Frequently Asked Questions

Our beef is sold based on the weight of the carcass on the rail, known as "hot hanging weight", and priced and calculated at $7/lbs. The weight of the beef in the freezer is generally around 2/3 of the hanging weight, which works out to $10.50/lbs of meat! A Highland carcass can range from 500 lbs to 700 lbs on the rail.

Typically, 1/4 beef is about 2 cubic feet (a cube with 15" sides). Half and whole beef are proportional at 4 cu ft and 8 cu ft, respectively. Our ground beef comes packed flat, which reduces the amount of freezer space required compared to packing in cylinder tubes.

We custom cut the beef to your liking. For 1/2 and whole beef we have the most flexibility to give you the roasts and steaks you like, and grind the rest. Our mixed (front and hind) quarters have some limitations as some muscles are too small to cut in two, but a 1/4 will give you a good variety of steaks and roasts, with the rest as ground beef.

We have your beef custom cut and spend extra time taking out the more tender muscles so that you get more steaks out of a carcass. Some unique cuts, that you won't find in a grocery store, that we offer are: - Denver Steak - Flat Iron Steak - Del Monico Steak - Tri Tip Roast - Osso Buco - Inside Tender Steak - Oxtail If there's something else that you're interested in, let us know!

Our beef all comes vacuum packed. The benefits are extended freezer life, up to years - but we hope you go through the beef a little quicker than that and ease of thawing, generally no leaks, no mess, but do recommend thawing in the fridge in a tray.

Other items we can provide are: - Liver - Heart - Kidney - Tongue These can be provided whole, or mixed in with the ground beef for an "ancestral blend".

Highland Beef is a little more leaner than conventional beef. We find the beef does best low and slow, and particularly good coming off a smoker. We smoke our steaks at 250ºF and burgers at 300ºF. Invest in a meat thermometer, medium to medium rare is a good starting point.

Our recent focus has been on growing our Fold of Highlands, this has limited what we can offer for Breeding Stock. We hope to be able to increase our offering of breeding stock in the years to come.

No, we don't. Just like any mammal, Highland calves do best when they can nurse from their mom. This helps to build and mature their digestive system and provide immunity from pathogens.

No, we don't. All of our non-breeding stock go into our beef program.

Like all cattle, they exist and their purpose is beef. Without a beef market there is no viability in keeping the breed. The best way to support the breed is to put Highland Beef on your menu and eat more beef!

That's not something we do, sorry, not a petting zoo. Although our Highlands are calm, and the odd one likes to be brushed (oddly enough the bulls are most fond of this), this isn't something we acclimatize our cattle to. They know and trust us, but have a heightened awareness of stranger danger. We do beef pick up at the ranch, so if you do purchase some beef there is an opportunity to see some Highlands.