Peace in the pasture

NELSON — As a law enforcement agent, Michelle Frascone spends the work week in the bustling metro of St. Paul. On the weekends, she can likely be found two hours northwest of the Twin Cities, in a rural landscape carved out by gravel roads that lead to Cutty’s Cattle Company, her home away from home.

This year, Frascone and Aaron Stern, or Cutty, as his friends call him, officially created the company. They raise a diverse herd, each animal with a story of its own.

“Cutty’s Cattle Company was never a carefully planned business venture,” Frascone said. “It slowly became a place where we could build a quieter life and care for our animals.”

The herd was started in 2022 when Stern bought five Highland cattle from a sales barn. From there, he purchased land and has pieced together the hobby-farm lifestyle he and Frascone now share. Today, the herd includes miniature and midsize Highland cattle, along with Western heritage breeds. Each animal has a name, a distinct personality and a special place in the family.

“The most memorable member of our herd is Smoke,” Frascone said. “He is a baby bucking bull who we’ve bottle-fed and nursed back to health.”

Frascone and Stern acquired the animal this spring when Matt Schraping, who owns Phenom Genetics Inc. out of Arlington, Minnesota, told them about the bull calf that was frozen to the ground and discovered by one of his ranch hands.

“Today, Smoke is doing well,” Frascone said. “He has revealed both a loving personality and a natural instinct for bucking.”

Scharping told Frascone he felt Smoke’s chances of making it into a show arena were about 1%.

“As a believer, I think he’s my 1% chance,” Frascone said. “There are a couple stories out there … like Mick E. Mouse, who was also hand-raised by a female, and still went on to become one of the more famous bucking bulls.”

Frascone met Scharping around the same time she met her partner, Stern. The men were already sharing ownership in a string of bulls and had established a good working relationship. When Frascone first met Stern and Scharping, she was a city girl who only had 4-H experience showing horses; but today, Frascone said, cattle have given her a new sense of belonging. Frascone and Stern attend rodeo events throughout the year and often travel to watch their bulls compete. This is not easy, as both Stern and Frascone work full time off the farm but have an invested interest in the Professional Bull Riders, often helping out when they are able.

“There are plenty of exhausting days, unexpected challenges and moments of heartbreak on the farm that I’ve had to come to terms with,” Frascone said. “But there are also quiet mornings in the pasture, affectionate chin scratches and the comfort of animals who ask for nothing more than care, patience and love.”

Pippa is a prime example of that. The calf was born in early March when it was still very cold. Frascone and Stern went out and bought a Carhartt dog vest to keep her warm in the barn. Frascone said she enjoys Pippa and her other Highland cattle.

“I love their look; … they are so laid back and a lot of fun to watch grow up,” Frascone said.

Each year, Frascone and Stern expect one to three calves to be born. They do not have a breeding program but instead let their herd breed after the calves have weaned themselves and the cows have naturally entered the heat season again. Frascone said she knows the time on the farm for her breeding bull is limited, as he will soon be too closely related and will have to find a new farm.

“We are not really your typical farm,” Frascone said. “We are not raising them (cattle) for the money. It will be hard to see our bull go. … It’s not easy to find such a sweet bull.”

The rest of the Highland herd consists of Blonde, Tater, Lightning and Stormi, but Frascone and Stern have four Belted Galloway cattle, too. They also have Jersey, a foster calf that they took in because she required bottle feeding. That is a time-consuming task not every farmer is willing to manage, Frascone said. Eventually, Jersey will go back to her Amish community.

“Caring for them (cattle) requires early mornings, late-night checks, bottle feedings, buckets of feed, many fence repairs and plenty of muddy clothes,” Frascone said. “Yet for me, the work isn’t simply another obligation; it’s my therapy.”

Frascone and Stern also raise donkeys. The couple recently sent their two donkeys off the farm to be bred in hopes of welcoming two foals this spring.

To share the joy on their farm, Frascone and Stern invite friends, family and coworkers for cookouts or to just pull up a lawn chair and hang out with their herd.

“For me, Cutty’s Cattle Company is a retreat from a high-pressure professional world,” Frascone said. “It’s a place where the noise of the city fades and life becomes a little more simple, and I hope to share that with as many people as possible.”