Dairy farmers in Oregon are starting to buy into a new strategy to keep their cows happy: waterbeds.
In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, at least four farms have furnished their dairies with the rubber-made waterbeds, according to Yahoo! News. It all started in Minnesota though, before getting picked up in California and finally arriving in Oregon, a KSDK report said.
The Van Loon Dairy in Oregon purchased more than 100 of the waterbeds back in January. "As the cow gets ready to lie down, water moves to the front bag where her knees will come first therefore cushion it more. Less sores, less cows being stuck. Happier cows, happier milk," said Van Loon.
The waterbeds are a substitute for traditional grass seed generally used for bedding, which has gone up in price recently. Van Loon added that rubber waterbeds help deter the growth of bacteria, which can cost farmers thousands of dollars when a sick cow has to be “taken off the line.”
