Can Cows Lying Down Predict Rain?

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (WCCO) -- We have all cool tech toys to help us forecast the weather, but for centuries, there have been stories about how animals help make predictions.

Tales like, if cows are laying down it means it's going to rain.

We asked around to find out if it's true.

Dairy farmers insist that when a cow lies down, they're not forecasting -- they're working.

"A dairy cow, especially, is laying down because she probably working very hard to produce milk, because that's her opportunity," Kathy Skiba said.

And yet Debbie Larsen, who grew up on a farm with beef cattle, believes that if beef cows lie down, then it might rain.