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Wednesday, 19 April 2023 11:30

Happy cows, more milk

Written by  Milking It
Happy cows, more milk

A University of Pretoria (UP) study has shown that playing soothing classical music to dairy cows lowers their stress levels and increases their milk production.

The findings, which were published in the journal Domestic Animal Endocrinology, are the result of research by Lize-Mari Erasmus, a former member of UP's Camerata choir, who has a Master of Science (Msc) degree in Agriculture (Animal Science) cum laude from the university.

Erasmus's MSc studies allowed her to combine her two passions: music and animals.

Before embarking on a career in animal sciences, she had obtained a Bachelor of Music degree at UP, with Choral Conducting as one of her majors.

Hers is the first study of its kind in South Africa to investigate the influence of classical music on the stress levels and milk production of cows.

"The health and welfare of dairy cows go hand in hand with efficient and sustainable dairy production," she says about the value of providing farm animals with enriching environments.

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