Highland Dale Sam, the Orphan Heifer Who Found Her Family

Highland Dale Sam is a red Highland cow raised at Highland Dale in Missouri. For her first two years, we didn’t know who her mother was, so we raised her as an orphan alongside two other orphan heifers, Buttercup and Amber. DNA parentage testing through UC Davis later identified her dam as Dusty, which makes Sam a granddaughter of our herd matriarch, Finley Falls Phyllis.

Raised as an orphan with Buttercup and Amber

Sam, Buttercup and Amber grew up together in their own pasture, apart from the rest of the herd. With no mothers to follow, the three heifers bonded with each other and with us. They greeted us every time we visited and let us pet and care for them. Because of that, all three have a special place in our hearts. Sam is still calm and friendly, with the long, windswept coat Highland cattle are known for.

How DNA testing found Sam’s mother

When Sam was two, we sent DNA samples to the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory. The results identified the mothers of all three orphans. Sam’s dam is Dusty a daughter of Finley Falls Phyllis .

Sam at a glance

• Color: Red

• Sex: Female

• Dam: Dusty (link), confirmed by UC Davis DNA testing

• Sire: J Bar T Magnum

• Grand-dam: Finley Falls Phyllis (AHCA #56541)

• Pasture mates: Buttercup and Amber

  
  

Questions about Sam

• Who is Sam’s mother? Dusty, confirmed by UC Davis DNA testing.

• Why was she called an orphan? We didn’t know her mother until she was two.

• How is she related to Phyllis? She’s Phyllis’s granddaughter through Dusty.

• What is she like? Calm and friendly. She loves attention.

Photos of Highland Dale Sam