You might notice a different looking animal roaming Cookeville.
Mill Creek Farms is home to Scottish Highland Cattle. Owner Bridgett Jones said she first obtained Scottish Highland cattle four years ago as a branch from her Husband’s family Angus farm. Jones said her highland cattle have become quite the attraction due to their physical appearance.
“They are a normal beef breed of cattle,” Jones said. “They are known for their shaggy coats, long bangs covering their eyes, and of course their beautiful horns. But you take the horns and the hair away and they are kind of typically like any other beef cattle that you would see in the area you know an Angus or a Hereford.”
Jones said when she first bought the herd she planned to raise them for beef but she received so much interest from the community. Now, she raises the herd as show cattle and for agri-tourism. Jones said the cattle have become so popular that last year she had over 2,500 families from all over the world come to Cookeville just to see the cattle.
“Last year a phenomenal amount of people came out,” Jones said. “We’ve had people come from Canada, Puerto Rico, California, we get lots of local people that come out so it’s really fun and entertaining to be able to share them with the community.”
Jones said Scottish Highland Cattle are growing in popularity across the Upper Cumberland. However, Jones said the cattle have to have a particular type of environment to survive.
“They have to have shade and they have to have water,” Jones said. “So we have a natural spring on the property. We have lots and lots of shaded areas. We make sure we give them the right kind of minerals and nutrients to keep their body temperatures as low as possible so you do have to take a lot of caution in this area to have them where they can thrive.”
Jones said over the years the herd has grown from five cattle to fourteen. Jones said looking back she never thought her cattle would lead to what it has grown into today.
