Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Ingram.
Hi Nikki, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up on my family’s farm here in Eudora, KS where have continued to live here my whole life. We strictly farmed though, no livestock. My husband’s family raised cattle and when we married I was introduced to commercial cattle. I never had much interest in the cattle, but that all changed when I saw my first long haired, cow, a Scottish Highland. I instantly fell in love and begged my husband for one. He finally relented in spring of 2022 and I purchased my first Highland cow, Fiona. My love of this breed just grew and I now own around 50.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning cattle is both rewarding and heartbreaking. Thankfully the good days outweigh the bad or ranchers wouldn’t exist! When we first started we thought about getting into miniature cattle. I, like so many, didn’t understand how all the genetics work when trying to bred for small cattle. Genetic deformities, still births and bad conformation are a huge risk if research isn’t done before trying to start a breeding program. Thankfully the highland community is full of good people that want you to succeed and are willing to help guide newcomers. We quickly realized we didn’t want to go down the miniature path and instead embraced everything that is great about this beautiful, hardy breed. We have experienced loss of cows and calves. Death is an unfortunate part of own livestock but it never ever gets easier. I have cried more than my fair share of tears over the last 3 1/2 years. I worry they won’t get pregnant, then I worry they won’t carry the calf to term. Next I worry if they will deliver with no complications, will the calf nurse, and continue to thrive. I worry about the weather and predators that could kill the babies. We have purchased cattle that never produced a calf. We have dealt with dry summers that cost us more in feed. Bottom line, raising livestock isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a big investment and takes up a lot of time, however interacting with and watching these beautiful animals on a daily basis is worth it all!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Sunflower State Highlands is a small cattle operation consisting of 50 head of mostly Scottish highland cattle. We have a few other breeds within our herd that have unique coloring that make them desirable or they have just stolen our hearts and refuse to part with them. Our calves are always mother raised, unless an unfortunate circumstance arises that won’t allow for that. Our calves stay with their moms for 6 months and then we wean them. All our calves are vaccinated, and started on grain. I spend hours in the weaning pen socializing the calves. My goal is to have them eating treats from my hand and allowing me to pet and brush them before they leave for their new homes. Most of our buyer purchase calves as pets or they are starting and adding to their own herds. However, highlands are raised for beef as well. Their meat is leaner than commercial cattle and doesn’t produce much grease when it is cooked. The part of our operation that I am most proud of is our facilities. My husband and I have invested a lot of time, money, sweat, and tears into building nice facilities. We wanted to be a place that people felt good about visiting and buying an animal from. We have farm smells but our facilities are nice and well maintained. I feel like people have more confidence in the animal they <span style=”background-color: rgb(178, 214, 243);”>are</span> purchasing if the farm looks well maintained and cared for.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Since we currently own another business and I have a full time job away from the farm, I think we have finally hit our limit on herd size for now. My dream is to one day be able to stay on the farm full time and enjoy my cows. I tend to prefer the company of my cows over people, they are good listeners and my biggest stress relief after a stressful day in town.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunflowerstatehighlands
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DRBvzEWTB/
