Cedar Pond FarmsA Heritage Breed's Story
From the sixth century to the herd book
One of the world's oldest breeds
Highland cattle trace to Scotland as far back as the 6th century. The rugged, remote Scottish Highlands ran a process of natural selection where only the fittest and most adaptable animals survived — hardiness isn’t bred into a Highland so much as it’s what a Highland is.
The Kyloe and the Highlander
Originally there were two distinct classes: the slightly smaller, usually black Kyloe of the west-coast islands of northern Scotland, and the larger, generally reddish animal of the Highlands themselves. Today both are one breed — Highland — in red, black, yellow, dun, white, brindle and silver.
America's National Breed Registry
The American Highland Cattle Association becomes home to the National Breed Registry, recording the parentage of purebred Highlands across the country from its headquarters in Brighton, Colorado’s Historic City Hall.
A registry with teeth — and tattoos
Every AHCA-registered animal is tattooed for registration purposes — a permanent identification that matches the animal standing in the pasture to the pedigree on file, backed by the association’s DNA testing and identification services. A registration isn’t a piece of paper about a cow; it’s a cow who carries her own proof.
