Does the TikTok trend of farmers playing jazz music to cows really work?

BBC News

3 days ago

A new sound track 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 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 has told us why 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. But, Mr Goadby said that he first started playing radio 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 them a constant sound. "This was about 10 years ago and somebody suggested the cows like classical music - that was the trend back then - so I put a classical radio station on for the cows to listen to and it just 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 radio stations over the years.
What about Pavlov's Dog?
While Mr Goadby initially started to play his herd music to calm, it is thought that the music can help milk production too.The farmer said the theory behind the Pavlov's Dog experiment could also mean that music makes cows physically and mentally prepared to be milked. 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 on 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, it starts their hormone production off, and actually 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 their bovine friends 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 get interest," he said.The dairy farmer said it's great that the "tough" industry is getting so much attention.
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