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I've been obsessed with looking at animals for sale for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a small mountain town in Western North Carolina, and I loved looking through livestock classifieds, seeing what people had for sale, learning about different breeds, and dreaming about all the animals I wanted to bring home. I really haven't changed much. I still spend an unreasonable amount of time looking at livestock for sale, except now I can sometimes justify it as work.
That obsession eventually led me to Scottish Highland cattle and building my own breeding program at Happy Hens & Highlands. Over the years, I've bought and sold cattle, studied pedigrees, photographed and marketed livestock, and helped organize the Southeast Highland Cattle Show & Sale. I've learned a lot along the way, and much of that education has come from doing things wrong and figuring out what I should have done differently.
The way people buy and sell livestock has changed a lot since I was a kid. I remember looking through newspaper classifieds and livestock publications, then came Craigslist, Facebook groups, and online auctions. I've bought and sold animals through different platforms over the years, and I've seen firsthand what works and what doesn't.
I've spent years looking for particular Highland bloodlines, and I can't tell you how many times I've come across a cow I would have loved to own, only to find out she'd already been sold. Sometimes I'd discover an entire breeding program I never knew existed, even after years of being involved with Highland cattle. It always made me wonder how many good animals I was missing simply because I didn't know where to look.
Facebook has been a huge part of livestock marketing, but it has its problems. Listings are scattered across countless groups, posts get buried, and scams have made people understandably cautious about who they're dealing with. I've always thought there should be a better way to connect buyers and sellers, and for years I had an idea for a livestock marketplace where you could search for animals, learn about the farms raising them, look at pedigrees, and discover breeders you might never have found otherwise. I wanted a place where breeders could showcase their animals without depending entirely on Facebook or already having a large following. The problem was that I had absolutely no idea how to build something like that.
Today, I'm the co-founder and equal owner of HoofnHorn, an online livestock marketplace offering listings and auctions. It's pretty incredible to think that something I spent so many years wishing existed is now a real business that I'm helping build.
One thing I hope HoofnHorn will do is help smaller farms reach more buyers. I've known some wonderful breeders over the years who raise exceptional livestock but don't spend much time on social media or marketing their animals. Some of the nicest cattle I've come across have been on farms most people have probably never heard of, and I want to make it easier for buyers to find them.
I want it to be useful for buyers too. Whether you're searching for your first Highland cattle, looking for a particular bloodline, or just enjoying looking at livestock for sale as I do, I hope HoofnHorn becomes a place you enjoy visiting.
Highland cattle are what got me into this industry, but HoofnHorn isn't just for Highlands. We're building it for all kinds of livestock, although heritage breeds will always be especially important to me. I want to see these old breeds keep thriving, and part of that means helping the people raising them find buyers who value what they're doing.
We're just getting started, and I'm sure we'll learn plenty along the way. I have a lot of ideas for where I'd like to take HoofnHorn, but right now I'm just excited to finally have it up and running and see people using it.
If you haven't visited yet, check out www.hoofnhorn.com. There are some really nice animals listed, and I'd love for you to check it out.
Keep reading: Some Childhood Obsessions Just Get More Expensive | This Story Actually Started Years Ago | Buying Scottish Highland Cattle: What You Should Know Before Bringing Highlands Home
