Yesterday’s chore became a sample of modern-day fun at the Calgary Stampede Aggie Days cow-milking display.
A fibreglass Holstein equipped with a lifelike udder and rubber teats was a winning attraction at this year’s children’s agriculture fair.
The soon-to-be-named cow drew crowds of schoolchildren and adults who took a seat on the milking stool and proceeded to fill the bucket underneath.
“We’ve had thousands, and I mean thousands of kids lining up for a turn,” said dairy display co-ordinator Debbie Lee.
The Stampede bosses were convinced by the Aggie Days committee to import the life-sized, $10,000 cow machine from New Hampshire for hands-on demonstrations, said Lee.
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The first of its kind in Canada, this cow is a far cry from earlier Aggie Days when kids tried to milk a rubber glove filled with coloured water.
With an occasional moo and a gentle attitude, this cow never runs dry because the udder is attached to a pump that circulates white coloured water from the milk bucket back through the cow.
White plastic foam rests near the top of the milk pail and never overflows. Milkers think they are filling the pail.
A name-the-cow contest was held during the children’s event and when the machine reappears at the Calgary Stampede agricultural showcase, it’ll have a name.
During the five-day children’s fair, real cows are milked by hand and by machine. Safety considerations prohibit the public from milking the real thing.
More than 25,000 children come to Aggie Days to learn more about farm life and food production. For city slickers of all ages, this plastic cow was fine.
The only thing missing was a switching tail covered with manure delivering a crusty slap in the face.
