suggest that his ability to properly measure quantities of milk may be impaired

Good point. I was presuming that the reporter was incompetent (usually a safe presumption) but in this case the source of the confusion might be straight from the ~~horse's~~ cow herders mouth.

It may indeed, or it may be a combination of the two. One would think that a competent reporter would ask for verification of the output figures, preferably in the form of a stylish graph or a colorful pie chart that would add column-inches to an otherwise minimal story. Perhaps the reporter felt sorry for the farmer's pathetic social life and didn't want to give him a hard time?

Noting that farmers are also being encouraged to take up Tai Chi, perhaps Farmer Vallis was exuding so much inner peace and contentment that the reporter was entirely flummoxed and decided that "it was an amount of milk which appeared to be in harmony with the Cow".

Love-OM News Chi-ing the cud Organic dairy farmers take up Tai Chi

Chi-ing the cud? Organic dairy farmers take up Tai Chi

Committed to ensuring the maximum levels of wellbeing in every pint of milk - for us, for the environment and for the cows - Britain's organic dairy farmers have taken up the ancient practice of Tai Chi. Following the launch of the Love-OM campaign to encourage shoppers to choose organic milk, welly-clad dairymen and women, tanker drivers and herdsmen from across the nation have been striking Tai Chi poses in order to bring an additional spiritual uplift to their cows, fields and farmyards.

Drawing inspiration from China, where farmers have practiced Tai Chi since the seventeenth century, the Federation of Organic Milk Groups (FOMG) has enlisted the services of a Tai Chi Master or 'Sifu' to help them learn the special moves, renowned for bestowing a mood of wellbeing. Over the past few weeks, the official Love-OM Tai Chi Sifu has been travelling the country spreading peace and harmony to the organic dairy farms of Britain.

Tristan Dale, Love-OM farmer and demonstrator of Friday's move 'surveying the farm', says: "Being an organic dairy farmer is hard work. I want to make sure I am as relaxed and focused as possible. My mood definitely transfers to my cows and as organic farmers we believe happier cows produce better milk. Organic farming, like Tai Chi, is all about maintaining a balance. In organic farming we do our best to maintain a balance with nature and Tai Chi has helped me maintain the inner balance which is reflected my farm."

FOMG members have adapted a series of seven traditional Tai Chi routines - one for every day of the week. Each of the movements has been assigned a series of easy-to-follow instructions created for the agriculturally minded, with names like 'up with the lark', 'lazily buttoning overalls' and 'arms like tractor wheels'.

Love-OM Tai Chi is not reserved for organic farmers. The moves are simple enough to do anywhere, from tube station to toddler group. To help the rest of us introduce a little bit of wellbeing into our everyday lives, videos of organic dairy farmers demonstrating the Love-OM Tai Chi moves have been uploaded to www.love-om.com which launched this week.

Roger Kerr, Chairman of the FOMG, adds: "Enjoying organic milk everyday is a great way to enhance your wellbeing. It's kind to the environment, kind to your body, kind to your wallet and comes from happy and contented cows. That's what Love-OM and Tai Chi are all about so we hope that everyone will embrace the feeling and log-on to the site to try out the moves for themselves."

Learn more about how organic milk can improve your wellbeing at www.love-om.com.