I think everyone should give them a shot.BOSTON (AP) - Revelers across the U.S. “The calves are primed to perform in a variety of conditions. “Not only do you get a boost from the F1 cross, but you get another when you use it on a commercial cow,”Jon says. As for performance, Jon credits unique genetics and the long understood power of hybrid vigor. Black cattle suffer in the heat,” Jon says. Their light coloring also works in their favor. Highlands have two coats of hair and can shed the longer outer coat in hot climates. “As long as they have a little shade, they’re happy,” John Wayne George reports. His initial concern with having a northern breed in his southern pastures has proven a non-issue. “A Highland cow will get fat in a pasture stock cattle would starve in,” Jon says. They’re efficient feed converters and foragers. The cross has short sturdy legs and feet like a Clydesdale, making them less likely to have foot and leg issues, he notes. “At 180 days, that 45 to 60-pound calf is the same live weight as a 110-pound calf. Red Angus also are known for quality milk and maternal traits, making for a good team. Highlands produce high butterfat milk, helping calves quickly put on weight. He noted calves sired by the Highland Red bull (a name trademarked by Jon and Margaret) grew faster than those sired in past years by an Angus bull. It’s easy on the cows and the calves are beautiful,” Chris says. “The calves are small, but they catch up quick. Described as, ‘A big old pet, 1,700 pounds of loving,’ Henry alone bred the George’s entire 50-head herd. Birth weights are around 50 pounds, but the calves are vigorous and healthy.Ĭattlemen Chris and John Wayne George of Akron, Ala., saw this first hand when they bought “Henry,” one of Jon and Margaret’s F1 bulls. The cross is docile with impressive longevity, producing up to four more calves than standard breeds.īulls are prolific, covering large groups. Highlands are horned, but produce a naturally polled offspring when crossed with red Angus. Combining red Angus and Highland genetics brings out the best of both breeds. The results are encouraging and worth note. Now Jon and Margaret’s small, pampered herd produces F1 Highland/red Angus bulls for use on commercial herds. He eventually sent Jon his book and worked with him via email to sort out a breeding plan. I called him, but couldn’t understand him and he couldn’t understand me,” Jon laughs. “I found a researcher at the Royal School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, Scotland. His research revealed he could get the best of both breeds, especially in the area of meat quality, with F1 crosses created by breeding red Angus heifers to Highland bulls as they’ve done in Scotland for ages. Leaner than turkey, if cooked past medium the eating experience goes downhill fast, Jon explains. “They have great longevity, producing on average for 20 years, and excellent disease resistance.” Red Angus and Scottish Highland cattle kept rising to the top in their search-the long-haired half a seemingly odd choice for hot Alabama. With those successes in mind, they briefly considered and discarded the idea of buffalo. We use an aquaponic greenhouse to provide lettuce in the off-season. We grow heirloom tomatoes-and purple potatoes and wonderfully sweet zephyr summer squash,” Margaret says. They’d learned from their other ag endeavors a unique product draws its own business. Jon and Margaret researched cattle breeds extensively. In 2018, Tuscaloosa County Farmers of the Year.Īlong the way, they got the yen to add cattle to the mix.Ī Unique Choice. In 2013 they were named Area III winners of the Alabama Association of Conservation District’s Outstanding Conservation Farmers of the Year. We love it,” Margaret says.Ī willingness to reach out to the local farming community for advice helped them excel. “The hardest day on the farm is the best day you’ll have all week. The labor of love soon filled early hours prior to work and long hours after. They cleared pastures, built fence, erected buildings, started gardening and added a few chickens. Our fun was going to the farm at the end of the day and working with the land and animals,” Margaret says. Since, they’ve carved a peaceful, diversified farm retreat from the once sticker bush overgrown, untended, undeveloped tract nestled in the trees. “Then they’d ask what I know about farming. “When asked if I was putting up a Walmart, I’d just say, ‘No sir. Jon and Margaret, however, had much grander plans for the life savings and retirement fund-clearing purchase. With quick access to major thoroughfares and near enough to a certain stadium to hear “Roll Tide!!” cheered on game day, a mega store made sense. Walmart, was the community rumor mill consensus when Jon Fleenor, a commercial builder, and his wife, Margaret Purcell, purchased 640 acres just outside Tuscaloosa, Alabama, city limits.
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