Herd the one about internet cow dating? (From The Argus)

Cows across Sussex have joined a dating website

4:30pm Monday 11th February 2013 in News

It sounds like a load of old bull but 400 cows from Sussex have joined a dating website.

Cows from a herd at Huddlestone Farm in Horsham Road, Steyning, have each got their own profile page listing details about their temperament, personality type and appearance.

Farmer Tim Gue said he was hoping this would help his herd to find true love.

Unlike dating sites aimed at human singletons, the bovine-friendly website goes into details about weight, chest size and rump structure.

The new online dating technology for cows is being tested by a number of farmers including Mr Gue.

The 54-year-old, who is married to Marion, 51, said: “The programme is really easy to use.

"Farmers know what sort of cows suit their farm and the programme allows you to see which of a group of bulls are best suited to them. It is quite like a dating website and perfect for Valentine’s Day.

“We really just want the bulls to have the happiest life possible to them by setting them up with their perfect match.”

Match-makers

Lucy Andrews from Holstein UK, an independent breed society running the dating programme for bovines, said: “It may sound strange, but dairy farmers have been playing match-makers for centuries. This is really just the latest way for them to do it.

“Breeding is of vital importance to dairy farmers – and it’s definitely not just all about looks. Farmers are looking for strong animals with a great health record, and bulls that complement the qualities of their cows.”

The two programmes work in unison to help farmers identify the ideal bull for their cows.

The first part, which is free of charge, invites farmers to store profiles of each cow in their herd, prompting the programme to identify the characteristics in a bull that are most likely to match the cow’s, balancing her strengths and weaknesses.

Once the initial phase is complete, the farmer can search the profiles of the bulls that fit the criteria – and there are around 1,000 males to choose from – to find the perfect match.

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