Cattle scams are getting worse, more sophisticated, and harder to spot and they're hitting both buyers and sellers. This week Lori and Taylor are joined by Katy Cowell, multimedia specialist with the Better Business Bureau Midwest Plains, to break down exactly what's happening in the Highland and mini Highland world, how to protect yourself before you send a single dollar, and what to do if you've already been hit.

From fake Facebook groups with hundreds of thousands of members to wire transfer fraud and AI-generated calf photos that look completely real, this episode is essential listening for anyone buying or selling livestock online.

Key Takeaways

Always reverse image search photos of animals before sending any money - scammers steal photos from real farms and there are two victims every time.

Search any seller name plus "BBB scam" before purchasing.

A free BBB business profile gives your farm an extra layer of verified credibility with buyers.

If you've already sent money, call your bank immediately - wire transfers can sometimes be stopped.

A Highland calf selling for $500 is a scam. Full stop.

Episode Highlights

Taylor shares how scammers stole photos of her children and husband and posted them as their own family and how Facebook's response was basically nothing.

Katy walks through a real 2024 case from Broken Bow, Nebraska where a legitimate mini Highland farm was impersonated and multiple buyers lost money.

The team breaks down the tells: fake commenting networks, groups with "adoption" in the name, pressure to send money fast, and why AI can now make a hamster look like a Highland cow.

Plus how to report scams via the BBB Scam Tracker and get your own free business profile.

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome & why scams are the topic today
01:02 — How cattle scams work and who gets hurt
02:03 — BBB tips: stop, verify, reverse image search
03:16 — Facebook groups and how to tell the real ones from the scam ones
04:09 — BBB Scam Tracker: what it is and how to use it
05:17 — Taylor's story: her children's photos stolen and used by scammers
06:14 — How BBB vets complaints and protects legitimate farms
09:25 — What cattle scams look like in 2024 — the Broken Bow, Nebraska case
13:48 — How to pay safely: credit cards, wire transfers and what to avoid
16:34 — Payment red flags and what to do if you've already sent money
19:34 — The tells of a scam Facebook group
22:40 — Price is always a red flag — Highland calves don't sell for $500
25:09 — How to use the BBB Scam Tracker to research a seller
28:10 — Farm equipment auction scams: $250,000 in reported losses
33:00 — What new buyers get wrong about the mini Highland world
39:16 — Not every bull should stay a bull — the steering problem
47:19 — Where the Highland community reports scams today
48:13 — How to create a free BBB business profile for your farm

Report a scam or create your free farm profile at www.bbb.org/scamtracker

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Find us on Facebook: Horns N Hooves Instagram: @hornsnhoovesauctionpodcast TikTok: @Hornsnhoovespodcast
Website: hornsnhoovesauction.com

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

This week Horns N' Hooves leaves the country. Lori sits down with Fiona Wilson - Farmer Fi of Dumble Farm in East Yorkshire, England, where a dairy farming crisis became the foundation for one of the UK's most awarded Highland cattle experiences. From milking cows at age nine after her dad lost his arm in a farm accident, to building a conservation project, a Highland cow safari, cow cuddling sessions, a campsite, a vineyard tour, and their own bar - Fiona's story is one of the most remarkable reinventions in farming.

This episode is packed with perspective on what it means to use Highland cattle as genuine conservation grazers, how to train cows to cuddle complete strangers, and what British farming can teach American Highland owners about community, creativity, and thinking beyond the pasture.

Key Takeaways

Highland cattle are uniquely suited to conservation grazing - their behaviour, size, and love of standing water creates habitat that endangered ground nesting birds need.

Training cuddle cows takes up to a year of consistent routine before they trust the process.

Even the tamest Highlands are unpredictable in a herd hierarchy - stay low, stay alert.

Cow sponsorship is a brilliant income stream that connects people globally to conservation work.

Diversification saved Dumble Farm - agritourism, glamping, a bar, and a vineyard partnership all grew from one idea.

Episode Highlights

Fiona shares how TikTok videos of grooming their Highlands started a business they never planned and how an 87-year-old from Hawaii now flies over every year to visit her sponsored cow.

The story of the lady from Singapore who had never seen a cow, got a train from London to Yorkshire, and made straw angels in the cuddle pen.

How the Dumble Bus safari was built out of old farm parts with brushes on the sides so cows could scratch themselves on the way past.

Plus a goat that got into a guest's car and ate their biscuits.

Timestamps

00:01 — Welcome & introducing Dumble Farm, East Yorkshire
00:25 — Four generations of dairy farming and losing it all
01:21 — The flooding crisis that forced a complete change of direction
01:44 — Conservation grazing and choosing Highland cattle
02:24 — TikTok, grooming videos and the business that appeared by accident
04:18 — What makes Dumble Farm's Highlands so tame
05:56 — Full pedigree registered Highlands and where they came from
07:14 — The UK's green landscape versus Nebraska's drought
08:47 — How Highlands cool off: paddling, puddles and standing water
11:30 — The Dumble Bus safari and how it was built
13:17 — Conservation for lapwing, curlew and ground nesting birds
15:17 — How Highland cattle physically create bird habitat
18:32 — What Fiona wishes she'd known getting started
20:06 — The danger of horns in a friendly herd hierarchy
22:27 — Training cuddle cows: routine, patience and a full year of practice
26:44 — Goats in the campsite car park — and inside guest cars
31:31 — Glamping, the Boozy Coo Bar and the vineyard tours
33:01 — Work-life balance when your farm is also your home
35:23 — Highland cow sponsorship and the Moo Book page
37:17 — International visitors flying in to see their sponsored cow

Book an experience or sponsor a cow at www.dumblefarm.com

Follow 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.com

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

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

Follow 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.com

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