JHN Denali: A Cow Worth Building Around

Some cows become part of a breeding program. Some become the reason you keep building it.

JHN Denali is that second kind of cow.

Denali, AHCA #48293, is a red Highland cow born April 19, 2009, and bred by Calley Bailey. Ask the people who know her and you'll hear the same things every time. She is calm. She is sweet. She is a big cow with an impressive five-foot horn span. And above all, she is a mother.

Her owner, Tiffany Thomerson of Twisted T Ranch, puts it simply: "She is our favorite girl!"

A mother, year after year

Denali still lives at Twisted T Ranch, where Tiffany says she has given them a calf year after year. She's happy to share her babies with people and enjoys the attention herself. Now in her later years, she remains a dependable producer. Her family simply gives her a little more time to recover between calves.

A pedigree can't tell you any of that. It takes the people who live with a cow to tell you she's the kind you want to build a fold around.

At Twisted T, they're keeping every female from Denali they can, because she's exactly the kind of cow they want more of.

Jonquil, Nessa and the next lead cow

Denali's story also lives on at Elm Hollow in Tennessee. Nancy at Elm Hollow remembers Denali fondly and kept one of her daughters, Jonquil.

Jonquil grew into an outstanding cow, and her daughter Nessa became what Nancy considers the best heifer in their current group of replacement females.

Then came the hurricanes. The storms tore through habitat in North Carolina and pushed hungry bears west into East Tennessee. Jonquil was lost to a bear attack. It was a heartbreaking loss for Elm Hollow.

Nessa carried on and has become a standout in her class. Nancy Geller believes some of that grit came from Jonquil, and ultimately from Denali. She expects Nessa to become the lead cow in their fold.

"She has all the qualities," Nancy says.

That's the part of pedigree work we love most: following names on paper until they turn into real cows, real calves and real stories.

Eleven generations of cows, back to 1953

Denali has an eleven-generation documented tail-female line:

UP Red Clay 2nd (1953) → UP Ortha 3rd → UP Miss B Darlene → Wapsie Gaith → Lady Jane of Hidden Valley → Lady Lynn of Hidden Valley → TY Lady Lana → TY Lady Doreen → Schon Boden's Dixie → Schon Boden's Darcy → JHN Denali

Longtime breeders will recognize the path. Denali's cow family runs through the UP, Wapsie, Hidden Valley and TY programs, then into the Schon Boden herd. The maternal lines of Tess of Vintage Hill and LEA Faye pass through those same four programs in the same order. They're different cows from different families, but they come from the same stream of American Highland breeding.

Tess and Denali also share several ancestors further back in their maternal pedigrees, including Sir MacBeth and O B Red Hawk. That's what happens when you follow the records far enough. The same foundation genetics keep turning up.

Gusgurlach of Windrush on her sire's side

Denali's sire is Ledyard's Talisker, whose pedigree leads to Gusgurlach of Windrush. Historical Highland records describe Gusgurlach as a highly influential Canadian bull who sired National Champions and earned many Get-of-Sire titles, including Get-of-Sire Champion at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in both 1997 and 1998.

"The Gene Machine," again

On her maternal side, Denali connects through Dunvegan's Rex Ruadh to Gille Buidhe of Benmore, known among Highland breeders as "The Gene Machine." He's the same influential sire we found in Tess of Vintage Hill's pedigree. His story is part of breed history, too. Gordon Kohl of the Canadian Highland Cattle Society worked to save him from destruction during Canada's BSE crisis.

What makes Denali special

Her pedigree tells you where she came from. Her daughters tell you what she produces.

When we look at the future of Highland Dale, we're not only asking what's in a cow's pedigree. We're asking what she produces. Denali answers that question better than almost any cow we've followed. She's calm, attentive and maternal, still calving well into her later years, and her daughters and granddaughters keep giving their owners reasons to hold on to them.

That may be the best definition of a foundation cow there is. It isn't simply an impressive pedigree or a beautiful Highland. It's a cow whose daughters make you want another generation.

JHN Denali, AHCA #48293. A cow with history behind her and, if her daughters have anything to say about it, plenty of history still ahead.

Quick Facts

• Registered name: JHN Denali

• AHCA Registration: #48293

• Born: April 19, 2009

• Color: Red

• Sex: Cow

• Breeder: Calley Bailey

• Owner: Tiffany Thomerson, Twisted T Ranch

• Status: Living at Twisted T Ranch

• Sire: Ledyard's Talisker

• Dam: Schon Boden's Darcy

• Known for: Calm, sweet disposition; five-foot horn span; consistent calving into her later years

• Notable descendants: Jonquil (daughter, deceased) and Nessa (granddaughter), Elm Hollow Farm, East Tennessee

Pedigree highlights

• 11-generation tail-female line to UP Red Clay 2nd (1953) through UP, Wapsie, Hidden Valley, TY and Schon Boden cattle

• Sire-side connection to Gusgurlach of Windrush

• Mmaternal connection to Gille Buidhe of Benmore through Dunvegan's Rex Ruadh

• Shared ancestors with Tess of Vintage Hill

Common Questions About JHN Denali

Who is JHN Denali?

A red registered Highland cow (AHCA #48293), born in 2009 and bred by Calley Bailey, now living at Tiffany Thomerson's Twisted T Ranch. She is known for her calm temperament, five-foot horn span and dependable production.

What notable bloodlines are in her pedigree?

Her sire, Ledyard's Talisker, traces to Gusgurlach of Windrush. Her maternal side connects to Gille Buidhe of Benmore, "The Gene Machine," through Dunvegan's Rex Ruadh.

How far back does her maternal line go?

Eleven documented generations, back to UP Red Clay 2nd, registered in 1953.

Photo credit: JHN Denali, red Highland cow with a five-foot horn span, at Twisted T Ranch