hosts a variety of on-line teaching programs. We’ve taught people from all over the United States about Sustainable "Heritage Highland Ranching", Farming, “Heritage Highland Breeding by AI”, & about the Financial related aspects of the Highland industry. We’ve taught University students from the University of Colorado’s Animal Science Dept. whereby students spent 40 hours learning about Highland Ranching for College credits. We also allow our Heritage Highland customers whose Highlands are undergoing AI to partake in “hands on” educational classes focused on our Highland AI Breeding protocols, and successful “Heritage” Highland Ranching & Marketing Protocols. These classes are for beginners as well as our experienced Farmers & Rancher customers that have purchased our Heritage Highlands and are having their Highlands inseminated at our facility.  

During visits to our ranch we very much welcome our customer's family and guests. For info & reservations specifically for meeting & purchasing our socialized and trained Highlands or Highland calves simply call 719-510-1102. 

To meet our Ranches primary mission our work begins with our ongoing world-wide search for “Top of the Line”, “Best of the Best” classic, heritage examples of the magnificent, majestic breed known as the “Scottish Highland”. 

We seek only classic Heritage “Top of the Line” examples of the Scottish Highland Genus as our objective & mission is for the preservation & continuance of the “Best of the Best” examples of this stunning looking breed.

Although we are always on the “look-out” for matches for our Dams, we are also searching for very specific genetic matches for our new Highland customers or for specific Highland Dams at Ranches that we helped establish or that we supply with Champion & Grand Champion straws for their specialty breeding.

Once  a classic, heritage example of a Scottish Highland Dam or Bull is found, obtained/purchased/imported, our next step is to provide that Highland the best of nutrition and care. – This is followed  by placing the candidate/him/her into a considerate and loving but closely managed, daily monitored environment before qualifying him/her for a  breeding program. 

During this time should we find that the Highland doesn’t meet what we would consider a “Top of the Line” example of the Highland breed, that Highland will not be bred or sold to any customer, farm or ranch for further breeding. Instead, the Highland will be humanely processed, then sold for Highland beef consumption. That helps toward the preservation & perpetuation of the “Best of the Best” of this Magnificent Breed while at the same time helping to satisfy the public demand for Highland beef.

Alternatively, should the new addition/candidate pass the necessary qualifiers for the “Best of the Best” breeding program, we will proceed with the breeding protocol. 

ABOUT BREEDING "THE BEST OF THE BEST" 

Post breeding, we continue to monitor both parent and offspring for temperament, parenting instincts, social interactions, health & nutritional requirements. Should a very specific list of standards be met, we continue to socialize, train then sell these top of the line examples of classic, Heritage Scottish Highland heifers, dams and bulls for further breeding, showing, or as pets to families and Ranches with like minded objectives. – 

What do we mean by like minded objectives? … We are referring to the new owners continuing a protocol of providing excellent nutrition and care to these wonderful animals and hopefully a continuation of considerate, thoughtful planning with regard to future genetic matching of their newly acquired Highlands. 

We certainly understand that we cannot by ourselves save the world, nor the Classic Heritage Scottish Highland. As a result, we seek other like minded individuals that are willing to provide the time, genuine care and future consideration with regard to the matching of these magnificent heifers, dams & bulls as we realize that it is only with cooperation and help from others that will we be able to contribute to the preservation & continuation of the “Best of the Best” examples of this magnificent heritage breed. 

THE RESULTS

As stated previously, … toward attaining the above referenced goals, we breed our Highlands primarily by A.I. (insemination) through a protocol developed and often administered with help of professionals from from one of our 2 neighboring Universities Genetics and Beef Management & Nutrition research facility. The protocol provides for our efficient use of semen from “Top of the Line” prize winning Highland Bulls and Highland Champions & Championship lines from the United States, 

Canada, Britain, Scotland & the globe. -As a result we breed and obtain more classic, original “Heritage” examples of Scottish Highland Cattle with beautiful deep red, black, silver, brindle, blonde & white coloring and top notch characteristics such as straight backs, magnificent horns, long flowing hair, great legs, good sturdy feet, tight udders, and more.  

THE RESULTS ARE OBVIOUS:

See them for Yourself. (More than 200 Photos).

The results of the above-described protocols can be seen in the many photos, (hundreds of photo examples), of our adult Highlands & young Highland calves. Please go to our Home Page and see the Photo Gallery. Next, click on our Highlands for Sale page to see examples of our young Calves.    

SOCIALIZING/TRAINING

Before our calves go to their new homes, nearing their 6th month we wean them from their Mums. At this time the calves are eating pasture grass or dry matter (hay), drinking plenty of fresh water on their own and have learned to take nutritional protein treats from us. They no longer need their Mums to sustain their development. - We take over from here. It is important to us to make sure all our Highland calves that are going to their new homes as breeding stock/show stock/or pets are socialized and halter trained. - In general, by the time the calves / our kids come in for weaning they are already pretty social. The time spent with their Mom's teaches them how to forage, how to interact with people, and just how to be a cow or a bull overall. But, after they have been weaned from their Mom's we become their primary teachers. - The great part about us being in the magnificent Rocky Mountains is that our Heritage Highlands & their calves can free range in a very low stress environment. This makes our jobs much easier. We have already hugged & petted & brushed and handled the little ones when we were out in the pastures and in calf pens with them & their Moms. But, now they are post weaning from their Moms. They will spend several hours each day going through our socializing classes. Each and every one of our calves will be halter trained and in cases show trained. They will learn to walk and do turns and figure eights. They will learn to climb hills and descend into grades to develop control and sure footing. Of course they will also be brushed and combed and cleaned and be given lots of hugs and compliments and treats. - The process is a several week long one but a fun one. By preparing the calves for their new homes, their new owners can handle them more easily. - It's mostly a super fun and a very fulfilling process. It is the period during which we get to know them best. And, although in the vast majority of cases they'll move on to new homes in different parts of the country, it is a time during which we develop an unforgettable life long  friendship with each and every one of our little ones. 

· Member: American Highland Cattle Association

· Member: Canadian Highland Cattle Society

· Member: Mountain States Highland Cattle Association

· Member: North Central Highland Cattle Association  

· Member: Midwest Highland Cattle Association

· Member: Northwest Highland Cattle Association

· Member: Highland Cattle Society - Scotland

· Member: South Central Cattle Association

· Certified Completed University of Wyoming Beef Management - Nutrition - A.I. School Food Animal Artificial Insemination.