No one knows how Cow Appreciation Day got started.  It joins a long list of unofficial holidays:  National Pretzel Day, Name Your Car Day and Bald & Free Day to name just a few.   Let’s say thank you to the animal who gives us so much.  As Bart Simpson says, “COW-abunga!”

Did you know that cows are excellent recyclers?  A Cornell study reported that cows are often fed byproducts of industrial processes. The alternative – incineration of the byproducts – directly contributes to environmental degradation, so cows actually help reduce the impact of the human food supply and make that food supply affordable, he reports.

Bet you didn’t know that, did you?

Here are a few little-known facts about these gentle farm creatures:

  1. Dairy cows live about 25 years
  2. Cows have almost panoramic, 360-degree vision, allowing them to watch for predators or humans from all angles. Translation: It’s nearly impossible to sneak up on them, would-be cow tippers.
  3. Bovines can’t see the color red. Those crimson flags that matadors wave in the rodeo ring only catch a bull’s attention because of their fluttering.
  4. Cows have an acute sense of smell and can detect odors up to six miles away, which is also helpful in detecting imminent danger.
  5. These mammals have no upper front teeth. Instead, they press their sharp bottom teeth against the top hard palate of their mouth to cut efficiently through blades of grass.
  6. Cows move their jaws about 40,000 times a day, chewing cud or grass about 40 times a minute.
  7. Thanks to a high metabolism, the average dairy cow consumes more than 100 pounds of food per day and drinks up to 40 gallons of water per day.
  8. These extremely social creatures don’t like to be alone. So if a cow isolates herself, she’s either not feeling well or she’s about to give birth.
  9. Cows spend the vast majority of their time lying down — about 10 to 12 hours each day.
  10. Cows and humans share a very important trait — gestation for both is 9 months

 

We all know that cows supply each of us with nutrition in a variety of ways.  Dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream.  Meat products from roasts to steaks to burgers.  Cows have been feeding us for centuries; isn’t it time to show our thanks by celebrating National Cow Appreciation Day on July 8th?

 

Cow-Filled Ways to Celebrate

Scrabble Contest–How many words can you think of that contain the word “cow”?

Art Show–Cow drawings.  Categories may include Most Life-like, Funniest…you decide!

And, of course,

Cow Costumes

The prize?  A loving cup full of ice cream!!!

So, get moo-ving…it’s National Cow Appreciation Day!!

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