Cattle safety is one of those topics everyone knows matters and almost nobody talks about honestly until something serious happens. This week Lori sits down with Jessie and Eva from Sugar Creek Acres in Montpelier, Virginia, and Jessie shares the story that changed how she thinks about being in the field: a calm, bottle-raised bull she trusted with her life put a horn through her leg, and the recovery took five months.

This is not a scare story. It's a practical, honest conversation about what every Highland owner needs to think about - from emergency kits and tourniquets to never turning your back on a bull, no matter how tame.

Key Takeaways

Even the calmest bottle-raised bull can be unpredictable - no exceptions.

Always have a tourniquet, gauze and scissors accessible on your person when working cattle.

Never go out to the pasture alone - always let someone know where you are.

New mothers you don't know well are as dangerous as any bull, especially in the first hours after calving.

A halter-trained cow in a large herd can become a swarming hazard - more tame doesn't always mean more safe.

Episode Highlights

Jessie walks through the moment her bull Odie put a horn through her leg — not out of aggression, but out of protectiveness and what the five months of recovery really looked like.

Lori shares her own story of being trapped under a new mother heifer in the dark with her husband unable to get the truck door open.

The conversation covers Facebook scam groups, how to spot a fraudulent wire transfer, and which groups are actually trustworthy.

Plus Lori's 96-year-old grandpa, still farming alone, and how she found him under his pickup in 100 degree heat.

Timestamps

00:01 — Welcome & intro to Sugar Creek Acres
00:32 — How a mini donkey started it all
01:27 — Girl math: from four to 214 cattle
04:00 — What they wish they'd known getting started
05:20 — Infrastructure: barns, water, and being prepared
07:14 — Getting their first Highland, Odie, as a bottle baby
07:57 — Jessie's story: the horn injury that changed everything
10:21 — What to carry in your emergency kit at all times
18:39 — Lori's heifer incident: trapped under a cow in the dark
22:00 — When halter-trained cattle become a safety hazard
23:41 — Electric cattle prods, sticks, and staying safe in the field
25:59 — Bottle babies: why Sugar Creek Acres doesn't do them
29:45 — Herd size, downsizing and recipient cow programs
38:10 — Facebook scam groups and how to protect yourself
40:51 — Wire transfer fraud: a real story from the community
43:25 — Trusted Facebook groups for Highland buyers

Visit Sugar Creek Acres at www.sugarcreekminis.com

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Production Credit: Edited and produced by @the32collective_ / https://www.the32collective.co/