Black Rock Farm to create cow-to-classroom experience
- Sofia M
- Oct 10
- 4 min read
By Sofia Montoya-Deck
Published in the Frederick News-Post on June 17, 2025
The cows at Black Rock Farm will soon be on the moo-ve.
Black Rock Farm, north of Myersville, is implementing a cow-to-classroom mobile agritourism experience after receiving funding from a Frederick County Agricultural Innovation Grant.
“The people that we will be going to are most likely people that don’t have the ability to come here,” Black Rock co-owner Victoria Robinson said. “This is what we know and love every day, but for them, this is like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The farm will train two to four of their Scottish Highland cows, which are known for their long horns and shaggy hair, to be transported to Frederick County schools, day cares and community events.
“Everyone gets halter broken, so that they know how to walk on the halter and have some manners,” Robinson said. “It’s like the equivalent of teaching a dog to walk on a leash.”
Black Rock currently houses 12 cows and, with six of them pregnant, plans to increase to 18 by the end of the year.
The oldest cow, Marcella, is 12 years old and the youngest, a calf named Chip, is 2 months old.
After spending the summer months training the cows, Black Rock plans to begin its agritourism program in the fall of 2025.
Robinson applied for a Frederick County Agricultural Innovation Grant as part of the March 2025 cycle. Black Rock was one of seven businesses selected as recipients.
The county awarded a total of $125,000 in grants. The other six grant recipients were:
Orlowski Farms: to purchase a niche sparkling wine production expansion
Treasured Roots: to establish a two-acre orchard with native Appalachian truffles
Huffer Family Farm: to construct a greenhouse to diversify plant offerings
Inspiration Acres: for HVAC upgrades for an indoor gourmet mushroom-growing facility
Loew Vineyards: to upgrade processing equipment to convert to kosher operations
Way-Lu Farm: to purchase a drone to enhance grain crop management
“Up until the grant, we’ve never had the ability to take our cows other places and it’s not feasible for us to have large groups here,” Robinson said. “Getting these inquiries from people and having to say no because we weren’t set up is really where the seed was planted for the idea.”
The roughly $9,500 allocated to Black Rock will be used to purchase a livestock trailer equipped with gate panels to be able to set up pens for the cows while on site. Miscellaneous supplies, such as fans and water buckets, will also be purchased to keep the cows comfortable while traveling.
“The grant is a huge asset in being able to actually get that off the ground,” Robinson said. “To have the financial support and the support of those in the county is massive.”
According to Robinson, cow-to-classroom bookings are expected to take place Tuesday through Thursday to counterbalance on-farm bookings with small groups that typically occur Friday through Sunday.
REALIZING DEMAND
Robinson, 31, co-owns Black Rock with her boyfriend, Jacob Buchanan, 27. Buchanan’s family purchased the farm in 2017 with the purpose of raising Angus cattle and horse-quality hay.
In 2023, the farm began to diversify with the introduction of seasonal pumpkins and two highland cows.
“I just wanted two and then it snowballed into changing over our entire herd to be only highlands, and now we focus on breeding stock,” Robinson said.
In November 2024, Black Rock held its first agritourism event, where visitors could interact with the cows. The event sold out and accumulated a substantial waiting list.
After realizing the demand for events, Robinson and Buchanan spent the next couple of months building their website and booking calendar.
In 2025, Black Rock started opening up for private appointments, called “Highland Hangout Sessions,” and monthly on-farm events.
“We take pride in our role as farmers and are so grateful for the ways we continue to diversify and strengthen our operation,” Buchanan said.
“Opening to the public is really that next level of being able to share what we love with others,” Robinson said.
Farm visitors typically have to book 30 to 60 days in advance to secure a weekend appointment.
Private appointments consist of 45-minute hands-on sessions with the cows and include brushing, feeding and pictures. Each time slot costs $200 and accommodates groups of one to six people.
Black Rock’s monthly group events range from craft workshops to educational tours and sometimes entail collaborations with other small businesses. Upcoming events include a partnership with Abundant Life Wellness for “Highland Harmony Yoga” on June 28 and a partnership with Balsamic Moon Alchemy for “MOO-ment of Zen” on July 11.
Both Robinson and Buchanan found their love for agriculture and farming at a young age.
“Growing up, I worked for other local farmers and found a true love and passion for agriculture,” Buchanan said.
“I started riding horses as a hobby in middle school and that got me into 4H and FFA and that season of life was really where I saw agriculture as a career,” Robinson said.
Robinson and Buchanan, who have been farming together for three years, are first-generation farmers.
“Since neither of us grew up on a farm, we kind of had to find our own path and figure out that it’s what we loved,” Robinson said.
Buchanan leads farm-related aspects of Black Rock, such as hay and crop production, while Robinson leads the agritourism side, focusing on highland breeding and events.
“The agritourism is where the big passion comes into play because that is all about access to agriculture and connecting people to a farm and giving them the opportunity to experience cows hands on,” Robinson said.
“It will be very cool to have the opportunity to share our passion with others to learn more about the cows,” Buchanan said.
Those interested in visiting Black Rock Farm can find more information on their website at www.blackrock-farm.com or on Facebook and Instagram under the handle @blackrock_farm.
“It’s just a completely different experience,” Robinson said of the farm. “So many people that come here never get to see a cow in real life, so to see their reactions and the sheer joy of ‘this is really what a cow is’ is, hands down, the coolest thing.”
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