The infamous Cape St Mary's genetics now available

Six years ago, we received the opportunity to purchase the remaining younger cows from Ilse Oles of Cape St Mary Ranch located on Lopez Island in Washington.  If you aren't familiar with that name, just ask fellow Highland breeders that have been around a bit longer about the influence that family and ranch has had in the Pacific Northwest as well as nationally in the Highland breed.  

We consider it an honor to carry on the Cape St Mary's genetics, and after much consideration, we have decided that we are ready to pass on some of those genetics.  

We will be offering two cows, Cape St Mary's Reba (AHCA 57,067) and Cape St Mary's Vera (AHCA 55,755) this fall after they wean their current calves.  Both of these cows have shown great maternal traits and have consistently contributed to our breeding and beef objectives.  They have been pasture exposed to our bull Malcolm as Asman (AHCA 68,500) for a Spring 2027 calving.

Please reach out if you would like more information on either cow and would like to schedule a visit to see them in person.  We are a working farm, and not set up for casual tours, so we are asking for serious inquiries only.

***Update, pending pick up ***

Cape St Mary's Reba, September 2026

Cape St Mary's Vera with calf, September 2026

Cape St Mary's Vera, September 2026

Malcolm of Asman, July 2026

Bottle calf available

***Stewart has found a new zip code***

We try our best to avoid having a bottle calf, dam raised is always best, but sometimes it's unavoidable. Stewart was a twin born May 21st, and unfortunately his mom only wanted the other twin. He got colostrum right away and has been living in the pasture next to our house with our yearling heifers so that we can keep a close eye on him and make feeding easier. He's been banded and had cdt shots. He does great on a bottle but would take well to a nurse cow. Stewart is looking for a new zip code. AHCA registered dam and sire on site. 

Herd Sire Available

Journey (ET,PV,D) AHCA #62209

**sold**

Journey has left an impressive stamp as our herd sire for the last few years, but we've retained several of his daughters and it's time to let him leave his mark on your herd.

You will likely recognize his well know parentage. Journey's dam is Yarnelle Farms Betula and sire is Rioghail of Balmoral. His full bother STR Armageddon was the 2020 NWSS Reserve Grand Champion Bull.

Functional, well balanced, and a standout in the pasture. We have seen good gains in our grass-fed/grass-finished beef program with his progeny. This gentle giant weighs in at 2100lbs and has great feet to support this weight. His docile demeanor makes him easy to handle and he loves being brushed. Nt821 tested negative

Youtube video of Journey

2026 Beef Shares

We have a limited amount of Quality Highland Beef shares still available, being processed at a local butcher next month.

Grass fed and grass finished. Highlands are slower growing and well known for their flavor, tenderness, lower cholesterol and high protein.

This is a great way to fill your freezer with amazing beef custom cut and wrapped to your specifications... don't panic though, the process is easy and we will walk you through it.

A $200 deposit will reserve your beef share, with the remainder due at time of butcher.

Please reach out if you are interested and would like more information.

Highland beef share availability

For those of you that are local to the Willamette Valley (or localish and willing to travel for great beef)...

We only have a 1/4 share of Quality Highland Beef still available, being processed at a local butcher next month.

Grass fed and grass finished. Highlands are slower growing and well known for their flavor, tenderness, lower cholesterol and high protein.

This is a great way to fill your freezer with amazing beef custom cut and wrapped to your specifications... don't panic though, the process is easy and we will walk you through it.

A $200 deposit will reserve your beef share, with the remainder due at time of butcher.

Please reach out if you are interested and would like more information.

2025 NWHCA Spring Production Sale

We are thrilled to announce that we will have two heifers available at the Northwest Highland Cattle Association's upcoming Spring Production Sale hosted online by cowbuyer.com on Saturday, April 26th with lots closing at 6pm PDT.

Pictures and descriptions for both Noreen and Mootilda can be found below.

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Noreen of Asman, AHCA #70,282, dob 4/17/2024

Looking for a great addition for your herd... look no further. This yearling heifer is the epitome of the Highland breed. It's hard not to fall in love with her calm personality and true Scottish style. You'll recognize many great animals and farms in her pedigree; including her infamous grandparents Yarnelle Farms Betula, Rioghail of Balmoral, HA Lady Natalie, and URick of Balmule. Her dam is one of our favorites from the well-known PNW herd of Cape St Mary's located on Washington's Lopez Island. While she is quite the looker, we expect her to be a very productive member of any herd, and is a great blending of genetics. Her registration with AHCA is currently pending.

Dam: Cape St Mary's Ymelda #57,063

Sire: STR Journey (ET,PV,D) #62,209

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JAA Mootilda (AI,PV,D), #68,505, 4/29/2023

This two year old dun heifer is feminine and correct, with wide sprung ribs, and a calm and friendly demeanor. She is not only a looker, but she will be a productive addition to any herd. Her pedigree boasts impact dams and sires on both sides; her dam is on tract to become an impact dam herself and has a great udder. While it's hard for us to part with this amazing heifer, she is ready to breed this year, and will bring amazing results to your herd.

Dam: Little Girl of VOR (AI,D) #60,844

Sire: LEA Lars (PV,D) #56,945

Spring heifer update

Looking forward to warmer and dryer weather around the farm.  The wet doesn't stop the chores, and the few nice days we do have are filled to the brim.

Our almost yearling heifers have been going through their socialization classes, lol!  Aka, get them in a smaller paddock, work with them, and decide who makes the next cut for potential breeding stock.  A few will join the beef crew, a few will be retained, and we are faced with the decision of who will be offered for sale.

Make sure to follow our farm's FB page for the most up to date information on potential animals for sale.  We will be making an announcement in the next few weeks.

Highland cow swag

Back by popular demand... we are excited to announce that our 2025 Highland cow calendar is now available! Enjoy 12 pictures of our Highlands taken on our farm from this past year.

We were able to get a better price from our print shop this year, so we can pass the savings on to you.  

The 8.5"x11" calendar (17"x11" opened size) is $20. We also have a small number of notebooks (5.5"x8.5") available for $12 each, and sets of notecards (5/pack) available for $8.

We love taking pictures of our cows, and hope these bring a little #cowtherapy to you throughout the year. 

Pick up at our farm by appointment. Shipping is available for an additional fee, for those of you farther away.

Quality Highland Beef - SOLD OUT for 2024

We have a 1/4 and 1/2 beef share of Quality Highland Beef available, being processed at a local butcher at the end of this month.

Grass fed and grass finished Highland steers. They are slower growing and well known for their flavor, tenderness, lower cholesterol and high protein.

A $200 deposit will reserve your beef share, with the remainder due at time of butcher.

Please reach out if you are interested and would like more information.

2024 NWHCA Spring Production Sale

Margaret of Asman has been consigned to the NWHCA Spring Production Sale, being held online at cowbuyer.com.  Lots will be available for bidding soon, with the auction closing on April 27th at 5pm PDT.

Margaret is a yearling heifer showing great potential along with a noteworthy pedigree. Her dam, Cape St. Mary's Vera, hails from the iconic Cape St. Mary's herd on Lopez Island, Washington with decades of breeding experience, great maternal instincts and amazing udders. Her sire, STR Journey, is the progeny of Rioghail of Balmoral and Yarnelle Farms Betula. He is a full sibling to STR Armageddon, the 2020 National Western Stock Show reserve grand champion. Our farm focuses on grass-fed beef, but Margaret would also hold her own in a show ring. She has a very calm demeanor, enjoys brushing, and has been started on the halter. With a 482# adjusted weaning weight, we are excited to see how Margaret will contribute to a successful breeding program.

Farm update January 2023

With life happening at full speed around us, and taking on a few big projects, our farm page has taken the backseat.  

We're still expanding our herd and retaining most of our heifers.  A few AI calves on the ground in 2022 and a handful more are expected in 2023 to help broaden our genetics.  

We are appreciative of those who help support us with breedingstock, beef, and hay purchases, and are looking forward to the year ahead.   

Happenings on the farm in 2020

As usual, life speeds on too quickly.  There is never a shortage of things to do, and it's hard to find the time to actually sit and relax.  As much as we don't like the shorter days of Winter, we do find ourselves sitting around the dinner table eating together and playing card games.  

Looking back through pictures we can remember just how crazy of a year 2020 was... Covid, online school, nearby forrest fires and days of horrible smoke.  

No photoshop here, this was taken mid-morning when the fires were close to our farm.  

Our farm also welcomed several new animals in 2020.  We have been wanting to expand our breeding herd for awhile to include more registered cows with broader genetics, and this was definitely the year for that.  We ended up making trips to Eastern Washington, the San Juan Islands of Northwest Washington, and having a shipper bring in two heifers from Kansas.  The trips themselves were definitely exciting... from snow and ice to hauling cattle on a ferry.  Now that quarantine has been completed for all of our newcomers, we can try to relax before calving season starts, and we're already making breeding plans for later this year.  

Spending her quarantine with the goats.

Got quite a few looky-lou's waiting in line for the ferry and when we would stop for fuel.  Great time to educate others about the breed.

Waiting on the ferry with a trailer load of cows.

Beautiful sunrise headed to pick up a heifer in E. Washington... not so fun to drive a stock trailer in.

And yes, the trip through Yakima, Washington wouldn't be complete without having to stop and pick up a new goat for our daughter!  When she found out there would be trailer space available, she didn't waste any time finding a goat to fill that spot.

Spring pictures 2020

A few pictures from our farm this Spring.

Christmas calf

On Christmas day, we welcomed a new calf to our farm.  The timing was not lost on us as we spent the evening in the barn creating a cozy manger for them since the thermometer was dropping.

Both are doing well and Holly, the new heifer, is doing well.

Our cows are grass fed, but they do get occasional clover screening pellets as a feed supplement in the winter and as treats.  It really helps when you need to load them in a trailer, a little bribery goes a long way! 

Harriet, born late March 2019 has such a sweet personality.  Here she is sharing her clover pellets with Holly, who at a month old is nibbling at them. 

Weighing time

We have added a great addition to our farm, a livestock scale.  We can now get an accurate weight on our animals instead of relying on a weight tape for weaning, vaccinations, or in the case of the newborn calves (and goats of all ages)... holding them while standing on the bathroom scale!  

RAM Tiffi 1,100#

RAM Lakisha 1,150#

Harriet 550# at 7 months, 2 weeks post weaning

It was a livestock scale kit that included the necessary parts, and the platform was home built.  The trial run was done in the shop to test it out, then moved out to the barn to weigh our bull Henry.  It did take some bribery with clover pellets to get them on it.  Like everything around the farm, it's a work in progress.

Fat Cow Henry 1,800# not quite 4yrs