About Outlander

Heritage cattle breeds with centuries of history, and a farm committed to carrying it forward.

A Highland calf in an autumn flower crown at the farm, hills behind

Our Farm

Outlander Highland Cattle Co is a small farm in San Diego County, CA, dedicated to breeding and raising smaller, heritage-sized Scottish Highland, High Park, Galloway, and Mini Jersey cattle.

We keep a small, carefully managed herd and choose quality over quantity, selecting breeding pairs that produce calves of exceptional conformation, temperament, and health. Every animal is born and raised on our farm and handled gently early on. We spend a lot of hands-on time with our herd to discover their unique personalities.

We are committed to preserving these heritage breeds and placing our animals with families who will cherish them as much as we do. When we're not working on the farm you may find us educating the community by displaying our cattle at various events.

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A Breed Born of the Highlands

Known in Scotland by their affectionate nickname: Hairy Coos.

Archival photograph of a fold of Highland cattle beside a loch in the Scottish Highlands

Scottish Highland cattle are one of the oldest domesticated cattle breeds in the world, native to the Scottish Highlands and the Western Isles. Two historic types shaped the breed. The island cattle, known as Kyloes, ran smaller and were usually black; they took their name from the kyles, the narrow straits they were swum across on the long drove to mainland markets. The mainland cattle were larger and far more varied in colour, commonly brown or red. Both were entered as a single breed when the herd book was first published in the 1880s, though the breed's roots in Scotland are traced back as far as the 6th century.

Shaped by one of Europe's harshest climates, Highlands developed their signature double coat: a long, oily outer layer, the longest hair of any cattle breed, over a soft, downy undercoat. Together with their long, sweeping horns, it lets them shrug off wind, rain, and snow with little need for shelter. That climate also gave the breed its own collective noun. A group of Highlands is called a fold, not a herd, after the open stone enclosures that sheltered them through winter nights.

A Highland cow standing in snow among bare winter trees

Highlands are famously hardy, long-lived, and self-sufficient. They are excellent foragers and browsers, often used for conservation grazing, and their slow-maturing beef is notably lean and tender, insulated by their coat rather than by heavy fat. In our experience they adapt readily to a warmer climate, growing a lighter coat and shedding earlier in the season.

Today, Highlands are kept and cherished the world over, from the Scottish hills to farms across North America, as well as other countries around the world. They are valued as much for their gentle character as for their striking looks and rich heritage.

Know Your Cattle Terms

Do you know what each term means? Click a card to flip it over and check your answer.Do you know what each term means? Every definition is below.

Pen-and-ink illustration of a Highland bull in a field, captioned
Bull An uncastrated male. The term usually denotes an animal of breeding age.
Pen-and-ink illustration of a Highland steer in a field, captioned
Steer A male castrated before puberty.
Pen-and-ink illustration of a Highland cow in a field, captioned
Cow A sexually mature female that has usually produced a calf.
Pen-and-ink illustration of a Highland heifer in a field, captioned
Heifer A young female, before she has produced her first calf.
Pen-and-ink illustration of a Highland calf in a field, captioned
Calf A young male or female under one year of age.

The Outlander Motto

At Outlander, we believe that a well-raised animal reflects the care of its keeper. Our cattle are given the time and space they need to develop into healthy, confident animals. We do not rush them toward sale; we wait until each calf is truly ready, physically and temperamentally, before offering them to new homes.

We are always available to answer questions, before, during, and after the sale. Our buyers become part of the Outlander family, and we genuinely love hearing updates about how our animals are settling into their new homes.

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