Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2013/06/12/robocow_teaches_saudi_kids_where_milk_comes_from/
ROBOT COW teaches Saudi kids where milk comes from
Udderly ridiculous bovine intervention is beyond the pail
Posted in Bootnotes, 12th June 2013 05:03 GMT
Vid A farmer from Tayside has sent a plastic robot cow to the Middle East in a bid to educate Saudi children about where milk comes from (from robot cows, perhaps? -Ed).
Kenny Farquharson describes himself as a "plastic farmer" and builds life size beasts to show children how nature works.
His latest creation - a fully milkable robotic cow - can hold 50 litres of milk and has now taken pride of place at an educational facility run by Nadec Farm, a firm which operates cattle farms in Saudi Arabia, a land not exactly known for being green or pleasant.
Due to the difficulty of finding a real cow in this desert-bound state, Nadec decided to help kids understand milk using the robot one. His faux beast is now in the middle of a Riyadh shopping centre, having its udders squeezed by young Saudi kids.
It's just part of a day's work for Farquharson, 30, who builds fake beasts and then flies them all around the world.
He said: “Lots of the requests we get are all about teaching the kids. The education aspect is a big thing. It’s important to show them where milk comes from.
"The Saudi Arabian client was so keen to get the cow there, they paid huge air freight costs for it.”
It's a weird job, he admits.
“Most kids, they go to school, and the teacher comes round and says, ‘what does your dad do for a living?’ And my kids have to explain why their dad is a plastic farmer.
“We’re the only plastic farmers in the world, so it gets crazy at times. It’s a very niche market. Every day it’s just another silly request."
The farmer owns the Horn Milk Bar in the Carse of Gowrie, which doesn't serve drug-laced milk like its namesake from Clockwork Orange, but instead offers diner-style food.
Farquharson first won fame after creating a plastic cow for the building's roof and his popularity exploded from there.
His creations have been endorsed by celebrites including Justin Bieber and Stephen Fry, who have both met his fake animals, which also include deer, ostriches and turtles.
Apparently business is booming, so there's no need for the plastic farmer to move on to astro-pastures new.
Here's a video which shows kids milking the fake cow in the middle of Granada Mall in Riyadh.
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