04/13/2025
This is one of those posts we knew one day would come, but never wanted to make. MacFarland, our beloved elderly steer who turned 22 on April 6th, passed away overnight last Wednesday. He had been enjoying the seasonal grazing at Cow Camp, warmly welcomed by our friends at Animal Place, and he died in a beautiful green pasture, on a warm spring night, surrounded by his two best friends.
We do not know his cause of death, and chose not to do a necropsy. Mac was 22… the equivalent of a 97 year old human. A remarkable life for a steer who was destined to be killed, as nearly all Highlands are, between 18-36 months old. Saved from a meat auction as a calf, he surpassed the natural life expectancy of cow (15-20) and was a truly magical ambassador, meeting new friends at the sanctuary and strolling the streets of Sacramento to show people that cows are loving, intelligent, sentient beings who have deep emotions and form lifelong bonds.
Perhaps at no other time were those bonds as apparent as when Mac passed, for the display of grief Maple showed at his loss was both incredibly moving and far beyond what even we, who know her so well, expected. We will share more about her experience soon, but for today, we honor MacFarland’s incredible life and invite you all to celebrate it with us at our Meet the Moos event on April 27th. Sign up at the link in our bio or below, and to honor him, we encourage you to choose plant-based alternatives to meat today and every day.
https://blackberrycreek.ticketspice.com/meet-the-moos-
Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary provides a permanent refuge for animals and education to the
