Unusual 'Cow in the News' Story

I know it's not Friday, which is going to be my usual day for a 'funny cow post' in Dairy Adviser's Coffeeshop, but dairy advisers often get asked about the validity of news items. There was a recent news item distributed by UPI that is quoted below:

"Farmer Graham Vallis said by conducting a meditative mooing session with his cows for five minutes before each milking session, he has been able to increase the amount of milk he gets from them, The Sun reported Saturday."

The Sun is a reputable newspaper in the UK, and UPI news items are often used on the local radio stations that dairy producers and advisers listen to.

If you get asked about this, look back on this post and I'll try to update the post with research-based support that I find on the topic. This photo is from the Wisconsin Historical Society and has a interesting story behind it.


A recent Hoard's Dairyman article (November 10, 2005; page 757) by Mary Beth de Ondarza discusses if cows are psychologically comfortable, and this may be the key to the success of the UK farmer's mooing. Hoard's is available on-line, but requires a subscription to access archive articles.

One recent research article on a related topic is at:

Title of Journal:  Applied animal behaviour science.

Vol/Iss/Month:  53/June

Date:  1997

Page(s):  175-182.

Title of article(s):  Effect of music on voluntary approach of dairy

cows to an automatic milking system.

Author(s) of article:  Uetake,-K.; Hurnik,-J.F.; Johnson,-L.





This is from a search of the Dairy-L archives.

If you're not a part of the Dairy-L discussion group, check it out.

Hope that helps.

DairyScienceMark