In this image taken from video, sheep form the shape of a heart in a field in Guyra, northern New South Wales, Australia, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. Ben Jackson, a sheep farmer stuck in lockdown, was unable to attend his aunt's funeral, has honored her memory with the ultimate tribute, sheep organized in the shape of a love heart. (Ben Jackson via AP)
An Australian farmer couldn’t go to his aunt’s funeral because of pandemic restrictions so he paid his respects with a novel alternative: dozens of sheep arranged in the shape of a love heart.
Drone-shot video of pregnant ewes munching barley in a paddock while unwittingly expressing Ben Jackson’s affection for his beloved Auntie Deb was viewed by mourners at her funeral in the city of Brisbane in Queensland state this week.
Jackson was locked down at the time across a state border at his farm in Guyra in New South Wales state, 430 kilometers (270 miles) away.
“It took me a few goes to get it right ... and the final result is what you see. That was as close to a heart as I could get it,” Jackson said on Thursday.
Jackson started experimenting with making shapes with sheep to relieve the monotonous stress of hand-feeding livestock during a devastating drought across most of Australia that broke in the early months of the pandemic.
He discovered that if he spelled the names of his favorite musical bands with grain dropped from the back of a truck that the flock would roughly adopt the same shape for several minutes.
“It certainly lifted my spirits back in the drought,” Jackson said.
“This heart that I’ve done for my auntie, it certainly seems like it’s had a bit of an effect across Australia,” he added, referring to emotional social media responses.
“Maybe we all just need to give ourselves a big virtual hug,” he said.
Jackson said he was lucky to have any grain left on his property after a mouse plague this year that followed the drought.
He continues to supplement the pregnant ewes’ diet with grain to improve their condition before they give birth.
Bitcoin has officially entered bear market territory. The cryptocurrency is down 20% from an all-time high of nearly $69,000 dollars, which it hit earlier this month. Experts mark the new potentially vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant as the reason for the dip. Patrick McConlogue, CEO of Overlin, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Carlo and Baker cover the latest developments with the Omicron variant, and break down what we know and what we still don't. Plus, a relatively tame Black Friday, and more.
U.S. markets were open for an abbreviated session on the day after Thanksgiving, and the day saw a market meltdown. The Dow dropped more than 900 points for its worst day of the year. Matt Orton, Chief Market Strategist at Carillon Tower Advisers, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
For the first time in the National Dog Show's 20-year-history on NBC, a canine was crowned Best in Show for the second year in a row. Claire, a Scottish deerhound, was the repeat winner, and David Frei, expert analyst and host of the National Dog Show Presented by Purina, joined Cheddar to discuss the historic victory. "It's never happened in the 20 years that we've done this show," he said. "She looks great right now. She's at the top of her game, she's the number three show dog in the country, and has become the top winning Scottish deerhound of all time, breaking her grandmother's record."
Lucien Etori, VP, executive strategy director at R/GA., joined Cheddar News to discuss how retailers are handling supply chain disruptions this shopping season, and how retailers are building better experiences for customers during these ongoing issues.
Amber McMillan, vice president of weight loss and digital fitness at Life Time, joins Cheddar News to discuss how post-pandemic gym visits can improve mental wellness.
From supply chain shortages to high food costs, food banks are scrambling to serve their communities this Thanksgiving. According to Feeding America, while demand from the beginning of the pandemic has gone down, one in eight people in the U.S. may experience food insecurity this year. Anna McGovern, chief supply chain officer with Food Bank for New York City, joins Cheddar News to discuss the impact of inflation and supply chain issues.
The biggest shopping day of the year is approaching - Black Friday - and the following week is known as Cyber Week, the biggest time of the year for online shopping. But for many companies and consumers, the holiday shopping season is already underway. Retailers have been getting creative in their attempts to lure customers amid ongoing supply chain issues, inflation, and the pandemic that could impact sales. Lionesque Group CEO and founder Melissa Gonzalez joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
