With the flowers blooming and the subtle beckoning of Easter getting louder and louder, the last week has seen the return of a moo-ving tradition in Switzerland. Thanks to the warmer weather, Swiss cows have been let out for the first time since the winter - and no one is happier than they are to get out onto the grass!
As Dinner for One so aptly puts it: “Same procedure this year, same procedure every year,” so too when Swiss cows are let out to pasture for the spring. After months of being cooped up in barns over winter, the cows are typically let out at the beginning of April.
In recent years, the moment of elation from the cows has been captured by local farmers. The most prominent example is farmer Christian Tüscher from Ziegel, Canton Bern. Though he has been posting photos and videos on the internet for years - in a bid to educate the public about life on an organic farm - in 2023 he noticed that his posts of frolicking spring cows were getting a great response from the public, so turned them into an annual event.
“No matter how crazy the world situation is, one thing will remain the same in 2025: the joy of our cows on their first grazing,” Tüscher wrote in his latest post:
Speaking to Watson back in 2024, Tüscher confirmed that the cows are genuinely very happy when they are let out for spring, though he is unsure why. On organic farms like his, Swiss cows are allowed to go out to a paved forecourt during the winter. However, the arrival of spring is the first time the cows return to the field since the autumn, as there is enough grass to graze and the pasture is solid enough to take their weight.
“As soon as it gets warmer, you notice how the animals in the stable become restless… they probably also feel spring fever and are happy that they can go out into the meadow again,” he theorised.