In a video posted on the Bush Hill Cheese Instagram page, John Kidger, a dairy farmer from Underbush Farm in Creighton, KwaZulu-Natal, starts by greeting his Jerseys: “Afternoon, ladies. Gather around for evening roll call, please. Answer when your name is called.”
By Carien Kruger, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
“Anne?” calls the farmer. A cow answers obediently: “Moo.”
“Claudine?” Silence. “Claudine? I’m not speaking French here. Claudine!” A meek “moo” follows.
The caption with the video reads, “When a farmer calls, the ladies answer… one moo at a time! Here’s John out in the pasture with his girls… and yes, they really know their names.”
The replies come in different-sounding “moos” after a name is called. To some, Kidger responds with a comment such as, “Always polite.”
This is not an April Fool’s joke, just a dairy farmer and his wife having a bit of December fun. It is done in between the daily work which, as on all dairy farms, continues throughout the festive season, and against the backdrop of the stress caused by foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks on nearby farms.
Do Cows Really Know Their Names?
So how clever are cows really, and would they respond to their names being called?
“Cows are much more intelligent than people think,” Kidger says, deadpan. “Every cow has her own personality.”
In addition to Jerseys, he also milks Holsteins, and says Jerseys are by far the naughtiest. “If a cow has escaped, you can be sure it’s a Jersey. The Holsteins are obedient, but the Jerseys are always ready for some kind of mischief.”
With a total of 500 cows in milk, it is impossible to give them all names – and no, he did not train a few to “moo” when their names are called, he says with a laugh.
A Bit of Humour in a Tough Season
Johan and his wife, Cindy, who runs the media agency CK Communication, saw a similar video by a European dairy farmer and decided to make their own version, adding their own humour.
John plays the role of… naturally, himself. Cindy put her talents to use by sourcing different cow sounds online and inserting them after each name.
Comments on the video so far include “brilliant” and “the best”. Follow-ups are on the way, John promises solemnly.
Second-Generation Farmers
John and Cindy are second-generation farmers on the property.
“When my parents started farming, they had far fewer cows, and every cow really did have a name,” John says.
“Each cow family had a theme, such as town names. For example, one family would have a Hillcrest, a Westville, a Pietermaritzburg and a Durban. Another family of cows had toothpaste names, like Colgate and Aquafresh. Later, they used cellphone brands and might, for example, have a cow named Nokia.”
Award-Winning Products
The Kidgers farm with Holstein and Jersey cows, but there is a separate Jersey herd whose milk is set aside specifically for Bush Hill Cheese. The cheesery was established in 2022 and, with Sandile Zuma as cheesemaker and Andrew Butt as cheese factory manager, has already collected several awards.
The Brie, Camembert, lactose-free Greek yoghurt, strawberry yoghurt, Vacchino Romano cheese and cream cheese have all won awards in various competitions this year. And, who knows, perhaps Hollywood will spot the Kidgers’ video, and they might even walk away with a truly moo-ving prize.
Also watch:
Naughty goats and clever cows
We’re visiting Boer goat legend Dr Dolce Motsepe
‘Why I chose the Boran-Nguni cross’ – Limpopo farmer Emmanuel Mudau
