Director of the “Communication and Advisory Services in Rural Areas” department, University of Hohenheim

When breeders prepare their animals for a performance show, it is a special moment of excitement: Soon they and their animal will meet their peers, other interested farmers, not to mention a professional audience. In the arena, they will be in the spotlight. 

However, the attention will then not be on them, but on the animal at their side. They try to perfect this special situation by cleaning their claws, brushing and clipping their fur, combing their tail hair, and sometimes even braiding it. 

I am impressed by the care, pride, and joy in the animal that are expressed in this relationship and give such competitive shows a personal touch. They show that animal husbandry can enrich people.

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

Nobody is perfect – styling is an attempt to conceal small dents in the back line. In Europe this is more of a part-time job, but in the USA there are even full-time cowfitters. 

Here too, auctions, shows, and fairs are only a very small part of the lives of comparatively very few dairy cows and have little to do with the practical realities on dairy farms.

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