HSC Stella's 1st Lady

AHCA #49341 | Black | Fullblood | Horned | Born October 3, 2009

HSC Stella's 1st Lady was a black, fullblood Highland cow whose maternal pedigree reaches back to the historic Leys fold near Inverness, Scotland.

For Highland Dale, that history matters.

Stella was bred by Collin Demuth and Josh Gregg as an embryo-transfer calf from Summit Ranch Stella, a registered donor dam, sired by Trafalgar Nathan. She was registered with the American Highland Cattle Association as AHCA #49341 in 2010.

Her story is especially interesting when you follow her mothers.

Nine Generations Back to Scotland

Stella's maternal line can be traced through nine unbroken generations to Bean Og 2nd of Leys, with the first six generations bred at the Leys fold at Leys Castle near Inverness.

The Leys fold has an important place in Highland cattle history. Scottish agricultural sources describe it as the second-oldest Highland cattle fold in the world, and it became particularly well known for exporting Highland cattle to continental Europe during the 1970s and 1980s.

Among the documented cows in Stella's maternal ancestry are:

Bean Og 2nd of Leys

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Bean Ruadh of Leys

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Bean Ruadh 2nd of Leys

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Bean Ruadh 6th of Leys

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Bean Ruadh 11th of Leys

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Bean Ruadh 40th of Leys

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Diana of Kiyiwana

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Summit Ranch Stella

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HSC Stella's 1st Lady

That is nine generations of mothers connecting Stella's American pedigree to the Leys fold in Scotland.

And there is another interesting piece of history tucked into that line.

The sire of the earliest recorded female in this maternal branch, Jock 4th of Leys, was himself a show-placed Highland bull. A Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland premium list printed in 1940 records him taking second prize in his class.

These are not simply names pulled from a modern pedigree. They are pieces of a documented Highland cattle history that stretches across decades and an ocean.

Bean Ruadh 40th of Leys is the documented maternal line where the Scottish Leys ancestry enters the American AHCA pedigree record

The maternal line crossed from Scotland to America through Bean Ruadh 40th of Leys, born in 1987 and registered with the AHCA in 1991.

Three generations of registered producing cows followed.

First came Diana of Kiyiwana, born in 1994. Diana became a donor dam with 24 registered progeny.

Her daughter was Summit Ranch Stella, born in 2005. Stella was also used as a donor dam and has 16 registered progeny recorded under her name.

Then came HSC Stella's 1st Lady.

Stella herself has five registered progeny.

That progression is one of the things we find most meaningful about this pedigree. The story isn't simply about how far back the ancestry can be traced. It is also about the cows that continued to produce.

Scotland to America.

Bean Ruadh 40th of Leys to Diana.

Diana to Summit Ranch Stella.

Stella to her own daughters and sons.

That is how a maternal line stays alive.

A Concentrated Douneside Influence

Stella's pedigree also contains a particularly interesting concentration of Niall of Douneside.

Niall was bred at the Douneside fold of the Lady MacRobert Special Trust. He appears on both sides of Diana of Kiyiwana's pedigree.

Niall sired Lady 14th of Leys, appearing on Diana's sire side, and Bean Ruadh 11th of Leys, appearing on her dam side.

That means Diana was line-bred to Niall of Douneside.

The influence then continued through Diana's daughters, including Summit Ranch Stella and eventually Stella's 1st Lady.

For breeders looking closely at the pedigree, this is one of the details that makes Stella particularly interesting. The Douneside influence isn't merely present somewhere in the background. It is deliberately concentrated through both sides of her maternal grandmother's pedigree.

The Trafalgar Side

Stella's sire was Trafalgar Nathan (D).

His pedigree brings another important group of Highland genetics into Stella's story.

Her paternal granddam was Trafalgar Fanny, an AHCA Impact Dam. Fanny's sire, Trafalgar Benedict, was an AHCA Impact Sire, with his semen used internationally, including in Australia.

Trafalgar Nathan traces through E Z Acres Nathaniel to Alasdair Og 2nd of Dirtane, another name that appears in Highland pedigrees connected to the genetics represented in our research.

So while Stella's maternal side takes us deep into the historic Leys and Douneside folds of Scotland, her paternal side brings together a different set of influential American Highland genetics.

The result is a pedigree with depth on both sides.

Stella in the Show Ring

Stella's story wasn't confined to a pedigree book.

In 2015, she was entered under the Finley Falls Highlands name in the Virtual Highland Cattle Show. She placed third in the People's Choice voting for the Senior Cow class.

It wasn't a major championship title, and we don't need to make it one.

What it does tell us is that Stella was being presented and recognized as a quality Highland cow during her producing years.

Her greater significance, however, is found in her pedigree and production record.

What Her Numbers Tell Us

Stella's 2016 EPDs were still based on relatively limited progeny information, so their accuracy was low. Even so, two numbers stand out.

Her weaning weight EPD was +11, compared with a breed average of +5.

Her yearling weight EPD was +17, compared with a breed average of +10.

Those figures don't tell the entire story of a cow. But they add another measurable piece to the picture of Stella and the genetics she carried.

The Last Chapter

Stella's story has an ending that is sometimes left out of livestock histories.

She has passed away.

She was ultimately butchered, which is an honest part of the life of a working farm animal.

We don't need to dress that up.

A Highland cow can be a pedigree, a breeding animal, a mother, a genetic contributor—and eventually part of the food system that farms exist to support.

What matters to Highland Dale is that Stella's genetics did not end with her.

She left five registered progeny.

And behind those five are generations of mothers stretching back to Scotland.

Why Stella Matters to Highland Dale

HSC Stella's 1st Lady represents the kind of pedigree we want to understand rather than simply advertise.

Her maternal line reaches nine generations to Bean Og 2nd of Leys and the historic Leys fold near Inverness.

Her family includes Bean Ruadh 40th of Leys, who brought that line to America.

Her maternal ancestors include two productive donor dams—Diana of Kiyiwana with 24 registered progeny and Summit Ranch Stella with 16.

Her pedigree carries a concentrated Niall of Douneside influence through both sides of Diana's pedigree.

Her sire's family includes Trafalgar Fanny, an AHCA Impact Dam, and Trafalgar Benedict, an AHCA Impact Sire.

And Stella herself produced five registered progeny.

That is the kind of history worth slowing down for.

Because when we talk about Highland cattle at Highland Dale, we aren't only interested in the names at the top of a pedigree.

We want to know where the cattle came from.

Who bred them.

Which mothers carried the line forward.

What happened to those genetics when they crossed from Scotland to America.

And, ultimately, what remains today.

Stella's 1st Lady gives us a remarkable trail to follow—from Leys Castle near Inverness to an American breeding program, through generations of productive Highland cows.

Her story is part of the larger story we are preserving at Highland Dale.

Quick Facts

• Name: HSC Stella's 1st Lady (ET,PV,D)

• AHCA Registration: #49341

• Born: October 3, 2009

• Sex: Cow

• Color: Black

• Type: Fullblood, horned

• Breeder: Collin Demuth & Josh Gregg

• Sire: Trafalgar Nathan (D)

• Dam: Summit Ranch Stella (ET,PV,D)

• Maternal Granddam: Diana of Kiyiwana (D)

• Maternal Line: Nine generations tracing to Bean Og 2nd of Leys and the historic Leys fold near Inverness, Scotland

• Registered Progeny: 5

• Show Record: 3rd Place, People's Choice, Senior Cow, 2015 Virtual Highland Cattle Show

• Notable Maternal Ancestor: Niall of Douneside, appearing on both sides of Diana of Kiyiwana's pedigree

• Notable Paternal Ancestors: Trafalgar Fanny, AHCA Impact Dam; Trafalgar Benedict, AHCA Impact Sire

• Status: Deceased

Pedigree Highlights

HSC Stella's 1st Lady's pedigree is especially interesting because several distinct pieces of Highland history come together in one cow. Her maternal line reaches nine generations back to Bean Og 2nd of Leys, with the first six generations connected to the historic Leys fold at Leys Castle near Inverness, Scotland. That line came to America through Bean Ruadh 40th of Leys, then continued through two productive donor dams, Diana of Kiyiwana, with 24 registered progeny, and Summit Ranch Stella, with 16. The pedigree also carries a concentrated Niall of Douneside influence: Niall sired both Lady 14th of Leys and Bean Ruadh 11th of Leys, placing him on both sides of Diana's pedigree. On Stella's paternal side, Trafalgar Fanny was an AHCA Impact Dam and her sire, Trafalgar Benedict, was an AHCA Impact Sire. Together, these lines give Stella a pedigree that combines historic Scottish ancestry, established American genetics and multiple generations of documented production.

Highland Dale History

Stella's story is part of the larger effort at Highland Dale to understand and preserve the history behind the cattle we raise. We aren't interested in collecting impressive names simply because they appear in a pedigree. We want to know where those names came from, how the families were developed, and which cattle actually carried those genetics forward. Stella's maternal line gives us an unusually clear trail from Highland cattle in Scotland to American breeding programs and eventually to the cattle connected with Highland Dale. That kind of documented history is important to us because Highland Dale grew from the earlier AAA Quality Highlands breeding program established by Beauford Wilson. The cattle and pedigrees we inherited weren't just the beginning of a new name; they were part of an existing history that we have worked to research, verify and carry forward. Stella represents one more piece of that history.

Common Questions About HSC Stella's 1st Lady

• Who was HSC Stella's 1st Lady?

  A concise identification: AHCA #49341, black, fullblood, horned cow, born October 3, 2009, bred by Collin Demuth and Josh Gregg.

  
  

• What is the maternal ancestry of HSC Stella's 1st Lady?

  This is probably the strongest SEO/LLM question. Answer that her maternal line traces nine generations to Bean Og 2nd of Leys, with the first six generations connected to the historic Leys fold near Inverness, Scotland.

  
  

• Who were HSC Stella's 1st Lady's dam and sire?

  Summit Ranch Stella (ET,PV,D) was her dam and Trafalgar Nathan (D) was her sire.

  
  

• What is significant about the Niall of Douneside connection in Stella's pedigree?

  This gives you an opportunity to explain the line-breeding without making the visitor decode the pedigree.

  
  

• Did HSC Stella's 1st Lady have offspring?

  Yes. She has five registered progeny, following a maternal line that includes Diana of Kiyiwana with 24 registered progeny and Summit Ranch Stella with 16. Photo Credit: Ron Campbell