An Honor for Highland House Farm Stay!
Shat Acres and Greenfield Highland Beef were honored to have our Highland House Farm Stay as a host site for one of Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District’s (WNRCD) May 19, 2025, Farmer Forums. Farmers are busy year-round, but especially in the Spring with planting, calving and machinery repair and preparations. Although the turnout was lower than expected, we were thrilled to be able to offer a tour of our Shat Acres regenerative intensive cell-grazing protocol, our cow/calf breeding stock and beef operation, as well as what makes Highland beef special. The visit also included hands-on communing with our always willing orphan-ambassador Shat Acres Demi.
As a bonus for those in attendance, at 10 am Shat Acres Maybelline demonstrated for the guests a textbook-perfect delivery of a new little Highland heifer. The calf was standing in 20 minutes. However, although vigorous and determined, she struggled to nurse, sucking on Maybelline’s tail rather than teat. It is critical for calves to intake colostrum within the first 12 hours. The antibody molecules in the colostrum are larger than milk molecules. A newborn calf's intestine is porous enough for the antibody molecules to permeated and be absorbed for a limited amount of time. After about 12 hours the intestine becomes less porous, and the antibody molecules are unable to be absorbed. We try to ensure that new calves nurse or if needed, receive a bottle of colostrum within the first several hours after birth.
By 4:00 pm, we had seen no evidence of successful latching. The antibody absorption clock was ticking.
Into the squeeze chute it was for Maybelline. With Ray’s assistance guiding mouth to teat, Maybelline’s calf was soon vigorously sucking. And what a hungry little girl she was! Nursing for over half an hour, every quarter was soon divested of its lifesaving, antibody-rich colostrum. We worried we might need to return Maybelline to the squeeze chute the next morning for the calf’s morning milk fix, but thankfully one shot of the magical elixir of colostrum had taught Maybelline’s little girl all she needed to know!
When we sell Highland breeding stock, we always ask what the new owner has for infrastructure. You might not need a squeeze chute today, tomorrow, next week or even next month. But the day you need to be able to work with or restrain your cow for calving, vet care, or nursing assistance is the day it is too late to wish you had a squeeze chute.
Calving is the most challenging time of year, and very birth is a miracle. Maybelline blessed our guests from WNRCD--and Shat Acres--with her perfect little miracle.
To our surprise a reporter from the local newspaper THE BRIDGE, was among the guests. Be looking for a story about this special day in an upcoming BRIDGE publication!
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