Farmers in the U.K. are playing jazz to their cows. And, no, I am not making that up!
A new soundtrack has started to rumble across Britain’s green and pleasant pastures. Once punctuated with birdsong and the growl of a tractor’s engine, parts of the country’s farmland now have a slightly funkier soundtrack. A number of dairy farmers have started to play music to their cattle in a bid to improve their welfare (the cows, not the farmers) and, possibly, the quality of their produce. The trend has gone viral on TikTok, with videos – from across the world – fetching millions of views.
Charles Goadby, a dairy farmer based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, has embraced the new trend, and believes playing music to cows could benefit the wider public.
When did the craze start? Recent success on TikTok has brought the fad to the fore. Mr. Goadby said that he first started playing radio music to his cows nearly a decade ago. “We installed a robotic milking system, and there was a lot of new harsh sounds and noises, so we wanted to drown that out and give the cows a constant sound. That was about 10 years ago. Somebody suggested the cows like classical music – that was the trend back then – so I played a classical radio station for the cows to listen to and it helps them relax a little bit.”
While jazz music is the current “flavour” for the trend, Mr. Goadby said he has tried a number of different genres and different radio stations over the years. Although he initially played music to his herd to keep them calm, it is thought that the music can help milk production too. He also maintains that the theory behind the “Pavlov’s Dog” experiment could also mean that music makes cows physically and mentally prepared to be milked. A bit of a stretch, maybe, but if it works, why not?
In the famous experiment, dogs were conditioned to associate the noise of a bell with receiving food. The dogs would then salivate from the noise alone, showing they not only mentally associated the noise with food, but also physically responded to the sound.
“We always have music playing in the milking parlour, and not just for the staff to listen to,” Mr Goadby said. “It’s a little bit like the Pavlov dog theory, where it’s waking up the senses, starts the hormone production (cows, not workers), and the cows will release a little bit sooner and that milk flow will be a little bit quicker. It helps relax the cows and the workers – so that’s a win-win all round.”
What genre do cows prefer? For Mr. Goadby, the music craze first started with farmers playing classical music, but the latest trend has seen jazz on the menu at farms across the UK. Mr. Goadby said cows would probably respond to any kind of music. “I think if you went and stood on the edge of a field like you see on these TikTok accounts and put any music on, the cows would come across,” he said. “They just want to be nosy and see what’s going on, and I think as long as you’re not doing anything startling, they’re gonna come over and want to be nosy and have a look.”
Another Warwickshire farmer, Rob Hadley, was unsure if the cows would respond well to other genres of music. “They’re very relaxed about the jazz, but probably they’d be up for anything – maybe a bit of Ozzy Osbourne,” he said. “Truthfully, a bit of Ozzy Osbourne would scare the socks off them.”
Why has it gone big on TikTok?
We all know that animal videos are a staple of the British social media scene, but one of farmers playing music to their cattle have particularly piqued interest. Mr. Goadby said it may not all be because of the quirky practice. “I just think people like cows – they’re great animals so anything with cows will generate interest,” he said. The dairy farmer said it’s great that the “tough” industry is getting so much attention.
So, if you see someone standing in a field of cows playing music, like the picture above, there is no need to report him/her to the local mental health institute or call the police. There is a “good” reason for this apparent nutty behavior. Of course, being the U.K., it may be totally nutty behavior anyway, and have nothing to do with the cows!
