M-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, January 2, 1999
DENVER, Colo. A unique
breed of cattle dating back to the
12lh century has been rapidly
gaining popularity as a favorite
among the nation’s top beef con
noisseurs. A recent article from
Associated Press touted the head
line “Red Meat for the Elite” stat
ing that at “$36 a steak. Highland
beef isn’t exactly ‘chopped liv
er’.” This is blue-blood beef.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
keeps a large herd of Scottish
Highland cattle at Balmoral Castle
for her private stock. It is said that
this is the only beef she allows to
grace her table. In addition to the
Queen, British nobility and multi
billionaires here in the U.S. own
Highland cattle. They know a
good steak when they taste one.
Prestigious white tablecloth res
taurants have chosen various
Highland cuts as their top menu
selections. As a trial, 35 Highland
NY strip steaks made their pre
mier on the Metropolitan Opera’s
Special Menu. They were sold out
in just 30 minutes! Since the
growing demand currently ex
ceeds the available supply, the
American Highland Cattle Asso
ciaation is looking for more breed
ers to raise the gourmet beef.
Highland breeders from across
the countiy and Canada will bring
Cook Receives Distinguished
Service
GELMONT, NEW YORK -
New York Farm Bureau present
ed State Senator Charles D.
Cook (R-40) its most prestigious
award the Distinguished Service
to Agriculture Award, during the
farm organization’s 42nd annual
meeting in Syracuse.
In announcing the presenta
tion of the Distinguished Service
to Agriculture Award to Senator
Cook, farm Bureau President
John Lincoln said, “As a senator
in the New York legislature,
Charlie Cook has demonstrated
his support and understanding
of New York’s largest industry -
agriculture. He’s understood our
industry because he was born
and raised on a small family
farm in Delaware County. We’re
really going to miss his guid
ance, support, and initiative
when he retires at the end of the
year.”
Since his election to the state
senate in 1979, the Delhi, N.Y.
former state assemblyman
(1973-1979) has served on the
New York State Senate
Agriculture Committee. While
in the state senate, Senator
American Highland Cattle On Display
their very best to Denver’s Na
tional Western Stock Show from
January 20-23, 1999. The Ameri
can Highland Cattle Association
will hold its National Show on
Friday, January 22 at 9 a.m. and
National Sale on Saturday, Janu
ary 23 at 10 a.m. Both events be
gin with traditional Scottish bag
pipers leading the way for these
aristocratic bovincs.
Beef Brings Top Dollar
The price also sets Highland
beef apart. On the traditional mar
kets, a whole carcass generally
sells for less than $1 a pound,
Angus sells for about $1.15 and
Highland for about $2. This is bas
ed not only on the relative rarity of
the Highland breed but also be
cause it is raised naturally and is a
superior product. The incentives
to raise Highland don’t come in
the volume.
“Were getting more income per
acre than if we sold beef commer
cially,” said Roger Smoker of Ea
gle Creek Cattle Company in
Warsaw, Indiana. One of Eagle
Creek’s biggest supporters is Kent
Buell, chef and owner of Kent’s in
New Buffalo, Michigan. Buell
said he buys the meat for a variety
of reasons: taste (his staff chose
Highland in a blind taste test over
other beef), the fact that Eagle
To Agriculture Award
Cook was prime sponsor on sev
eral important Farm Bureau
supported goals. This included
his support for the Farm
Preservation Act of 1996, the
landmark farm property tax
relief bill that passed into law.
“This was the first major ini
tiative toward real property tax
reform for farmers, and Charlie
Cook was a tremendous resource
and supporter,” Lincoln said.
“He’s always been so outspoken
in his support of agriculture and
New York Farm Bureau, but he
does so in a quiet, subtle way. He
never looked for the credit; he
only sought the successful reso
lution of Farm Bureau-support
ed legislation.”
Cook also was prime sponsor
for a number of Farm Bureau
supported legislation. These
included the creation of the
state Office of Rural Health,
recodification of Planning and
Land Use enabling statues, agri
cultural districts disclosure
notices; rural impact statements
by state agencies.
He has chaired such state
“KING OF THE 4X4s”
-4-WHEEL ATV ACTION
Creek is a regional product and the
fact the cattle are raised without
hormones and steroids. It’s the
only beef we’ve had on our menu
for the past year,” Buell said.
Chef Greg Lutes at the
Checkerberty Inn in Goshen, Indi
ana said he has been selling High
land beef for about six months. He
sells a 23-ounce Highland steak
for $36 and is considering offering
it in smaller portions. He likes the
flavor and the fact it’s a local
product
Healthy Beef
Despite generally depressed
beef prices, the popularity of
Highlands is due in part to the
American public wanting healthy
food that is unadulterated by tech
nology and biochemistry. This
breed has been basically untam
pered with since they originated in
the Scottish Highlands. Because
of its relative rarity, the Highland
breed presents interesting market
ing perks outside of the main beef
loop.
Smoker touts his company's
product as an all-natural one: "It’s
raised without hormones and anti
biotics and it is cleaned only with
water, not chemicals, during pro
cessing. The beef is extremely
lean due to this long hair which
protects them from the cold rather
senate committees as the
Education Committee, the
Committee on Local
Government, the Committee on
Agriculture, as well as the
Legislative Commission on
Rural Resources. Nationally,
Cook was a member of the
National Advisory Committee
on Rural Health and the Council
of State Governments Advisory
Committee on Agriculture and
Rural Developement.
“Throughout his public ser
vice life, Senator Cook has been
a staunch supporter agriculture,
and ally of New York Farm
Bureau and the policy goals that
our members have pursued,”
Highland Cattle looking at you.
than an extra layer of fat, as most
other breeds have. The beef cuts
from Highland are not fatty
around the edges like some breeds
but there is enough fat marbled
throughout the beef to give it a
rich flavor. It's also a beef with a
rich flavor preferred by many
chefs," Smoker says. This is the
first year the Association’s Na
tional Show & Sale will utilize ul
trasound to measure ribeye area
and backfat thickness.
User-friendly Cattle
“This beef is relatively easy to
cate for,” Smoker said, “with a
much higher tolerance for cold
and more breeding years than
most cattle.” Despite their horns,
they are extremely docile and
friendly, making them easily hal
ter broken. Since Highlands ori
ginated in a rugged terrain and
harsh climate where only the fit
test survived, they are perfect for
first-time farmers (you might call
them “user-friendly” cattle) not
even requiring barns during win
ter. It’s no wonder they are quick-
ly gaining in popularity among
America’s “gentleman fanners.”
An astounding example of their
hardiness and disease resistance
occurred in the Aleutian Islands
off the coast of Alaska. The area
proved too rigorous for many of
the original homesteaders and as
they migrated from the outlying
areas, some of their Highland cat
tle were left behind. Despite hav
ing no human care, the animals
survived and flourished. Years
later, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service sent in marksmen to elim
inate the Highlanders because
they were over populating some of
the areas that had since been de
signated as part of the new Alaska
Maritime National Wildlife Re
fuge.
For more information or to
locate breeders in your area,
contact the American Highland
Cattle Association at (303) 292-
9102. e-mail ahea@envisionet.
net or visit their website at:
www.home.eznet.net/-highland/
ahca.htra