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HerdingStarted by a grandfather in 1937, this Florida ranch now covers 50,000 acres, feeds local communities and...BreedsKasaragod Kullan set to be Keralam’s third indigenous cattle variety HistoryAncient cattle love affairs: East Asian cattle genomes reveal Tang-Song dynasty mixing and wild bovine introgression HealthState announces public comment period for proposed bovine tuberculosis testing areas ShowsNortheast 4-H Livestock Show celebrates 91 years of tradition ShowsAnnual Webster Parish 4-H Livestock Show set to begin next week BreedsA Leap Forward in Indigenous Breeding: ICAR–IVRI’s Breakthrough in Producing Sahiwal Calves through Advanced Reproductive Technologies BreedsBoyd Beef Cattle to Donate 2027 Angus Foundation Heifer Package BreedsU.P. State Fair dairy show highlights youth, dairy cattle and community BreedsHereford Cattle Society wins landmark court case over breed status HerdingStarted by a grandfather in 1937, this Florida ranch now covers 50,000 acres, feeds local communities and...BreedsKasaragod Kullan set to be Keralam’s third indigenous cattle variety HistoryAncient cattle love affairs: East Asian cattle genomes reveal Tang-Song dynasty mixing and wild bovine introgression HealthState announces public comment period for proposed bovine tuberculosis testing areas ShowsNortheast 4-H Livestock Show celebrates 91 years of tradition ShowsAnnual Webster Parish 4-H Livestock Show set to begin next week BreedsA Leap Forward in Indigenous Breeding: ICAR–IVRI’s Breakthrough in Producing Sahiwal Calves through Advanced Reproductive Technologies BreedsBoyd Beef Cattle to Donate 2027 Angus Foundation Heifer Package BreedsU.P. State Fair dairy show highlights youth, dairy cattle and community BreedsHereford Cattle Society wins landmark court case over breed status

EveryCow

Bell cow

The lead cow of a herd, wearing the bell that the others follow.

A cowbell: hung on a collar so a herder can find cattle on open pasture. Swiss bells mark the alpine descent.

Also: lead cow, leader cow

A bell cow is a cow, usually experienced and calm, that leads the herd and wears its main bell, so that the others follow her sound and herders can track the group. Herds have a social order, and some cows naturally lead the way to water and pasture. In alpine processions the lead cow wears the largest bell and the finest headdress. In English the phrase is used figuratively, especially in American speech, for a person or business whose choices others follow, much like bellwether, which comes from the belled castrated ram that leads a flock of sheep.

See also

Cowbell Almabtrieb Combat de reines

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