Meet Jamie Silva of Greeley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Silva

Hi Jamie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Trinity Farms LTD was established in 2018 where we chose to raise a Heritage Breed of cattle known as the Scottish Highlands. These cattle are one of the oldest breeds in the world, originating from Scotland as far back as the 6th century, We chose this breed for its traits of hardiness, self-sufficiency, longevity, ease of calving, and for their fierce maternal instincts. They are excellent foragers and efficient at improving pastures. We also raise Highlands on our farm for their meat. Due to the fact they are a heritage breed, they are slower growing and are not processed at the usual 18 months, but rather at 24 months. Their meat is exceptionally lean, but well marbled, Pure Highland beef comes at a price due to its fine texture, succulent flavor, high protein and iron content. As a family raising Highlands, not only for their meat and other characteristics, we also enjoy being able to present them at many cattle shows around the U.S. including the National Western Stockshow held in Denver each year. We pride ourselves on great bloodlines, preserving the integrity of this Grand Ole Breed, having strong ethics, and a moral compass when it comes to our cows.

Trinity Farms consists of Jesse, Jamie, Easton(16), and Wrenley(13) Silva. Jesse started with Highlands about 34 years ago with his dad. Jamie has also been around them for about 25years. Prior to 2018, we would just help out his dad with the cows and the showing. It wasn’t until we had our 2 kids that we decided to become very involved as a family. In 2018 we decided to venture out on our own and raise our own herd of Highland cattle. We believe in hard work, honesty, and integrity in all we do with our kids and cattle, fostering a strong sense of responsibility, respect, and dedication to both family, cattle, and the land. Managing Trinity Farms and being responsible for the well being of many head of Scottish Highland Cattle and their offspring has brought us great joy, many adventures across the US, happiness, educating new breeders, and preserving this Grand Ole Breed.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
High cost of feed. Dedication and being good stewards to the cattle on a daily basis, 24/7 all through the year.. Finding and arranging a location when traveling to other areas of the country to provide rest and drink for the animals, Even though very rare, it is devastating to lose a calf.

The journey since 2018 has been fairly smooth. We have had a lot of great mentors and a wonderful group of cattle people that we travel with showing our cows around the US. We do of course run into obstacles whether that be tending to the cows in a blizzard, freezing cold temps while calving (where you are checking them every 2 hours), and all weather elements for that matter. The dedication it takes to run this operation comes from all of us. Our kids are heavily involved in the day to day with the cattle. For example, they both have feeding chores that differ from each other. Wrenley feeds the show animals daily with different feed rations, while Easton grinds feed on a daily basis for the cows. We do experience the high cost of feed due to what they need to be on to look their best for shows and get the proper nutrition. We have spent time with an animal nutritionist to get the best results for our cows and calves. Another challenge we have come across is finding adequate help when we have to leave for these cattle shows. Luckily, for the most part, Jamie’s mother has been able to step in and fill those big shoes. When traveling across the US for shows, it can be challenging to find places to stop and stay with the cattle so you better have researched and planned your trip well.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Raising quality Scottish Highland cattle for breeding, showing, and meat while maintaining strong ethics and a moral compass when it comes to our cows,

While we do raise them for meat, that’s is not our main business currently. We raise them for us and some family and friends. We hope to add raising and selling meat to our program in the future. As of right now we are focused on raising quality genetics, and producing top of the line animals for showing and breeding. Typically we show at about 6-7 shows a year, give or take with the National Western Stock Show being our biggest combined with our National Sale. For the last 5 years we have sold an animal at our National Sale, being able to market our name and genetics. This is our “Super Bowl” of shows and sale. To say we are proud to be a part of that is an understatement. We have all been in the show ring at some point, but our kids have taken that role over and now do all of our showing. We put blood, sweat, and tears into these cattle shows and every single one of us is involved. From the pre-show work, to getting them there, setting up, washing, blow drying, clipping, showing, all the way to the tear down. Our dedication doesn’t end until the last set of hooves is loaded and the final trailer door is closed, knowing everything moment spent reflects our passion, commitment, and the hard-earned results of our effort.
In conclusion, raising quality Highland Cattle is a labor of love, and while it can be challenging at times, the reward of watching them thrive and knowing we’ve played a part in preserving such a remarkable breed makes it all worthwhile. We have been blessed to have met some of the best breeders, clients, and fellow enthusiasts along the way, and their support and friendship continue to inspire and drive us in our passion for raising top-quality Highland cattle.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://trinitylandandcattle.com/
• Instagram: trinitylandandcattle18
• Facebook: Trinity Farms