Cow Poop Shortage Disrupts Wisconsin Competition
A cow poop shortage threatens to completely derail a peculiar Wisconsin competition, according to the Associated Press. The Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw and Festival, which takes place every year in Prairie du Sac, generally brings in around 40,000 poop-loving spectators. However, this year’s competitors are having a hard time finding the proper ammunition for the tournament. After all, if you don’t have cow poop, you can’t throw cow chips.
For those who aren’t familiar with what, precisely, a cow chip is, here’s a quick breakdown: When a cow eats healthy grass, it has a tendency to produce thick, robust poop. The feces, which is usually dropped somewhere in the pasture, bakes gently in the hot summer sun, effectively drying out and hardening the pile of poop. After the process is complete, people then collect the “cow chips” and toss them around as a way to pass the time.
However, because of the drought, the grass in the pasture is brown, dry, and downright sickly. Instead of consuming this subpar vegetation, the cows have remained in the shade, eating the healthy stuff that’s growing there. Since they don’t move out to the pasture, their manure can’t harden in the sun. As such, cow chips are few and far between.
The National reports that festival organizers have never experienced such a shortage in 24 years. When you’re running low on cow poop, you know the drought isn’t messing around.
“This is my 24th throw, and it’s never been this difficult to find chips,” explained Marietta Reuter.
Fortunately for would-be throwers, festival organizers keep a reserve of unbroken cow chips in storage for such an occasion. Since people are having a difficult time locating hardened, competition-worthy manure, officials will have to dip into the back stock.
“A lot of people are afraid to pick it up,” throw organizer Terry Slotty said. “They look at it, and it looks like what it is but once they touch it they notice that it’s very dry.”
Would you participate in a cow poop-throwing competition?
