Peeka, our mini-Holstein, wagged her tail into the hearts of so many and was repeatedly proclaimed the cutest animal at the Fair.

Zora, our Highland/Beef Shorthorn Cow, bellowed incessantly but was forgiven for her loudmouth by vacuuming apples fed to her by visitors who grinned and giggled.

Brandy Boo, Zeus, and baby Cassandra not only charmed everyone with their cuteness but got an extra dose of socializing with halter training, getting used to strollers, wheelchairs, babies and senior citizens helping them to be ready to move to their forever homes.

Shat Acres has been sharing a Highland cow and calf with adoring visitors at the Champlain Valley Fair for 53 years. For over half a century one of our Highland mommas has shared a sawdust floored pen with her calf at McDonalds Farm for ten days.

Except when the pen is shared with two calves.

On August 22,2025 Shat Acres Raisin Pie strode confidently to the red-boarded pen followed by her twin boys, William and Wallace. She acted like she had been there before. Because she had. Last year Pie led twin bull calves Ethan and Allen into the same pen, to thrill the 2024 CVF visitors.

“This is disgusting! Ray, come quick, they're going to kill her.”

Just a few days prior we had found Shat Acres Destiny, four feet and udder facing upward toward the sky, belly distended and bloated, and near death. As she thrashed to get herself upright, we noticed one of her beautiful horns dangling and gyrating from the left side of her skull by a shard of bone. With her eyes wide with fear, the left side of her face was soaked with blood.

Getting ready for the Champlain Valley Fair with hoof trimming for Shat Acres Raisin Pie who will be at McDonald’s Farm for 10 days with 10-week-old twins William and Wallace. This will be Shat Acres' 53rd Year sharing a Highland Cow and Calf with some of the millions of people Ray Shatney and his dad, Carroll introduced to this majestic breed during their 59 years of raising and breeding Highlands.

Shat Acres Raisin Brandy, NWSS Grand Champion Cow/Calf, and Shat Acres Crimson 2011 NWSS Grand Champion Cow/ Calf with momma Cinnamon Raisin and twin sister Clover traveled the four hours round trip with Raisin Pie for pedicures and a comb out. All three ladies are daughters of Shat Acres Cinnamon Raisin. We are blessed to be able to carry on and offer genetics of the 12X Grand Champion, 3X Supreme Champion, most winning Highland cow Cinnamon Raisin.

Shat Acres Rob and Shat Acres Roy enjoying the sunset. Six year old twins, Rob and Roy weigh a ton each. With horn spans over 67” across, they are both Gentle Giants.

Their Dam is Shat Acres Raisin Pie. Rob and Roy were born in 2019. Twin bulls Ethan and Allen arrived in 2024. And in 2025? Twin bulls William and Wallace made their entry into the world on May 14th. We told Pie she does not have to do this again!

In our 59 years of raising Highland cattle, we never had a cow have two sets of twins, much less three sets!

And that’s a wrap!

Our 2025 calving season ended with Shat Acres Raisin Pie delivering a perfect red bull calf. While Pie greeted her newborn with a moo and a licking, I texted our vet letting them know our challenging calving season had come to a successful and very welcome ending. Having to work intimately with our vet on some heart-wrenching calving and mothering losses this year, they were as relieved as we were to hear that the happy ending had arrived.

These gentle giants weigh approximately 2200 lbs. each and bring joy to Highland House Farm Stay and farm tour guests every day. People driving by their pasture stop to take pictures and ask, "What are they?" What are they? Rob and Roy are six-year-old Highland steers.

“What’s your schedule for today?”

This is a question Ray routinely asks me first thing in the morning. There are always unforeseen surprises on the farm, so we try to coordinate our planned obligations so that we can accomplish as much done of the required tasks as possible each day.

“I need to get the milk-saver ready to feed Demi and Marilyn, the orphan calves.

Tragically, we have two orphans this year. First, Danica lost her life to mastitis. And then our beautiful Maybelline, with the long angel wings hanging from her ears, succumbed to that same insidious mastitis bacteria. Despite treating them as soon as we discovered mastitis in their udders, the mastitis bacteria crossed the udder to blood barrier, and rapidly became systemic and deadly. The vet suggested we not let any other cows calve in that pen this year as perhaps antibiotic-resistant bacteria was harboring there.

Bunny looked at the new calf laying in the straw that she had just birthed moments ago. She was not aggressive, but appeared confused by the limp, wet creature in her pen. No licking to dry her calf, no mooing to encourage it to stand and nurse. Bunny seemed more concerned about what was happening in her own posterior than what was laying in front of her nose--that needed attention.

And who would blame her? Although this was the second calf she had birthed, Bunny was technically a first-calf heifer. On May 14, 2024 Bunny and I desperately needed help.

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.

Shat Acres Baby Album 2025. So far.

Blessed. Grateful.

Tongue Out Thursday! Can you do that?

Shat Acres Cinnamon Evangeline DOB 4-14-25

Dam: Shat Acres Cinnamon Eve

Sire: Skye High Glenn Rock

Granddam: Shat Acres Cinnamon Swirl

2004 NWSS Grand Champion Female

“We’ll give her ten more minutes.”

With a due date of March 31st, Zora had been in the maternity paddock for a few days. The barn was full, with Verbena and baby girl Black Velvet, Danica due to calve tomorrow, and Onyx past due on March 27th.

“Zora has milk in her udder. We’ll need to get her in the barn tonight.”

This little man is amazing! Naturally polled, so friendly, super healthy. So cute and fluffy, he looks like a stuffed animal.

Shat Acres Zeus: DOB 4-2-2025

Dam: Shat Acres Zora

Sire: Skye High Glen Rock

Zeus is 5/8 Highland x 3/8 Beef Shorthorn

Shat Acres Highland Cattle and Greenfield Highland Beef are proud to announce we have been awarded a 2025 Fund-A-Farmer, Animal Welfare Improvement Grant from Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT).

This grant will allow us to create a dry pack in front of the barn to keep cows and calves clean and out of the mud. Because Highlands are a hardy breed, most of our cattle never go into the barn, except to calve, if they need vet care, or to fence-line wean the calves when they are six-months old.

At 11:30 pm on March 22nd I woke up and checked the Reolink app on my phone. Verbena was not in labor, but looked a bit uncomfortable, lying down, then getting up, and lying down again.

“She’s going to calve by morning,” I whispered.

At 1:43 am on March 23rd I checked the camera on my phone again.

And there it was!

We were lucky. Verbena presented a textbook calving. Delivery with no complications, a robust and vigorous calf, an experienced momma who knew just what to do, and a bright calf who already was heading for the milk bar.

Let me back up. Successful calving, easy or complex, is not just dependent on the day of arrival.

If you are raising Highland beef, you owe it to yourself to consider enhancing your production and bottom line with crossbreeding.

We have been using a pure, naturally polled Beef Shorthorn bull on Highland mommas for our beef market for over two dozen years. In Scotland this cross is so critical to the sustainabilty and preservation of their quality Highland genetics that it ii recognized as Luing, a breed in itself.

Why do we cross Highlands with Beef Shorthorn for our beef market? It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Sunday Fun-Day! Picture day for some of the Shat Acres kids.

Why does Ray spend time combing and grooming our Highlands? So our Highland breeding stock can do what they do best—bring peace, smiles, joy and connection with animals, farming, the Earth, and each other.

Whether it is for Farm Tour visitors, Highland House Farm Stay guests, or those purchasing Highland cattle to improve their own folds, all Shat Acres cattle are genetically docile, people oriented, and humanely raised for just this purpose.

If you raise Highland Beef you have a special gift to share. In collaboration with Glean, we are able to offer some of our Greenfield Highland Beef to many facing food insecurity. What a blessing to help seniors, children, and others have access to delicious, healthy, local protein. We are grateful to Glean/Community Harvest of Vermont to find just the right place to share our product.

"Why did you drop him on his head?” came the indignant cry from my grandson.

The timing had been perfectly wrong.

“Stay right where you are, behind that gate. Don’t come any closer,” Ray had directed.

When my daughter and grandchildren arrived for a visit, they heard loud voices and a commotion coming from the barn. Hurrying up the hill toward the noise, they opened the gate and rushed into the alleyway. That’s when they were instructed to go no further.

“Get me a pair of gloves and the chains. And bring the lubricant.”

Shat Acres Raisin Tart was the last cow scheduled to calve in the summer of 2024. We use only natural breeding for our cow/calf farm. Our bull tells us when calves are due to arrive. We watch for the bull to ‘tail’ a cow, following her closely with his nose to her tail. If she is cycling, he will keep close company with her for 36-48 hours. Bulls are sneaky when it comes to completing their work, so we rarely witness the consummation.