Due to continued drought conditions, many farms in Switzerland are running out of hay to feed their cows. Some are now raising money online.
Can a hungry cow also be a cash cow?
It turns out that it can.
The ongoing drought is impacting Swiss agriculture in many ways – such as the quantity and quality of crops – including animal fodder.
As they are running out of hay to feed their dairy cows, Basel-Country farmers Sandra and Philippe Rosset have started a crowdfunding campaign to purchase it from farms not as affected by dry weather that don’t have their own livestock to feed.
This campaign was initiated so that they wouldn’t have to slaughter any of their 30 cows because of a lack of food.
“Due to the ongoing drought, we currently lack the necessary supplies to adequately feed our cows. Every donation – no matter how small or large – helps us buy feed and ensure the well-being of our beloved dairy cows,” they wrote on their GoFundMe page.
“With your support, we can ensure that no cow has to go to slaughter, but can continue to live a happy, healthy, and species appropriate life here on our farm.”
So far, over 100 people were mooo-ved by this plea, having contributed over 12,700 francs toward fodder for the hay-less bovines – well over the Rossets’ initial goal of 3,500 francs.
This generosity is not at all surprising
It is a well-known fact that Swiss people love their cows – not in the same way as Hindus do, of course – but in their own orderly and organised way.
For instance, there are actually specialised coaches who work with cows.
If you think that is a lot of bullshit – it isn’t.
Their goal is to recreate stable conditions close to those they experience in the pastures, in order “to achieve more bovine serenity.”
(‘Stable’ conditions in this context means indoor shelters like barns where the cows live in the winter, not their emotional balance.)
Also, not surprisingly given the Swiss’ penchant for keeping statistics, we know exactly how many cows there are in Switzerland: approximately 1.5 million.
And we also know what names are most popular among bovines. The top five are Fiona, Diana, Bella, Bianca and Nina.
READ MORE: Why are cows so sacred in Switzerland?
