Preston — Brown Swiss cows have a bit of a reputation. Brittany Fuchs, a 2013 graduate of the Ledyard Agriscience Program, isn’t out to dispute that, admitting that the dairy cow breed can be on the dim-witted side.

“Everyone says that Brown Swiss are dumber and I love them, but they kind of are,” Fuchs said. “I think they’re more docile as cows, as calves, mine are friendlier than some of the Holsteins.”

The farm’s most recent addition, Evie, fits the bill. Born March 2, Evie is the first Brown Swiss at Preston Farms in decades, according to owner Jerry Grabarek, who says students visiting from agricultural colleges have come regularly to admire the weeks-old calf.

A little anxious at first and more high strung than the older cows in her pen, Evie nonetheless is affectionate toward her owner; walking on slightly unsteady legs to lick Fuchs’ clothes and fingers as she visits the pen. Gracie, one of Fuchs’ recent purchases from New York and a similar age, sits subdued on the shavings.

“She’s still getting used to things,” Fuchs said.

Descended from a handful of cows imported from Switzerland, Brown Swiss in the U.S. are not quite as popular as the iconic black-and-white Holsteins that produce the most milk, or the darker brown Jersey cows that produce the highest content of butterfat. Oftentimes, this relegates the breed to one or two pets kept alongside the larger herd on a farm.

However, with five Brown Swiss total and plans to continue breeding them, Fuchs has made Brown Swiss a large part of the 13 head of dairy cattle she has.

Fuchs got interested in the dairy business during her junior year in the Ledyard Agriscience program where she took a dairy management class, as well as a project where she took care of a calf. She credits instruction by teachers Devon O’Keefe and Mark Grillo, with helping her pursue her degree at the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture at the University of Connecticut.

After graduating, she took a job with Grabarek at Preston Farms, where she works milking and grazing the herd of around 30 cows. Her own herd of 13, which also includes Holsteins, is also housed in the barn off of Route 2 in Preston.

“People that don’t have Brown Swiss tend to knock them down all the time, saying that they’re hard to breed, they’re hard to teach how to drink,” she said. “But people that have them love them ... they’re beautiful, I think.”

Unlike Jersey Cows, which are smaller, Brown Swiss grow to nearly the same size as a Holstein, and hardy enough to hold their own against the Holsteins and good for putting out to pasture.

She has plans to show her cows at fairs in the summer, North Stonington, Lebanon, Ledyard and possibly Brooklyn, with help bathing and clipping from her 18-year-old sister Veronica. Veronica, however, will be busy showing some pigs of her own.

n.lynch@theday.com