About our Animals
The Highland Fold
Gondola and Ganache
Pastured with Love! Our stock spend their days outdoors free ranging on varied pastures of grasses, forbs, herbs and medicinal wild shrubs and berries. That means the cow’s gut micro biome and rumen stays healthy. This produces a healthier cow.
These are some of our young Highland cow girls showing off their noses at winter hay time. We just love the Highland cow’s delicate and exquisite nose. Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get! That’s half the fun at calving time. Highland nose colours can range from delicate pink to solid black and they are often the same colour as the hooves.
All these gals are purebred Scottish Highland Cattle, registered with the Canadian Highland Cattle Society. Our fold carries genetics from some of the oldest Scottish folds including Balmoral Castle, Benmore, Achnaloich, Torloisk, Mingary, Cladich, Douneside, Glengorm, Orsary, Leys Castle and Scone Palace. The breed has a long and distinguished history. The term “fold” comes from the ancestral practice of “enfolding” Highland cattle in stone walled enclosures in Scotland.
"Highland cattle are first and foremost a beef breed. Their unique characteristics lend themselves to a lean, flavourful and tender eating experience.
Their thick coat reduces the need to develop excess back fat to keep warm. They also have a relatively high meat to bone ratio. A highland carcass is economical to purchase, with very little waste.
Being slow growing, Highlands have more slow-twitch muscle fibres compared to the quicker growing breeds. These fibres contain fat (rather than relying on sugar for energy) and are shorter and finer – resulting in a tender, finer-grained beef." (Canadian Highland Cattle Society)
In addition to selling beef direct to customers, we also breed and sell select Canadian Highland Cattle Society registered heifers and a limited number of breeding bulls on a yearly basis. We also sell steers for homesteaders. Please see our Highlands For Sale page for stock that may be available or inquire directly.
Grass Fed Beef
Direct to Customers
Pastured with Love!
River Valley Ranch keeps a closed herd of registered purebred Highland cattle. The calves are born and raised to maturity right here on our farm. Our Highland beef is a cut above.
Highlands grow slower and here they are raised on a free range grass fed regime that gives you the ultimate in taste and health profile in your beef. The Highland’s double coat helps insulate and keep them warm in our Rocky Mountain winters. With their special coat they develop intramuscular tenderizing fat instead of excess back fat. What you get is tender, high protein and flavourful beef for your table.
Independent testing has shown that Highland beef is significantly lower in fat and cholesterol and higher in protein, iron and the good omega-3 fatty acids than commercial beef. Being Certified Organic means no antibiotics, urea proteins, lick tubs, hormones or Ractopamine are fed to our animals. They are not implanted with the very common growth hormone anabolic agent tabs in their ears. Attention to detail is important to us in raising food for you. Commercial salt licks with non-organic additives are not used – the Highland’s get free choice premium Sea 90 mineral salt and custom made free choice organic loose minerals. The animals are out year round and forage most of the year on our own pastures (which are rich in native grasses, herbs and forbs) and in the winter the standing pasture forage is supplement with Certified Organic Hay. Our regime means the cows are not getting laden with glyphosate, adjuvants, anabolics, pesticides, Grazon or other herbicides.
We only slaughter in the Fall after a full grass season. That way you get higher quality meat protein with all the minerals, good omegas and higher levels of phytonutrients. Properly grown and harvested grass fed animals (with no grain finishing) pass on to you the most beneficial plant derived compounds that are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
You (our valued customers), your family, your children and grandchildren deserve a premium quality nutrient dense food source that incorporates a high level of respect for animal and human health, welfare and the environment.
