MONEE, Illinois — Farmer Luz Klotz straightened the brightly striped hair bow on Reba, a 1,600-pound heifer lounging on the ground under twinkling fairy lights. Teenager Joey Pachl, hoping to impress his girlfriend with an invitation to the high school prom, had paid US$75 (S$101.20) for an hour-long cow cuddling session at the farm.

Pachl successfully wowed animal loving girlfriend Emma. For Luz and husband Dan Klotz, such visitors have become key to covering the feed bills and keeping their small farm running.

Paying farmers to snuggle up with half-ton heifers is all the rage in the United States thanks to social media. For visitors, cuddling dairy or beef cattle can be therapeutic, or simply an adventure for city dwellers looking for good old country fun.

But this practise of opening the barn door to the public is facing a new risk, as the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed bird flu in dairy herds in nine states.

Related

---