HIGHLAND CATTLE
La highland est une race bovine écossaise originaire de la région des Highlands. Elle se caractérise par une robe rouge clair à foncé (60 %), ou noire (30 %), ou grise (5 %), ou blanche (5 %), aux poils longs et par une paire de longues cornes dressées en l'air. Cette race rustique peut pâturer des zones de landes ou marécageuses mieux que tout autre race, et elle est parfois utilisée pour entretenir ce type de paysage. Elle fournit par ailleurs une viande persillée de bonne qualité gustative.
Origine
Elle est originaire du nord de l'Écosse (région des Highlands que l'on peut traduire par «hautes terres»). Elle aurait une parenté avec les ancestrales races britanniques blanches, comme la chillingham ou la white park. Au XVIIIe siècle, il existait des vaches rouges nommées highlander et du bétail noir nommé Kyloes peuplant l'Écosse. À l'origine, il existait deux races distinctes, l'une plus petite, à la robe noire vivant dans les îles de la côte nord-ouest de l'Écosse, l'autre un peu plus grande, à la robe brun rouge vivant dans les Highlands, qui furent ensuite fusionnées. Son livre généalogique unique date de 1884 au Royaume-Uni, et un Herd Book a été ouvert en France en 2008 (French-Highland Cattle Society). La race a été exportée dès la fin du XIXe siècle aux États-Unis et au Canada, où elle contribua à améliorer le bétail sous l'angle de la rusticité. On la retrouve également dans de nombreux pays, notamment en Alaska et en Scandinavie, en France en Australie et en Tasmanie.
Aptitudes
C'est une race classée aujourd'hui parmi les races bouchères, mais des textes évoquent des fromages confectionnés l'été avec un lait très riche en matière grasse. Sa saveur devait aussi beaucoup aux herbages des "hautes terres". La highland est très appréciée pour sa viande persillée, dont la saveur est remarquable et qui est riche en protéines avec un très faible taux de cholestérol. Elle amasse du gras sous la peau, moyen de lutte contre le froid, ce qui rend le dégraissage de la viande aisé. Cette race est souvent élevée en croisement avec la shorthorn pour améliorer sa conformation bouchère et sa précocité.
Origine
Elle est originaire du nord de l'Écosse (région des Highlands que l'on peut traduire par «hautes terres»). Elle aurait une parenté avec les ancestrales races britanniques blanches, comme la chillingham ou la white park. Au XVIIIe siècle, il existait des vaches rouges nommées highlander et du bétail noir nommé Kyloes peuplant l'Écosse. À l'origine, il existait deux races distinctes, l'une plus petite, à la robe noire vivant dans les îles de la côte nord-ouest de l'Écosse, l'autre un peu plus grande, à la robe brun rouge vivant dans les Highlands, qui furent ensuite fusionnées. Son livre généalogique unique date de 1884 au Royaume-Uni, et un Herd Book a été ouvert en France en 2008 (French-Highland Cattle Society). La race a été exportée dès la fin du XIXe siècle aux États-Unis et au Canada, où elle contribua à améliorer le bétail sous l'angle de la rusticité. On la retrouve également dans de nombreux pays, notamment en Alaska et en Scandinavie, en France en Australie et en Tasmanie.
Aptitudes
C'est une race classée aujourd'hui parmi les races bouchères, mais des textes évoquent des fromages confectionnés l'été avec un lait très riche en matière grasse. Sa saveur devait aussi beaucoup aux herbages des "hautes terres". La highland est très appréciée pour sa viande persillée, dont la saveur est remarquable et qui est riche en protéines avec un très faible taux de cholestérol. Elle amasse du gras sous la peau, moyen de lutte contre le froid, ce qui rend le dégraissage de la viande aisé. Cette race est souvent élevée en croisement avec la shorthorn pour améliorer sa conformation bouchère et sa précocité.
Autrefois, les animaux étaient élevés l'hiver à l'étable, au foin, puis mis l'été aux pâturages dans les zones de montagne ou les îles. Des textes anciens évoquent la traversée des bras de mer pour y conduire les vaches. Les bêtes destinées à la consommation étaient engraissées avec les résidus des distilleries de whisky.
Cette race très ancienne s'est façonnée dans une région de climat très rude. Elle est très rustique, demandant peu de soins, capable de vivre dans les conditions les plus dures : froid, neige, marais... qui s'adapte aussi aux climats plus chauds. Elle est capable d'exploiter des pâturages pauvres dans des paysages de landes. Elle peut consommer une grande variété de végétaux de type arbustifs, ce qui en fait une excellente débroussailleuse. Elle est la seule vache capable de vivre dans cette région où la seule concurrence vient des moutons.
À ce titre la CNR (compagnie nationale du Rhône) l'emploie pour entretenir les berges du fleuve. La highland est également utilisée comme "outil écologique" pour maintenir ouvert les fonds de vallée dans les Vosges du Nord, en Alsace-Moselle et à Guipel au nord de Rennes. Elle a une remarquable longévité, les vaches pouvant vêler jusqu'à 20 ans et plus.
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Highland cattle (Scottish Gaelic: Bò Ghàidhealach) (Scots: kyloe) are a Scottish breed of cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or dun.
The breed
The breed was developed in the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. Breeding stock has been exported to the rest of the world, especially Australia and North America, since the early 20th Century. The breed was developed from two sets of stock, one originally black, and the other reddish. Although there are several coat colors in existence since the late 1800s, most are caused by alleles at the MC1R gene (E locus) and the PMEL or SILV gene (D locus).
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Highland cattle (Scottish Gaelic: Bò Ghàidhealach) (Scots: kyloe) are a Scottish breed of cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or dun.
The breed
The breed was developed in the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. Breeding stock has been exported to the rest of the world, especially Australia and North America, since the early 20th Century. The breed was developed from two sets of stock, one originally black, and the other reddish. Although there are several coat colors in existence since the late 1800s, most are caused by alleles at the MC1R gene (E locus) and the PMEL or SILV gene (D locus).
Highlands are known as a hardy breed due to the rugged nature of their native Scottish Highlands, with high rainfall and very strong winds. Highland cattle have been successfully established in many temperate countries and indeed in countries where winters are substantially colder than Scotland's such as in central Europe and Canada. Their hair is considered the longest of any cattle breed and gives protection during the cold winters. Their skill in looking for food allows them to survive in steep mountain areas. They both graze and browse and eat plants which many other cattle avoid.
Commercial use
The meat tends to be leaner than most beef because Highlands get most of their insulation from their thick shaggy hair rather than subcutaneous fat. The coat makes them a good breed for cold northern climates and they are able to thrive in outdoor conditions that would defeat most other breeds of domestic beef cattle. As such, Highland cattle are able to produce beef at a reasonable gross margin from inhospitable land that would otherwise normally be incapable of rendering a profit agriculturally. Whilst the UK domestic and worldwide popularity of Highland cattle has made trade in pedigree beasts occasionally the most lucrative - mainly on account of their handsome appearance - they are at their best agriculturally when used to produce beef in a cold climate from poor pasture and forage.
Commercial success
Whilst the muscle of pure-bred Highland cattle is exceptionally tender and of high flavour, modern butchery and shopping trends tend to demand a carcass and a cut of meat of a different character. In order to address this market, Highland beef producers commonly run commercial Highland suckler cows with a 'terminal' sire such as a Shorthorn or Limousin bull. This allows the hardy Highland cow, grazed upon the rough hillsides of her natural environment, to produce a cross-bred beef calf featuring the tender beef of its mother on a more modern carcass of high commercial value at slaughter, thus rendering a gross margin from her grazing that would have been impossible from other breeds in that environment. There is also a healthy demand from fellow producers of outdoor-reared beef who farm on more forgiving terrain, for Highland cross-bred bulling heifers: most often Highland cows crossed with the Shorthorn bull, for use as suckler cows. These cross-bred beef suckler cows inherit the hardiness, thrift and mothering capabilities of their Highland dams and the improved carcass configuration of their sires. Such cross-bred sucklers, further crossed with a modern beef bull such as a Limousin or Charolais to produce the finest quality beef are one of the mainstays of Scottish commercial beef production. It is this ability to pass on thrift and gross margin down the beef-breeding cascade that has secured this breed's place as a modern commercial beef breed.
Commercial use
The meat tends to be leaner than most beef because Highlands get most of their insulation from their thick shaggy hair rather than subcutaneous fat. The coat makes them a good breed for cold northern climates and they are able to thrive in outdoor conditions that would defeat most other breeds of domestic beef cattle. As such, Highland cattle are able to produce beef at a reasonable gross margin from inhospitable land that would otherwise normally be incapable of rendering a profit agriculturally. Whilst the UK domestic and worldwide popularity of Highland cattle has made trade in pedigree beasts occasionally the most lucrative - mainly on account of their handsome appearance - they are at their best agriculturally when used to produce beef in a cold climate from poor pasture and forage.
Commercial success
Whilst the muscle of pure-bred Highland cattle is exceptionally tender and of high flavour, modern butchery and shopping trends tend to demand a carcass and a cut of meat of a different character. In order to address this market, Highland beef producers commonly run commercial Highland suckler cows with a 'terminal' sire such as a Shorthorn or Limousin bull. This allows the hardy Highland cow, grazed upon the rough hillsides of her natural environment, to produce a cross-bred beef calf featuring the tender beef of its mother on a more modern carcass of high commercial value at slaughter, thus rendering a gross margin from her grazing that would have been impossible from other breeds in that environment. There is also a healthy demand from fellow producers of outdoor-reared beef who farm on more forgiving terrain, for Highland cross-bred bulling heifers: most often Highland cows crossed with the Shorthorn bull, for use as suckler cows. These cross-bred beef suckler cows inherit the hardiness, thrift and mothering capabilities of their Highland dams and the improved carcass configuration of their sires. Such cross-bred sucklers, further crossed with a modern beef bull such as a Limousin or Charolais to produce the finest quality beef are one of the mainstays of Scottish commercial beef production. It is this ability to pass on thrift and gross margin down the beef-breeding cascade that has secured this breed's place as a modern commercial beef breed.
The Highland cattle registry ("herd book") was established in 1885. Although groups of cattle are generally called herds, a group of Highlands is known as a fold. They were also known as kyloes in Scots.
Domestic Use
The highland cow is highly valued for its success for domestic use. This is largely due to its ability to eat most plants and stay healthy. It also can produce a fair amount of milk, which is very high in butterfat.
Shows
For show purposes highland cattle are sometimes groomed with oils and conditioners to give their coats a fluffy appearance. This appearance is more apparent in calves leading some outside the industry to call them fluffy cows.
Domestic Use
The highland cow is highly valued for its success for domestic use. This is largely due to its ability to eat most plants and stay healthy. It also can produce a fair amount of milk, which is very high in butterfat.
Shows
For show purposes highland cattle are sometimes groomed with oils and conditioners to give their coats a fluffy appearance. This appearance is more apparent in calves leading some outside the industry to call them fluffy cows.