Nikita Teryoshin

Verden, Lower Saxony, Show of the Best

A professional photo shoot in Verden in the margins of the Show of the Best. The intention is to optimally shine a light on the best cows; in doing so, they are placed against a backdrop and documented. This is the best way to assess and archive the cow’s exterior. There are only a few professional cow photographers in Germany and they are true masters of their trade. Many little tricks are used to get the cow to strike the right pose: Shortly before the picture is taken, one of the assistants gets out of the car parked not far away in the hall, wrapped in a black dotted blanket, and holding a boom box. But instead of music, the animal hears the roar of a bull in heat. The cow with poor eyesight pricks up her ears and stretches forward – the picture is in the bag. Not all cows get to see the green pasture in the background; in some housing systems, they spend their entire lives in a modern facility.

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Jun.-Prof. Dr. Ramona Weinrich

Director of the “Consumer Behavior in the Bioeconomy” department, University of Hohenheim

For consumers, the image of a grazing cow has long been associated with green meadows. This romanticized image has long stood in contrast to modern milk production. However, it was reinforced by packaging and advertising for a long time. 

Today, supermarket shelves offer a much wider range of products than ten years ago: In addition to conventionally produced milk, consumers can also choose from organic milk, pasture milk, hay milk, and locally produced milk. With the selection on offer and the change in packaging design, awareness has also increased that milk production is not always associated with happily grazing cows. 

Nonetheless, the modern form of milk production is still a distant reality for most consumers. This exhibition with photos of high-performance cows, milking technology, cowsheds, and auctions is also commendable in that it gives many people a look behind the scenes and invites them to critically question their own consumer behavior.

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Raoul von Schmettow

Director of dairy farming at the Meiereihof research station, University of Hohenheim

As a person who has a lot to do with cows, I notice an interesting detail in this production: The cow is placed on a platform at the front. 

Over the generations, breeding for milk production has shifted the particularly strong areas of the cow's body to the rear. By being raised above the platform, the back line rises towards the head and the cow becomes somewhat more similar to its original appearance.

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