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Mega cow ‘Tommy’ who stands 6ft 1in & ‘wouldn’t stop growing’ crowned world’s tallest
AT JUST over 6ft tall, a cinnamon-bun loving bovine from Massachusetts has been named the tallest cow in the world.
, a 13-year-old purebred Brown Swiss, lives with his owners Fred and Laurie on a farm in Cheshire.
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The huge steer has lived with Fred Balawender and his daughter Laurie Cuevas since he was just a day old.
He's a beloved pet of the family, and knows how to milk it for all its worth.
The impressive bovine is treated to long days roaming around the farm, grazing on cinnamon buns and is no stranger to a heavy petting.
Typically one of the largest breeds of cow, Tommy trampled over even the most generous of expectations as he "just kept on growing".
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Despite being a large calf, they never anticipated he would reach the impressive height of 1.87m, recognised by Guinness World Records as the World's Tallest Living Steer.
Tommy was rescued from going to auction at a large dairy farm in 2010 when Fred swooped in and gave him a new home.
The family, who have never used Tommy as livestock, have said he will be buried on the farm when he dies.
Laurie said that despite his intimidating size, he's a gentle giant.
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Tommy, who was castrated, is known as a 'steer'.
Castrated bulls are often far more easy going than their counterparts, who can be very dangerous and aggressive.
But Brown Swiss cows are also known for their sweet disposition, and Tommy appears to be no exception.
Laurie said that the beloved family pet is very attentive when it comes to his owners.
"He is always very aware of where my dad is and watches him intently whenever he is around."
The impressive bovine also apparently loves children and will gently reach his head down to be stroked when they come to visit.
And his thick skin appears to have paid off, as instead of being a laughing stock, he's a record-title holding pet.
The cow's incredible diet may have something to do with his enormous height.
Tommy eats roughly 13kg of dry grain, over 34kg of hay and drinks 150 litres of water per day.
He'll also jump at the chance to munch on an apple, with Fred spending "all his money" on the fruit at the local market.
Tommy's favourite snack, surprisingly, are cinnamon buns.
And the bun-munching bovine will only eat carrots if his preferred treats are gone.
Sadly the gentle beast has recently been suffering from a sore foot, and hasn't been able to roam the farm as freely as he usually would.
Laurie explained: "We have had special hoof experts and veterinarians work on him but it’s a long, slow healing process when they have issues with their hooves.
"Especially a heavy animal like Tommy."
As Tommy gets older, he's taking longer naps and slowing down.
Laurie explained that while he's never had a typical farm work job, he keeps her dad Fred "young and active", and "takes his task seriously".
The family had to craft a bespoke, huge stall in the barn to accommodate the enormous steer.
While Tommy is evidently a beefy beast, his family can't weigh him accurately as he's too tall to fit in their 7ft high cattle trailer.
Without transportation to a scale, they are left to guess.
Laurie said the cheeky cow "has been known to use his horns to pluck the gate off the hinges when he is ready to go outside".
“One day he was walking around with the large round bay hale feeder on his head.”
“People are truly astonished when they see him,” added Laurie.
Laurie decided to submit evidence to Guinness World Records and help Tommy solidify his title as "World's Tallest Cow".
“He [Fred] loves Tommy so much and is so proud of him, I had to go for it,” said Laurie.
“The two of them are legendary and I knew it was a chance to capture them in history and share this wonderful pair with the world.”
“To say we are thrilled doesn’t do it justice,” the proud owner added.
“We are so honoured and happy that we have such an amazing creature amongst us!"
While Tommy might have bagged the title for tallest living cow, sadly, he's not the biggest beast of the breed.
Knickers, a Holstein Friesian, living in Australia, had to be spared the chop as she was too enormous to fit into an abattoir.
Measuring 6ft 4in and weighing in at an incredible 1.4 tonnes, the behemoth bovine proved bulls - who usually reach about 5ft 10in - don't have all the fun.
Sadly Knickers passed away in 2020, leaving Tommy's newfound title open for grabs.
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But the badge of honour was contested during Knicker's height of fame in 2018, when a Canadian farmer claimed his cow was even taller.
Karl Schoenrock said his own steer, Dozer, measured in at a staggering 6ft 5in.
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