Rustic farm table display with mugs, books, tomatoes, and flowers, with a curious cow peering over the fence.

Moos and Views Event at Whiskey Springs Farm


I recently spent an evening at Whiskey Springs Farm in Blacksburg, covering a community event where the farm opened its gates to teach folks all about their Scottish Highland cows. Cameras, curious kids, and a whole lot of fringe. It was truly a lovely evening!

A woolly sheep grazes on lush green pasture with a scenic countryside landscape and rolling hills in the background.
A woman in a floral shirt reads notes beside a longhorn cattle pen at a rural farm fair.
A white fluffy cow standing on a dirt path in a green farm field under a clear blue sky.
A person feeds a small pig through a wire fence at a farm, with the pig reaching up to take the treat.
People gather on a lush green lawn beside a white house surrounded by tall trees on a sunny summer day.
A couple wearing sunglasses poses outdoors near a fence, man in cowboy hat and blue tee, woman in gray tank top.

 

The Farm Behind The Fringe


Whiskey Springs Farm is owned by Meghan, a first generation farmer who started this whole thing as a small dream and turned it into a full hobby farm home to miniature and mid-size Scottish Highlands, miniature donkeys, kune kune pigs, Nigerian dwarf goats, ducks, and chickens. What began in 2023 as a plan to breed Highlands quickly grew into something bigger: agritourism, community events, and the kind of slow, simple joy that's hard to find anywhere else these days.


Meghan built this farm with her family, her partner Joey, her kids, and a whole lot of learning as she went. That intention shows the second you step onto the property. It doesn't feel like a business. It feels like someone's actual life, and they're letting the community into it.

 

Black and white photo of a fluffy Highland cow with long horns and shaggy fur standing in a farm enclosure.
Woman feeding a Highland cow through a fence while another person sits in a camp chair on a sunny farm day.
People relaxing on grass at a rural farm event with rolling hills and a decorative longhorn cattle sign.

What the 'moos and views' event was about

This wasn't a private photoshoot, it was Whiskey Springs Farm doing what they do best: teaching the community about their animals. Meghan and her family walked visitors through what makes Highland cows so different, their temperament, their care, why that famous fringe exists in the first place, and what it actually takes to raise a herd on a small family farm.

 

It was hands on in the best way. Kids got to pet and brush the cows, ask questions, and get up close with animals most of them had only ever seen in pictures. My goal was to capture all of it: the teaching moments, the curious faces, the cows being exactly as photogenic as you'd expect.

 

Colorful folding chairs arranged in a row on green grass with a scenic countryside view and fence in background.
Three girls interact with a golden Labrador on a green farm lawn with wooden cattle fencing and rolling hills behind.

Why I Wanted to Be There


I photograph a lot of families around Salem and the Roanoke Valley, and I'm always drawn to the kind of local businesses that are building something real, not performative, just genuinely rooted in their community. Whiskey Springs Farm is exactly that. Documenting an event like this felt like a natural fit: real connection, real learning, real joy on people's faces, which is the same thing I chase in every family session I shoot.

Visitors gather around a rustic farm pen with a Wesley Springs Farm banner sign on a sunny day.
Two pigs grazing in a lush green farm field with rolling hills and trees in the background.
A white cow peers curiously through wire farm fencing up close.
Black and white portrait of a fluffy Highland cow with long horns and shaggy fur standing in a farm setting.
Two small miniature donkeys with colorful halters grazing together in a red-fenced petting zoo enclosure.
Cattle grazing on lush green farm fields with picnic tables and rolling tree-covered hills under clear blue sky.
A cow peeks over a fence behind a rustic outdoor table displaying mugs, books, tomatoes, and flowers on a farm.
Whiskey Springs Farm banner displayed on red fence with trees and blue sky.
Man and woman interacting near a Highland cow at a scenic farm with rolling green hills backdrop.
Fluffy golden Highland calf peering through wire fence at a farm on a clear blue sky day.
A woolly sheep grazes on lush green pasture with a scenic countryside landscape and rolling hills in the background.
Miniature donkey and goat reaching over red metal fence at a sunny outdoor petting zoo event.
Two cows near blue buckets of feed at an agritourism farm with a Virginia liability warning sign.
Colorful childrens clothing displayed on an outdoor rack at a farm petting zoo event on a sunny day.
A farmer walks with sheep and a llama in a fenced farm area while visitors watch from behind a rail fence.
Shaggy white Highland cow drinking from metal water trough in green pasture on sunny day.
Group of visitors relaxing on grass while attending an outdoor farm animal educational event at sunset.
A young girl kneels on green grass interacting with a white Labrador puppy outdoors near trees.
Woman feeding a brown pig through a red metal farm fence while holding an orange bucket outdoors.
Shaggy white Highland cow walking along a dirt path in a green farm pasture on a sunny day.
A person feeds a small pig through a wire fence at a farm or petting zoo.
Woman in sunglasses and denim shorts petting a white llama at a farm animal encounter event.
People gather at a wooden fence petting animals at an outdoor farm petting zoo on a sunny day.
Two young women feeding fluffy animals through a wire fence at a sunny farm with green trees in the background.
Family with child crouching by red metal gate feeding a calf at a scenic farm event.
A spotted pig roams a muddy farm yard with green pastures and a picnic table in the background.
Fluffy light brown Highland cow calf with shaggy fur walking toward camera on a farm.
Two small goats standing together beside a wire fence on a sunny farm pasture.
Two girls feeding cows through a fence on a sunny farm with lush green trees in the background.
People relaxing in folding chairs on green grass at an outdoor farm event on a sunny day.
Outdoor clothing rack displaying colorful shirts and gray baseball caps near a farm fence.
Rural farm landscape with green pastures, wooden fencing, and tree-lined hills under a clear blue sky.
Picnic table under a tree overlooking a green pasture with grazing ponies and rolling countryside beyond.
Black and white photo of a smiling couple posing by a farm fence, woman in sunglasses and man in cowboy hat.
Two small goats interact near red metal farm fencing with green hills behind.
Man in cowboy hat and jeans standing with fluffy Highland cattle and pig in farm enclosure.
Black pig grazing in a lush green farm pasture viewed through a wire fence with rolling hills in the background.
Two small brown pigs standing behind a wire fence on a farm with green fields and blue sky.
Red circular livestock pen on a green farm with rolling hills and open pasture visible in the background.
Spotted gray and white donkey grazing on green grass beside a red farm fence on a sunny day.
Young woman in green tank top feeding goats at a petting zoo farm on a sunny summer day.

Get Involved with Whiskey Springs Farm


Whiskey Springs Farm offers private visits, hands-on animal time, and community events like this one out at their property at 2460 Buckshot Ln in Blacksburg, VA. You can reach them directly at (804) 513-7708 or follow along on Instagram for updates on upcoming events and the herd.


And if you're local to Salem, Roanoke, or Southwest Virginia and want a photographer to help document your own event or gathering, that's exactly the kind of thing I'd love to be part of. Reach out here and let's plan something a little different.


Photographs that feel like you, even when there's a cow involved.

People relaxing on a lush green hillside with scenic countryside views under a clear blue sky.
Phone

 

+1 (804) 513-7708

 

Location

2460 Buckshot Ln, Blacksburg, VA 24060

Email

 

whiskeyspringsfarm@outlook.com

 

Woman photographer smiling, holding a camera, sitting on rocks by a serene river in a white blouse.

 

Behind the Lens, Madison.

 

 

Madison Rae Schmidt is the owner and photographer behind Madison Rae Photographs, serving Salem, Roanoke, and Southwest Virginia. A USAF veteran with over eight years in Security Forces, photographing since 2007, founded my business in 2021.

 

Source:

Whiskey Springs Farm, LLC. Blacksburg, Virginia. www.whiskeyspringsfarm.com