Stories of Highland Dale

Blog 9 - While waiting on DNA results, I focused on Gwendolyn's sire, RTH VanNorman, who was the 2010 NWSS Reserve Grand Champion, and his lineage traces back to Highland champions like Sgiathanach of Ensay (1870). Gwendolyn’s bloodline reminded me that Highland Dale isn’t starting over—it’s carrying a legacy over a century in the making.

Blog 8 - Claiming What Was Always Ours Some of the most important work on a farm happens quietly. This chapter shares how ownership, legacy, and patience came together as we began formally registering our cattle—turning grief and uncertainty into clarity, structure, and a future built to last.

Blog 7: Letting Trust Back In In the middle of a murder trial, trust becomes a careful choice. This chapter shares how community, steady hands, and a simple act of reassurance helped us open the gates again—one hay field, one decision, and one quiet moment at a time.

Blog 6: When the Next Generation Steps Forward As summer arrived, Beauford’s grandkids stepped into the story of Highland Dale—bringing creativity, technology, and new energy. What followed was growth we never imagined and a legacy carried forward by the next generation.

Blog 5: Finding Order in the Chaos With records locked away and certainty out of reach, we chose action over waiting. Through tattoos, DNA testing, and community support, we took charge of our cattle’s future and brought clarity back to the fold.

Blog 4: Many Hands, One Farm When one person can no longer carry everything, a farm reveals what it truly needs. At Highland Dale, sustainability meant leaning into the talents already within our family—letting creativity, craftsmanship, and tradition work together to preserve the land and the fold.

Blog 3: A Quiet Leader Enters the Fold During a pause in court proceedings, Highland Dale found steadiness in an unexpected place. A borrowed bull named Earl brought calm, leadership, and momentum to a season that helped our farm regain its footing.

Blog 2: Retirement Dreams & Hard Decisions My dad spent a lifetime preparing for retirement through land, livestock, and carefully chosen bloodlines. When he was gone, honoring those choices meant making hard decisions—including letting go of our herd bull—to protect the future of the fold.

Blog 1: Starting Over — Reinvesting in the Fold, Reclaiming the Farm After the loss of my father, three Highland heifers became the reason our family kept returning to the farm. What began as grief slowly turned into purpose, and instead of walking away, we chose to reinvest—one decision, one animal, and one quiet moment at a time.

In the shadow of Ben Nevis, far from the bustling cities, Scotland held secrets few dared to seek. Among the rolling heather and mist, grazed a seemingly ordinary Highland cow. But this was no ordinary cow. She was Secret Agent Number Three, Scotland’s stealthiest guardian in a silent war fought in shadows and whispers.

They say stories drift on the wind—carried from place to place until they settle like dust on forgotten maps. On a cool evening at...

It’s easy to miss, now. A stretch of quiet field with two sleepy streams—one sliding past a crumbling foundation behind the old mill, the other feeding Pole Hollow Creek like it’s always known the way.

Bandit isn’t your average farm steer. Sure, he’s got a fluffy red coat, a golden tuft between his horns, and a stubborn streak wide as the Missouri River—but there’s something else. Something older behind his eyes.

Behind those gentle eyes lay the mind of a covert operative. Codename: Secret Agent Number Three. Her mission? Infiltrate enemy networks and protect Scotland’s most precious secrets.