Chondro, BVD & The Truth About Mini Highlands — With Annie, FW Cattle Company

Going from boat days on the river to calving checks at 3am is not a small leap — and Annie from FW Cattle Company is here to tell you exactly what that transition really looks like. This week Lori sits down with Annie to talk fencing failures, BVD testing nobody warns you about, and the uncomfortable truth about chondropositive calves that social media will never show you. If you're new to Highlands or thinking about getting started, this episode is packed with the kind of hard-earned lessons most people only learn the expensive way.Annie and her husband traded city life for a farm in Stillman Valley, Illinois, and built FW Cattle Company from the ground up — fencing, infrastructure, education and all.Key TakeawaysBuild your fencing and infrastructure before the animals arrive, not after. Always BVD test incoming cattle, even from reputable sellers — a negative mom doesn't guarantee a negative calf. Confirmation matters more than size or color when choosing breeding stock. Quarantine new arrivals for 10-14 days, even if they look healthy. Chondropositive does not always mean small — thick, structurally sound calves can carry the gene and still be substantial.Episode HighlightsAnnie shares the real story of trading river life for farm life and what nobody warns you about with fencing. The conversation gets into MooCall calving sensors, why a health certificate doesn't always mean what people think it means, and the heartbreaking realities of breeding chondro to chondro. Lori and Annie talk honestly about the financial side of this hobby — including embryo losses, bull calf pricing, and why "this'll pay for itself" rarely holds true. Plus the social media myth of the apartment-sized mini Highland gets fully busted.Timestamps00:01 — Welcome & Annie's transition from city to farm life 03:35 — Building proper fencing and infrastructure from day one 08:07 — Designing pastures and dry lots that actually work 12:53 — Why a headgate is non-negotiable 13:55 — The truth about social media and "teacup" Highlands 16:22 — Confirmation versus color and size 20:01 — The real cost of embryo work and low success rates 22:13 — Bull calves, collecting semen, and realistic returns 24:29 — BVD testing and why it matters even with reputable sellers 28:08 — Health certificates: what they actually guarantee 33:04 — Chondro to chondro: a hard lesson learned 35:39 — MooCall sensors and why they're worth it 44:20 — Supporting customers long after the saleLearn more about FW Cattle Company at fwcattlecompany.comFollow us on social media so you don't miss out on any advice, auction updates, or crazy farm stories!Find us on Facebook: Horns N Hooves Instagram: @hornsnhoovesauctionpodcast TikTok: @Hornsnhoovespodcast Website: hornsnhoovesauction.comProduction Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/