It was mid summer when I started thinking about fluffy cows. I started following a few Maryland farms on Instagram and casually bounced the idea off Jeff one day, “let’s get a fluffy cow!” I showed him a few photos then I saw a post on the Maryland Farmer’s Exchange Facebook group for a recently born male white Scottish Highland. There he was, a grumpy looking face but super cute.

I contacted the farm, showed the photo to Jeff, and made a down payment. We had months to prepare while he grew up with his mom. He would be ready to bring to our farm by December. The farm sent me pics as he grew up and filled out.

Finally it was time to bring him home in December. Jeff and Raymond made the drive to pick him up, he was so tiny and terrified! It took weeks for him to warm up to me. I would sit on the door frame of his little cow house and feed him corn. After a while he would eat some from my hand, but it still could not touch him. He was lonely, he was unfamiliar with donkeys as room mates and just looked sad. After chatting with some experienced cattle people, we learned he needed a friend.

Saying goodbye to his mom

Sugar’s first few days on the farm