When farmers in England claimed to be hearing different accents among their herds of cows, John Wells, Professor of Phonetics at the University of London, stepped in. Sure, cows provide us with a great source of protein and a variety of delicious dairy products, but great conversation? Who’d have thought? Certainly not Glastonbury, England, dairy farmer Lloyd Green, who was surprised to hear accents in the moos of his herd: “I spend a lot of time with my [cows] and they definitely moo with a Somerset drawl.”

Researchers confirmed the farmers’ suspicions—the phenomena of the cow accent could be attributed to cow’s contemporaries, and the many days spent amidst their bovine counterparts. However, the theory begs the question: if cows possibly develop an accent based on their location, is it so far fetched to ponder the social hierarchy of cattle and its relation to accents? Do Angus cows moo with an air of charisma and verve? And what about pasture-raised and grass fed cattle? Do their moos echo the environmental sentiments of conservationists? The details are unknown. But after speaking with our experts at American Farmland Trust, we do know that pasture-raised cattle speak the moo of the green revolution. 

Pasture-raised cattle are given plenty of fresh air and sunshine and get most of their feed from grasses or stored forage. The pastures are carefully managed to keep the grasses healthy and provide the animals with proper nutrition while protecting the environment. Studies show that diverse agricultural systems utilizing pasture-based livestock systems can improve water quality, clean the air, reduce gases that cause climate change, and improve wildlife habitat. So if what Professor Wells and Dr. Jeanine Treffers-Daller, reader in linguistics at the University of the West of England in Bristol, say is true, than the moos of pasture-raised cattle are likely to reflect their laidback and healthy lifestyle.

Ruminate on that!