Meet the team: Erica Smith

Victorian Highland Cattle breeder Erica Smith was appointed a Director at the 2022 Annual General Meeting and has recently been appointed as a and Cattle coordinator for the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia.

Raised in Moranbah, Queensland, Erica was involved in her family hobby farm where they raised Brahmans until the 2007 drought devastated the country and the livestock had to be sold. In addition to the cattle, the family had a variety of other farm animals including pigs, chickens and guinea fowl.

After moving to Victoria in 2012, Erica decided it was a good opportunity to get involved with a different breed, and a meeting with a Victorian highland cattle breeder saw the start of the Glenstrae fold.

Starting initially with two cows in calf, the birth of two bulls resulted in another three cows in calf being purchased. The first heifers born in 2013 become the foundation of the Glenstrae show team and since then, Erica has been a regular exhibitor at shows across three states and a territory, competition at AHCS national and state competitions, and the Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra Royal shows.

In addition to the show ring, Erica is regularly seen at Scottish heritage events promoting the highland cattle breed.

The Glenstrae highlands have also been the inspiration for the children’s picture book series Erica has self published, based on a highland calf Kenzie the Coo and her adventures with a variety of Australian animals.

As cattle coordinator, Erica is keen to learn as much as possible about the variety of cattle breeds in Australia that are currently under the watchful guidance of the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia.