National Conference, Show Draws Highlanders To Harrisburg
MICHELLE RANCK
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co)
Whether they are red, silver,
dun, black, a wooly calf or a
long-haired adult, Scottish High
land cattle attract attention.
Recently Harrisburg hosted
the American Highland Cattle
Association’s (AHCA) annual
national convention featuring the
unique breed. Special activities
included a show, performance
tested bull and select heifer sale,
and educational workshops.
In addition the American
Highland Breeder’s Association,
a national organization head
quartered in Denver, Colorado,
conducted a meeting during the
conference.
Events included seminars ad
dressing performance data, a
carcass competition, and farm
tour. The Mid-Atlantic Highland
Association (MAHA) Spring
Classic show, with approxi
mately 125 animals entered, was
conducted at the Farm Show
complex.
Participating producers came
from Ontario, Connecticut, Min
nesota, New York, Virginia, Ne
braska, Michigan, Tennessee,
and Ohio. A bull and select heifer
sale followed the show.
The bull test included a
140-day feed test, breeding
soundness exam, and collection
of performance and ultrasound
data. Out of the 25 bulls on test,
19 were slated to be sold at the
sale.
Shows Conducted
Around The U.S.
Larry Wentz, East Greenville,
owns SS Scottish Highland cattle
and took three animals to the
show. Wentz has attended nu
merous Highland shows, includ
ing taking a trip to Bozeman,
Montana last year.
He is planning to go to the
conference in Washington state
next year. He has shown cattle
for the last 4-5 years in Syracuse,
New York; Louisville, Kentucky;
and Cambridge, Ohio, besides at
tending a show in Denver, Colo
rado.
“The animals are unique,
hardy, docile, and fun to work
with,” said Wentz. “They pro
duce some of the best meat you
can buy. Also, I wanted easy
calving cattle.”
Herd expansion “just seemed
to happen” to Wentz, who had
only three head of Scottish High
land cattle five years ago. “I just
keep buying more,” he said.
Wentz also sells the cattle as
freezer beef and breeding stock.
Because of the breed’s double
hair coat, back fat is less than
other conventional breeds.
“Color is sort of predictable
but the calves can be one of three
or four colors,” said Highland
owner Judy Ligo, Grove City.
Ligo and her husband, John, are
dairy producers and also own 40
head of Scottish Highland cattle.
According to Ligo, the cattle
can be silver, or “white with
black trim,” (black noses and
feet) said Ligo, a deep dark red
to a very light red to yellow. Oth
ers are dun, a gray color, black,
or even white.
“The traditionalists prefer red
since most of them are red,” she
said. “Hobbyists like variety. We
happen to have a variety, which
is kind of fun. My mother (Jan
Harding), calls them the ‘jelly
bean herd.’”
They have found the best mar
ket to be families with 5-10 acres
looking for pets, according to
Ligo. “We work hard with the
Larry Wentz, East Greenville, combs out “Jitterbug,” a 13-month-old Highland heifer.
“It usually takes two to three hours to get them ready for show after they are clean,”
said Wentz.
calves as far as halter-breaking
them, combing them, and getting
them used to people. The calves
will follow us around easily.
They loved to be combed.”
Shat Acres Farm
Ray Shatney, Greenboro, Ver
mont, exhibited four Scottish
Highland cattle at the show. His
USDA Names AMS
Deputy Administrator
WASHINGTON, D.C.
The USDA’s Agricultural
Marketing Service (AMS) has
announced the selection of
Barbara C. Robinson as the
new deputy administrator of
the AMS Transportation and
Marketing Program.
Robinson began her career
with USDA in 1980, working
in domestic and international
policy areas at the Economics
Research Service (ERS). She
went on to become the assist
ant director of the National
Economics Division of ERS.
In 1989, Robinson began a
year with the White House
Council of Economic Advi
sors. From 1991 until leaving
family, which now owns 40 head,
began raising the cattle in 1967,
one of the first operations in the
Northeast to own a herd.
“One of our original cows was
a cow from the Dakotas,” he
said. Since the animals were rela-
(Turn to Page A 37)
ERS in 1992, she served as
economics editor of Agricul
tural Outlook magazine.
In 1992, Robinson moved to
AMS as the deputy associate
administrator, where she
worked to help oversee pro
gram management and direct
marketing services. During
this time, she also served as
executive director lor the
USD A Advisory Committee
on Agricultural Concentra
tion.
Robinson received a mas
ter’s degree in agricultural
economics from Clemson Uni
versity and a doctorate in ag
ricultural economics from the
University of Maryland.
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