Marc Stewart’s Thistle Do Farm is Turning Highland Cattle into YouTube Stars. If you have a dog, you know the joy of having a buddy with four legs — you hold a lot of one-sided conversations, you hang out together, brush their fur.
Marc Stewart’s buddy just happens to be 2,000 pounds.
Marc is the owner of Thistle Do Farms, home to some of the most famous cows in the world — Hamish and Kyloe. So famous, in fact, that they have their own YouTube and Facebook audiences.
“It was a natural progression,” Marc explains. “We started on Facebook, and the goal was to show as many people as possible what Highland are like. Good natured and sweet.”
Scottish Highland cows look different from the Angus cows you might be used to seeing. Their thick fur and stunning horns give them a unique profile on the farm.
“They’re the best cows in the world, really amazing animals,” Marc says. “The fascination comes from them not being Angus. You don’t see them every day. If there were 42 million Highland like there are Angus, there wouldn’t be this mystique.”
“Despite their size and the horns,” Marc says, “they’re the most laid back cows you could ask for.”
Hamish and Kyloe have racked up over 13 million views on YouTube. The community tunes in each week to spend time with Marc and the pair of amazing cattle.
“I’ve gotten amazing responses from people,” he says. “A lot of these people watch our videos and give us encouragement. They tell us how we change their day. Some of them are going through some really bad times, things that would scare me, but they’re still strong enough to encourage me.”
“Hamish is laid back, he just wants to eat, lay down and chill,” Marc says. “He wants to chew some cud and then eat some more.”
Kyloe eats because he needs the energy to go out and destroy things – hay rings, hay bales, trees,” Marc laughs. “He’s extremely curious, and funny. He’s the consummate little brother, always trying to rile up Hamish and get him to play.”
Hamish & Kyloe enjoy their time on the sanctuary nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, along with their friends – four dogs, three horse, two kunekune pigs, one goat, and a “buttload of chickens,” as Marc says (if the cows don’t get you, you’ll fall in love with Marc’s signature dry wit.)
The whole idea for a sanctuary started not with the stars of the show, but with one little pig named Miss Jane. She was rescued after a hurricane in Florida, and bounced around from pig foster home to pig foster home. Marc finally got her from a farmer who had used her as bait to train boar hunting dogs.
“She wasn’t people friendly, and she certainly wasn’t dog friendly,” he explains. “I had never even thought about a sanctuary until she curled up next to me, rolled over, and gave me her belly. That’s a very distinct sign of trust.”
“The day she did that, I realized I can still make a difference.”
Hamish came to Thistle Do after a simple offer. If Marc hadn’t taken him in, he likely would have gone to slaughter. Kyloe, being small and a bit of a runt, came to the sanctuary after being abused by his own herd.
Thistle Do offers the animals a home for life – no adoptions, no sales. However, fans are welcome to arrange a trip to the sanctuary to meet Hamish and Kyloe, hang out with them, and even brush their hair. Fans have come from as far away as Seattle and Florida just to spend time with them.
“We have people come out once or twice a month usually,” Marc says.
Marc says the animals can be quite intimidating based on their appearance, but it’s all show – their personalities are sweet and kind.
“I like to see people have a deeper appreciation of highland cattle,” he explains. “And if they learn something about them, all the better. The channel is giving them a chance to just watch. In a lot of my videos, I don’t really say a whole lot, I don’t even feel the need to. I just point the camera.”
“Part of the reason our channel does well is because of the relationship I have with Hamish and Kyloe,” Marc explains. “That’s not always going to be the case with people and their animals – cattle, dogs, cats, whatever. We love the support, we encourage people to follow their dreams. If you want something, do your best to go after it.”
This article was originally written for the Spring 2022 Issue of Modern Cowboy Magazine. (Previously known as Cowboy Lifestyle Magazine). Catch more stories from this issue below!
