Highland Cattle Flourish at Flatland Farm

According to 2023 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service data, the Minnesota beef cattle inventory was 360,000 head, including 15,800 head in Fillmore County and just 2,900 across the ‘border’ in Mower County. Just how many of these cattle are the more popular breeds – Black or Red Angus, Hereford, Simmental, or Charolais – doesn’t appear to be published widely, but there’s a fair guess that there aren’t many Highland cattle. What’s ironic is how uniquely suited to our rugged Minnesota environment and today’s market for grass-finished beef the breed is. Flatland Farm is reaping the benefits of the natural fit and continues making their name in the industry.

In 2001, Mark and Jamie Schulz made the move from Austin to the expansive open, settling on a farmstead just a stone’s throw from the Fillmore County border in Elkton. While initially prompted by a need for wide-open space for Jamie and her horse, the couple set a determined goal, linked in part by Mark’s background growing up on a dairy farm in Rice County and work as a food scientist, plus Jamie’s background as an animal biologist.

“At the time we wanted to raise our own meat and show others where their food comes from.

That was the goal … a couple of cows to have a few beef animals to harvest each year,” says Mark.

In 2007, the pair purchased their first Highland heifers in 2007 after first seeing them at the Minnesota State Fair.

“We had talked with the people exhibiting them there, who later became friends, and found out about all the benefits of a heritage breed, and Highlands in particular. Winter hardy, insect and disease resistant, intelligent, great mothers, docile, long-lived, and who can resist how they look?” enthused Mark. The breed offers a good mix of older bloodlines and the cattle can range in colors from white to black, red and yellow, dun, silver dun, and brindle.

But, it’s not just the breed’s traits. The meat is outright incredible. Highland beef is generally more flavorful than other beef breeds and has a shorter muscle fiber that makes the beef tender.

“We also found out that they produce lean meat that is higher in iron and protein and lower in cholesterol than other beef,” added Mark. “A study done recently at the University of Missouri found, ‘Highland beef is very tender according to shear force values.’ These are great attributes that many beef consumers appreciate.”

“People see these as just a pretty cow, but we raise lean beef for a niche market,” adds Mark. “I thought grass-fed would be a fleeting thing and it’s gained in popularity.”

Interestingly, the Scots knew what they were doing with these cattle because not only is the beef remarkable, they are dual-purpose and can produce a decent quantity of milk. While only 25-50% the volume of a dairy breed, at up to 10% butterfat, they can easily beat out dairy’s reigning champion, the Jersey.

Mark and Jamie are equally tenacious and hard-working. But, they’re also honest and acknowledge the learning curve of those first few years. Mark admits that while he understood the manual labor of farm work, he had little involvement in the animal husbandry portion of raising livestock.

“We started with a slim base of knowledge. That is where great mentors came in. Neighbors, people we purchased our heifer from, other breeders, and of course our veterinarian really came into play to help us learn the ropes of raising beef cattle,” he says. “We are so appreciative of our veterinary services, AI technician, AI breeders, hoof trimmer, mineral supplier, and forage supplier. Without these skilled folks we would not be as productive as we are.”

Learning the ropes was eye-opening, but the Schulzes persisted, tackling one problem at a time: trying to establish a thriving pasture to graze and bale a little hay on; early rudimentary headgates from two gates attached to a post to squeeze the cattle for vetting; halter breaking them for a live nativity at their church and their first show at the Mower County Fair; hauling them for hoof trimming and to be bred artificially since they didn’t have a bull.

“A lot of things were not set up correctly and there was always a lot of manual work to be done to complete any task. But, we loved it,” Mark continues. “Being able to care for them ourselves, looking forward to raising our own beef. We were living the life!”

The herd built slowly as the two learned the ropes. It was a full seven years before they had a weaned calf to sell since it takes 26-30 months to finish a steer at 1,000 to 1,200 pounds on grass. Luckily, Highlands don’t require the same amount of feed as some of their counterparts during the cold months. Young breeding stock and steers are expected to gain over the winter months on hay with no additional feed to maintain condition.

“The slow maturing nature of the breed is often seen as a negative trait. We think that is what

gives the beef such a tender flavorful character. If you want a quality item, you either have to

spend more money or spend more time to produce it. We think it is worth that extra time,” explains Mark.

“No one wants to wait and you have to wait,” stressed Jamie.

Their goals are to produce traditional Highland cattle that have correct conformation and temperaments to produce long-lived, productive offspring, to  produce a healthy beef product that has been raised with proper care, and to help others see how they choose to raise their animals and to pick some things from what they do to apply to their own operation.

“We’re really looking for conformation in those hind legs. Udder quality is another thing. We really pay attention to that,” stated Jamie. “Disposition. That’s number one. First!”

“Everyone has a story of someone in the neighborhood going to a sales barn and buying a few,

only to never see them again once they unload them at home. These stories can be found everywhere. People always think they are wild and will come after you with those horns, explains Mark. “They are docile and really use their horns mostly to itch themselves and bring forage/browse within reach so they can eat it.”

The current herd is now 46 head with the addition of 12 calves this spring. Calving typically commences in February and wraps up in April to avoid mud and pests. Cow/calf pairs graze an additional 10 acres that were purchased, while another 13 acres is rented. Bulls are turned in at the end of April for the heifer herd and mid-May for the main herd. The long-lived cows showcase their longevity and ease at Flatland. In all their years of calving, the couple has never lost a calf. Many Highland breeders have cows calving well into their upper teen. Three of the Flatland cows are about to turn 15 years old and Britt will be 16 this year. Rosie, Jamie’s favorite, was one of their first.

“She’s just a beautiful cow,” says Jamie. “We’re probably helicopter parents,” she adds of their devotion to overseeing their herd. Recognizing each cow by sight, the pair rattle off their names, offspring, characteristics, and history with ease.

Because they both work full time jobs off the farm, Mark at Hormel and Jamie for the Department of Natural Resources, the week includes chores bookending every day with the routine maintenance chores of owning a farm: filling hay bunks, cleaning out waterers, rotational grazing in paddocks, cleaning up, fence repairs, clipping weeds, getting caught up with record keeping, and so much more. Days also involve a lot of planning ahead. Most of the stored forage is purchased for the winter. Keeping a grass fed and finished herd also involves careful planning and tending to pastures including spreading compost, harrowing, applying natural liquid fertilizer, and clipping paddocks when needed.

The Schulzes have also modified their farm to maximize the herd’s health and productivity. They’ve purchased additional pasture acres to accommodate the herd and spent years putting in all-new five-wire fencing at all properties. They’ve worked hard to improve water mitigation to create better footing in the dry-lots and utilize temporary fences to split paddocks or create lanes for movement. Additional room was created in the loafing shed, automatic waterers implemented, and headgates added to better work the cattle safely.

There’s definitely pluses to the Highlands that make all the work worth it. Mark’s an active part of the Highland Cattle Foundation and both have been active in showing their cattle, traveling all over the country, from Pennsylvania to Colorado and everything in between.

“It’s always fun,” said Jamie. “We’ve had a lot of division winners, so we’ve always been really pleased with how we do and people always comment about our calves and how they look on grass because we’re normally showing against people that feed.”

The Schulzes had a heifer go to the Minnesota State Fair 4-H competition and she earned Grand Champion All Other Breed Heifer. That same year, a Highland cow with a Highland/Gelbvieh cross calf earned Grand Champion Commercial Cow/Calf, which was pretty controversial at the time, recalls Mark.

“That’s the thing, with our feeding program, we were always happy to be middle of the pack. As long as the judge didn’t tell us we had structural issues that we didn’t see, we were happy.”

As enthusiastic as they are about their breed, it’s easy to understand that they love teaching people about them and showing off their qualities. Mark is a traditionalist though when it comes to showing off the breed.

“Recently there has been a shift to clipping and fitting the cattle like other breeds, which has been a controversial change,” he says. “We choose to show our cattle with the long hair that gives them the advantage in cold, wet weather as well as protection from insects, which definitely is a challenge with the show culture these days.”

In addition to showing, the farm has become multifaceted over 18 years with the breed. They sell registered breeding stock and the grass fed and finished beef directly, each contributing about half of their gross income for the year. This year, they anticipate  additional due to an increase of recent heifer calves. They also sell European mounts, professionally done for use inside, as well as skulls for display outdoors, hair-on hides when requested, and Highland semen, some which is from vintage bulls.

“Our biggest accomplishment is all the relationships we have with farms and people who have

purchased our animals across the U.S., and our beef customers,” states Mark. “We have many plaques and trophies from shows, but those relationships that we build with our customers are so fulfilling to us as breeders. We have also worked with some youth in the area to allow them experiences they wouldn’t normally have an opportunity to have. Seeing animals become productive on other farms and improving the breed even further is rewarding.”

To find out more about Flatland Farm, visit their website, www.flatlandfarm.com, or find them on Facebook or Instagram.