Three generations. Two farms.
Laurel Highlands Farms began in 1997 and grew across two mountain farms in Pennsylvania's Allegheny Highlands.
A family business measured in seasons.
What started with one generation and one piece of mountain ground has become a three-generation farm built around grazing animals, improving pasture and keeping family knowledge on the land.
Our cattle program centers on Scottish Highland and Black Angus. Our sheep flock is Polypay. Each breed earns its place by performing on grass and handling real weather.
Why these breeds, on this ground.
Scottish Highland is an ancient Scottish breed recognized by long horns and a long, shaggy coat — traits developed under hard weather and low-input conditions that carry over directly to forage ability, maternal instincts and winter hardiness on our ground.
Black Angus originated in the Aberdeenshire and Angus counties of northeastern Scotland and became one of the dominant beef breeds in North America, selected for maternal ability, adaptation and beef quality. On our farm it complements Highland genetics with strong beef performance on grass.
Our sheep flock is Polypay, an American composite breed developed from Dorset, Rambouillet, Targhee and Finnsheep for prolificacy, maternal performance, adaptability and useful carcass and wool traits — a natural match for a rotationally grazed flock.
All three run on the same system: rotational grazing. We allocate a paddock sized to forage supply and herd demand, graze it, move the animals, and let the ground rest and recover before the next pass.
