About Mountain Heritage Farm
How It Started
I bought my very first cow — a bottle calf — when I was about 15 years old. With one short break while we re-fenced Mountain Heritage Farm, I’ve had cattle ever since — over 35 years of living and working alongside one breed or another.
As a teenager, even though I didn't know them, I mustered the nerve to knock on the door of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold, longtime dairy farmers, and down the road neighbors. I asked if I could learn to milk. To my surprise, they said yes — and those evenings in their barn changed me forever. They taught me patience, rhythm, and respect for the cow. That time with them left a mark I carry to this day.
I sometimes wonder what they’d think of me now — standing in the stanchion with my Dexters, raising calves year after year, and building a farm that revolves around milk cows.
📷 Amari, our miracle twin living in the shower of our farmhouse.
Why Dexters
Over the years I’ve had cows of different breeds, but when I found Dexters, something clicked. They’re small, hardy, and perfectly suited for a family farm. More than that, they fit my heart — intelligent, personable, and always full of surprises. With Dexters, I finally felt like I had found the cattle I was meant to raise.
My Approach
In a marriage, all things are common but my husband readily admits - the cows are my project and my joy. I milk them twice daily, keep detailed herd records, and plan each breeding with care. My husband helps with the heavy work — fencing, hay, and the occasional stubborn gate — but the herd has my heart. Every calf is handled, every milker trained with patience, and every decision made with the long-term good of the breed in mind.
📷 The 2025 crop of weanlings at the trough, from left to right:
Grace Kelley, Amari, Hazel, Violetta, Matilda, Stewart, Cassidy, and Addie.
Carrying it Forward
By the time Dexters came into my life, my four children were nearly grown. They didn’t grow up with this breed, though cows of one kind or another were always part of their childhood. Now, I share this passion with my 8-year-old goddaughter, who already delights in spending time in the barn, and I look forward to passing it on to my first grandchild, born in 2025.
For me, Dexters aren’t just cattle — they’re a living thread that ties generations together. Teaching the next generation to care for them honors those who taught me, and ensures this heritage continues.
What You Can Expect
Whether you’re visiting our farm, reading one of my guides, or considering adding a Dexter to your own homestead, you’ll find the same values I was taught all those years ago: respect for the animal, integrity in breeding, and transparency in practice.
This farm is more than a livelihood. It’s the continuation of lessons learned decades ago in a neighbor’s barn, carried forward in a herd that reflects patience, trust, and care.
From my first bottle calf to today’s Dexter herd, cattle have been part of my story.
If you’d like to make them part of yours, take a look at our Dexters for Sale.
