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“I want to pet a cow,” I told my partner.
“You can’t be serious,” he said.
I was very serious and very much in need of cow cuddles. I’d hit a new mental health low with it being the middle of February in a cold and dark New York City and a very trying season personally. It felt as if nothing would pick me up except a trip out of the city and the ability hug a giant, warm mammal. I’d seen a video of someone communing with a cow on social media, and it stuck.
After living here for nine years, I am of the belief that if you can leave, even for a day, you should—to protect your sanity. A regular break from the constant hustle—to touch some grass—is the key to living here long-term.
So I rounded up my partner and an animal-loving friend and headed down an hour and 45 minutes to Knowhere Farm, the home of Moo the steer.
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Knowhere Farm, located outside Trenton, New Jersey in Chesterfield, is a small, family-operated farm that has one steer (a neutered male cow), three horses (Whistler, Emma, and Pepsi), and goats (Tallahassee, Cincinnati, and Washington D.C).
When I arrived, owner Mary Campbell showed the three of us to her barn—a situation that could at first feel like a horror movie in the making—and introduced us to Moo.
I didn’t expect to be afraid of a cow, but Moo is massive! Weighing in at 2,000 pounds (200 more than the average male Jersey cow) and much taller than I thought, Moo slowly turned around in his pen and made his way to the barn’s center, where we could brush him.
He enjoyed the brushes, but after about 15 minutes, he was moved to an open corner stacked with hay. I watched from afar in awe, wondering if I had made the right decision to get my cuddles with a cow.
Campbell had Moo, a spoiled 6-year-old, lay down in the hay and gave us the go-ahead to start our session. I hesitantly sat next to him and watched as he munched on the hay and made grunting noises (the cow equivalent to purring, Campbell explained). Carefully, I raised my hand, placed it on his shoulder and began petting his soft, reddish-brown fur. His giant eyelashes batted slowly as he took me in while having his snack.
Slowly, both of us started relaxing and I leaned back on his massive belly and exhaled. He mooed loudly. Then he let out a long fart.
I laughed harder than I had in a long time. Petting Moo was soothing for both of us and when he dropped his heavy head in my hands, I felt my heart melt.
I found Moo after simply Googling “cow cuddling near me,” and Knowhere Farm’s website popped up alongside other farms that do a similar program Upstate and elsewhere. After I did some convincing, I signed up to pet Moo for $250 (which includes an hour of cuddle time for four people or less). Campbell says 10% of Moo’s cuddle sessions each month is donated to charity. In January, it was Ringo the horse, in February it was the Liberty Lake Foundation and in March it will be the Popcorn Park Zoo.
Moo is much-loved by his community and often makes public appearances, including at past St. Patrick’s Day parades, so cuddling with him is cuddling a local celebrity!
You can sign up here for one-hour weekend sessions, including special cuddling sessions for “Moother’s Day” and the New Jersey Renaissance Faire. And while you’re out in New Jersey, check out other things to do in the area with our guide to New Jersey.