Gateway Copper Corridor Winter 2024 E-edition

RANCH from page 7
What are
Highlands cattle?
The name Highlands reflects
the breed’s origin in
that region of Scotland.
“They were bred to be
able to withstand incredibly
difficult conditions,”
Carol said.
“For a while the Scots
thought they didn’t have to
feed the Highlands at all,
but the reality is the Highlands
were eating everything
from the lichens to
the trees. They’ll eat anything
a goat will eat.
“The Highland hide is
twice the thickness of an
Angus. I can pick up an
Angus hide, no problem,
and throw it around all day
long. I cannot pick up a
Highland hide; it takes two
of us. They’re that much
heavier.”
Highlands cattle, she
said, would live in the
house with Scottish families
– people upstairs and
cattle downstairs.
“They were used for
milk, for fiber – they would
The fold – a group of Highland cattle is called a fold, not a
herd – usually comes in to feed around 4 o’clock.
The road through the Gryphon Ranch follows the original
19th century stagecoach route from Tucson to Globe.
take the hair and spin it into
fiber – and for meat,” she
said.
She said Highland meat
was very lean and healthy,
lower in cholesterol and
higher in protein as well as
omega-3 and omega-6 fatty
acids. The breed comes
in seven different colors:
white, silver, red, dun, brindle,
yellow and black – and
the Ptaks own one dun bull
that can produce all seven.
The black variety, called
kyloes, originated along
Scotland’s western coast,
where cowherds would
swim them from pasture to
pasture among the islands.
Carol added that there is no
such thing as a “miniature
Highland,” despite online
claims; adult Highlands
cattle grow to around 1,000
pounds.
Each of their cattle has a
name.
“When we started – we
thought this was going to
be enough – we named
them in the order of the
Greek alphabet,” she said.
Of that original series, two
cows named Delta and Epsilon
are still on the ranch.
After that, the Ptaks went
through gems and minerals
from A to Z, the Greek
gods and flowers. Their
latest series is named after
trees; the newest addition
to the fold is Holly, born on
Christmas Day 2023.
“So far, knock on wood,
we’ve never lost an animal
to predation, because
they can take care of themselves,”
she said. “All
Highlands have horns; they
know where their horns
are and exactly how to use
them. If a predator goes
after one of the babies and
the baby starts squalling,
then you’ll see a bunch of
adults running real fast.”
The Code of the West
On Gila County’s official
website, a page titled
“The Code of the West”
outlines the challenges and
potential drawbacks of rural
life – from lack of services
to extreme weather
to animals. “Since the rural
West will not change to accommodate
your lifestyle
or expectations, you should
be prepared to adapt accordingly,”
it reads in part.
Carol expressed it this way:
“Congratulations, you
bought property out here;
don’t expect to see many
services because you’re
not.”
“Living off-grid is an
interesting phenomenon,”
she added. “We don’t have
a lot of things people take
for granted. We’re totally
out here on our own.”
Though the Gryphon
Ranch employs solar power,
there is no electric power,
water, sewer or mail/
package delivery, and
stores are 14 miles away.
“We do everything everybody
else does; it’s just
that we do it a little differently.
Our internet comes
by satellite, our power is
solar, our water comes
from a spring, we can’t
use electrical fencing,” she
said. “We had to replace
water lines five times because
they kept getting torn
out by the next flood.”
The Ptaks finally hired
8 Gateway to the Copper Corridor Winter 2024