My Unpopular Highland Cattle Opinions

Just because it was born with balls doesn't mean it should be a bull.

Not every bull deserves to be a breeding bull. In fact, most don't.

The Highland market is already flooded with mediocre and poor quality bulls. Leaving every bull intact doesn't improve the breed. It waters it down.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with producing exceptional steers. In most cases, castration is the more responsible decision.

If your goal is to improve the breed, you should err on the side of castration rather than leaving another average bull intact.

P.S. Don't get too attached to your herd sire. A good breeding program is always moving forward. Your herd sire will make or break your breeding program.

Collecting semen from poor quality bulls

If a bull isn't improving the breed, he shouldn't be collected.

Collecting semen from inferior bulls only spreads poor genetics farther and faster.

Artificial insemination should improve the breed, not contribute to its decline.

Breeding for color and hair over quality

If color and hair are your top breeding priorities, you're breeding for social media, not for the future of the Highland breed.

Conformation, structural soundness, feet and legs, movement, udder quality, fertility, maternal instincts, longevity, and overall breed character should always come first.

Just because a Highland is white, silver, or another trendy color doesn't make it breeding quality. Color should be the icing on the cake, not the reason an animal is bred.

Chondrodysplasia and Highlands

A Highland carrying chondrodysplasia isn't a "miniature Highland." It's a crossbred mutt with a genetic defect.

Chondrodysplasia can cause serious health and structural problems, including shortened limbs, abnormal skeletal development, mobility issues, chronic pain, and a reduced quality of life.

Intentionally breeding animals to produce these traits simply because smaller cattle are marketable puts profit ahead of animal welfare.

To make matters worse, some people are selling semen, embryos, and clones from animals carrying this defect.

Modern reproductive technologies allow these genetics to be multiplied far beyond what would occur naturally, spreading an inherited defect through the population at an even faster rate.

We should be breeding healthy, functional cattle that preserve the integrity of the Highland breed, not deliberately propagating genetic defects.

"Mini Highlands"

"Mini Highlands" are either crossbreds or stunted animals due to poor nutrition, a heavy parasite load, poor milk production from the dam, or other environmental factors.

Especially in the South, many Highlands never reach their full genetic potential because of poorer quality forage, inadequate nutrition, parasites, heat stress, or poor overall management.

Smaller isn't better when it comes at the expense of the breed.

Selling bottle fed bulls

Bottle raised bulls lose their natural respect for humans because they imprint on their handlers.

That confusion can make them dangerous, even deadly, once they reach maturity.

Bottle fed bulls should always be castrated, and selling one intact is irresponsible.

Intentionally creating bottle babies

Highlands are some of the best mothers you'll find. If a calf has a healthy mom willing to raise it, that's exactly where it belongs.

Unnecessarily separating a calf from its mother is cruel, especially when it's done to create a tourist attraction or generate views on social media.

Support breeders who prioritize animal welfare, not those who intentionally create unnecessary bottle babies.

Breeders who separate healthy Highland calves should be boycotted.

Encouraging dangerous behavior

It may seem cute when a calf rubs on you, pushes you around, or lets you play with its horns. It isn't cute once that calf weighs 1,500 pounds.

Every time people laugh, encourage it, or post videos of it on social media, they're normalizing dangerous behavior. What seems harmless in a 100 pound calf can become dangerous, even deadly, in a mature bull or cow.

Teach calves to respect your space from day one. Care more about raising a safe, well mannered animal than creating content.

Buying a bull before you own cows

Your cows should determine what kind of bull you need, not the other way around. Build your herd around quality females first, then choose a bull that complements and improves them.

As a breeder, please stop selling bull calves to people who don't already have cattle. New buyers often don't know any better, but you should.

Selling a bull as someone's first bovine is setting both the animal and the owner up for failure.

Buyers asking for a "breeding pair"

Successful breeding isn't about putting any bull with any cow. A good bull should complement a cow and improve her weaknesses.

If you're just getting started, buy two quality females. Add a bull later, once your females are mature and you've had time to evaluate them. Better yet, consider artificial insemination so you can access proven genetics without the expense and responsibility of owning a bull.

A bull calf and a heifer calf aren't a breeding program. Most new owners don't need the cost, risk, or responsibility of managing a bull years before he'll ever be used. And if they're raised together, it also increases the risk of the heifer being bred before she's physically mature enough to safely carry a calf.

Raising a cow by itself

One of my biggest pet peeves is people keeping a single Highland as a "pet" with only a goat, horse, donkey, or other species for company.

Highlands are herd animals. They deserve companionship from other cattle. While they may get along with other species, those animals are not a substitute for their own kind.

Those "best friend" videos on social media are cute, but they don't reflect what is best for the animal. It's unfair to intentionally deprive a cow of companionship with other cattle simply because it makes for entertaining content.

If you truly love the breed, give them what they need, not just what looks good on camera. Two cattle should be the minimum, not one.

Highlands in unsuitable climates

Just because an animal can survive somewhere doesn't mean it will thrive there. Their welfare should always come before someone's desire to own one.

Highlands were developed for cool climates. Intentionally placing them in hot, humid environments where they struggle to stay comfortable simply because they're cute or trendy isn't putting the animal first.

I'm sorry, but Highlands don't belong in Tampa. Sometimes loving a breed means recognizing when your environment isn't the right fit.

Obsessing over height

One of the questions I get all the time is, "How tall are your cows?"

Honestly, I couldn't tell you because I don't breed for inches. I breed for quality.

Structure, temperament, fertility, soundness, maternal ability, and breed character matter far more than height. Focusing on inches tells me you're shopping for a novelty, not evaluating quality.

If height is one of your first questions, we're not the right fit.

Buying Highlands only for tourism

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using agritourism to help support your farm. It can be a great way to educate the public and provide additional income.

But if you're buying cattle solely to be a tourist attraction, or intentionally creating bottle babies because they're more appealing to visitors, I think the priorities are backwards.

The cattle should always come first. Their welfare should never be sacrificed for likes, views, or ticket sales. A good farm experience should showcase animals living the way they were meant to live, not create unnecessary hardships just because they're more marketable.

Bottle calf influencer content

The bath time videos, pajamas, and treating calves like human babies might get millions of views, but they also normalize taking healthy calves away from their mothers and create demand for bottle babies.

Every like, share, and comment tells social media algorithms to show more of that content, which encourages more people to produce it.

The result is more healthy calves being separated from excellent mothers simply because it gets attention online.

Farm influencers spreading misinformation

A social media following doesn't automatically make someone knowledgeable. Always verify what you hear with experienced breeders, veterinarians, and reputable sources.

Likes and views are not credentials. Some of the best cattlemen and women you'll ever meet have a few hundred followers, or aren't even on social media. Meanwhile, some of the biggest accounts have only owned cattle for a short time yet confidently spread misinformation and poor husbandry advice.

Don't mistake popularity for expertise. Be especially cautious about taking breeding or management advice from someone who just bought a couple of pet cows and immediately became a farm influencer.

Experience matters. And even after years of raising Highlands, I'm still learning.

Becoming an expert overnight

Owning two cows for six months doesn't make someone an expert. There's nothing wrong with documenting your journey. We all start somewhere. But that's very different from teaching others before you've built the experience.

There's also a difference between saying, "This is what worked for me," and presenting yourself as an authority on breeding, genetics, nutrition, behavior, or husbandry. The information you share influences how other people care for their animals, and that responsibility shouldn't be taken lightly.

Good stockmanship isn't learned in a few months. It's built over years of experience, trial and error, successes, mistakes, and a willingness to keep learning. Even after years of raising Highlands, I'm still learning. The day you think you've got it all figured out is probably the day you stop becoming a better stockman.

Registration papers don't guarantee quality

Registration documents record ancestry. They do not guarantee that an animal deserves to reproduce.

A registered Highland can still have poor structure, poor temperament, poor feet and legs, poor udders, fertility issues, or other faults that should keep it out of a breeding program.

In the United States, the American Highland Cattle Association (AHCA) is the only recognized breed registry for purebred Scottish Highland cattle. Be cautious of cattle advertised as "registered" through other organizations.

As our breed continues to grow in popularity, more and more animals will be registered. That makes it even more important for breeders and buyers to maintain high standards. Registration should never replace critical evaluation.

Remember that registration is only the starting point, not proof of quality. Evaluate the animal, not just the paperwork.

Refusing to admit you're wrong or learn from your mistakes

I've made plenty of mistakes over the years. I still cringe when I look back at some of my old posts and photos of the animals I once thought were great quality.

Everyone starts somewhere. The difference is that most people's mistakes aren't permanently documented on the internet. Mine are.

Instead of pretending I was always right, I've tried to learn from those mistakes. I listen to experienced breeders, accept constructive criticism, and keep working to improve my herd and my stockmanship.

The day you think you have nothing left to learn is the day you stop becoming a better cattleman. The goal isn't perfection. The goal is continual improvement.

We're only stewards of this breed for a brief moment in history. Our responsibility isn't just to enjoy these cattle while they're in our care. It's to leave the Highland breed better for the next generation than it was when we inherited it.