Regenerative ranching in Quebec's Eastern Townships
Highland cattle, raised on grass — and measured.
We raise Highland cattle on regenerating pasture in Quebec's Eastern Townships — moving the herd to fresh grass, resting the land, and publishing what changes in the soil, the water, and the life of it. It is the seventh generation of our family on this ground, and most of what we do here is less new than it looks.
- Bred to this place
- Highland
- How they graze
- Move, then rest
- On this land
- Since the 1830s
- An old sideline returns
- Bees, back
Shaped by the cold, wet uplands of Scotland; it carries condition through a Quebec winter on rough forage a heavier breed would struggle on.
Cattle to fresh grass often, then each pasture left to fully regrow before they return. The recovery is where roots deepen and the soil rebuilds.
Seven generations of our family on the same ground in the Eastern Townships.
Tim's great-grandfather kept bees on this farm. Alex is bringing them home this autumn.
What guides the work
Three priorities, in order.
Everything we do traces back to one of these. If it does not, it probably does not belong here.
Measurement over memory
Evidence earns the claim.
There's an old shepherd's saying — never leave the flock in one field long enough to hear the church bell ring twice. On this farm it came down to us about cattle, and modern grazing science says the same thing in plainer words. We measure to find out whether the old practices still hold: soil, water, plants, and the life in the pasture, each reading kept with its method, site, and date. The record lives in the Farmer's Almanac — the wins, and the things that didn't move the way we hoped.
How we farm
All principlesHow we farm, and why
The handful of beliefs that settle the everyday calls here — when to move the cattle, how long to rest a paddock, what to measure, and what we will and won't claim. Less a code we invented than one we are remembering.
The herd
Meet the herdThe animals, on grass
A fold of Highland cattle that lives outside on pasture, moved to fresh ground often and handled quietly. Hardy, calm, and known to us one animal at a time.
Highland
Noire
NRR-014CowBreedingb. 2020
Sample record. A steady, easy-calving cow — the kind of low-maintenance mother the Highland base is selected for.
Highland
Emy
NRR-021CowIn the herdb. 2021
Sample record. Raising a heifer calf at foot this season.
Highland
Pitchou
NRR-009CowIn the herdb. 2019
Sample record. Mature cow, open this cycle.
Follow along
Notes from the farm.
What the herd and the land are teaching us, what the measurements show, and word when beef and honey are ready — no filler. The letter starts this season; a few issues a season after that. Until then, new journal entries land here.
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The story, made edible
Visit the shopHighland beef and pasture honey.
Our first finished beef is still a few seasons out — reserve a share now with no obligation, and we confirm pricing and pickup in writing before anything is owed. The pasture honey is our great-grandfather's sideline come back to the farm; the first harvest arrives this autumn. {{TODO: apiary specifics — hive count, first-harvest detail.}}
