Soule: Once Again, it’s Time to Shear the Highland Cattle

Curious Bleu, an 11-year-old Scottish Highlander steer, had a thick coat of hair that had protected him from the cold all winter. But now, with temperatures soon reaching 90 degrees, it was time to shave it all off.

Some Highlanders, like Ferdinand the bull and Kavi, the cow, shed their winter coats without help, while Sophie and Belina need a vigorous brushing to remove theirs. Still, Bleu and about ten other Highlanders need more help than that.

I had to locate the electric clippers and blades I had put “somewhere safe” last year. Cattle need industrial-size clippers that require expensive removable blades. Sometimes the blades get lost or, after many sharpenings, are discarded. On the clipping day, I was in luck. I found two of my three clippers with sharp blades ready to use.

Clipping is one of my favorite things, but after the last time I gave Topper a haircut, I spent two days recovering from an allergic reaction to cow hair. It’s sad to be a cattle farmer with a cow allergy, but I manage. Instead, I recruit others who want to try their barber skills on a hairy critter. My first volunteer was Tim, who was picking up a heifer named Hannah at my farm.

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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, N.H., where she raises and sells beef and other local products. She can be reached at carolesoule60@gmail.com. Her book, Yes, I Name Them, will be available in Sept, 2023.