Farming is challenging work, but it can be loads of fun too! That’s what Tom Pemberton, a second-generation farmer in England, proved to everyone when he started sharing videos on social media describing his life at the farm!
The 27-year-old, who shares “the highs, the lows and everything in-between” of farm living, got into social media by mistake. “I was trying to promote a raw milk vending machine in a video, which my girlfriend helped me with at the time,” Tom explained. “We posted the video on Facebook and YouTube — Facebook went really well with around 11,000 views and YouTube only got 200-300 views. That’s how it started, completely by mistake!”
Now, Tom has over 86.5K followers on Instagram and more than 339K subscribers on YouTube. These days, his videos regularly rack up millions of views. His viewers are especially fond of seeing cows and sheep give birth to their spring babies. While his followers appreciate learning about where their food comes from, there’s a specific type of video that has become a favorite of many: cow going nuts over a giant bristle brush!
This particular brush looks like a tool we would use to scrub dirty pots and pans—but 100x larger—and the animals just go crazy over it. It all started when his followers caught a glimpse of his cows rubbing up a giant scrub. The invention was designed for them to scratch itchy parts of their bodies that are out of reach.
The animals can be seen rubbing their faces and necks against the bristles in the video, apparently enjoying themselves. The relief on their faces is palpable! Cattle, horses, and other animals would graze against a wooden fence or the side of a structure if it wasn’t for it. Because doing so may cause damage to the structure or harm to the animal, this enormous brush is the best and safest answer for their scratching demands.
Soon after, Mayo Farm Systems, a company that manufactures these very tools, reached out to Tom. They offered to provide a free brush for his animals to enjoy.
Tom agreed and shared with his followers how the huge brush for his 120-head cow herd was assembled. During the installation, some of the cows gathered around the Tom and a worker to check out what was going on in their turf.
The process turned out to be pretty straightforward. After a pole was augured to the ground, a giant metal plate was slipped over it to form the base that will settle below the ground’s surface. The scratching post has to be very sturdy, as a cow rubbing up on it can weigh over 1,600 pounds. A bull can be more than 2,400 pounds heavy. Once the work was done, the cows knew just what to do. They got right at it and tested the brush.
They brushed the bristle brush against their chins, sides of their faces, and even their rumps. They appeared to be really cute. The cow brush is available in a variety of sizes to accommodate a variety of animals, including goats, horses, and other livestock. Thomas Duffy, the founder of Mayo Farm Systems, is the clever inventor who created these instruments for his brother, who owns a small dairy farm.
If animals can only leave product feedback, we’re sure this bristle brush will receive five-star reviews from its users! Here’s a video showing the cows using their favorite bristle brush