Published: May 19, 2008 11:38 am            

Our View: Happy cows sleep on waterbeds?

The television ad may say that happy cows come from California, but in reality, they’re alive and well in Iowa.

A growing number of dairy farmers in Iowa are taking to heart a study released last summer by Colorado State University and another study by dairy scientists at Iowa State University which found that waterbeds are good for milk cows because they are comforting for the bovines, which in return produce 6 percent more milk daily. The move to comfort for cows started about 10 years ago in Canada and Europe.

Iowa dairy farmer Kirk Christie has taken it a step further by also installing flat-screen television sets in his new dairy barns.

“Them cows are my girls,” Christie is reported saying to the Associated Press. “The nice part about it is they get used to different voices. A lot of people like to come in and look at my barn. When somebody different comes in and talks, the cows don’t get all nervous because they’re used to hearing different voices.”

The waterbeds are rubber mats that are placed flat on the ground and filled with water. They are covered with wood chips for extra padding to prevent friction.

“They really took to them right away,” Christie said. “When they’re laying down chewing cud, they’re comfortable and happy,”

Christie reported his production from his happy herd is up 10 percent.

The question this raises is: If all dairy farmers pampered their cows and raised the production of milk by up to 10 percent, would that reduce the 13.3 percent increase in prices seen on the supermarket shelves?

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.