Barn & Soul Podcast: Episode 20 - Farm Instincts: What Animals Know Before We Do (And How We Forgot)

Send us Fan Mail🎙️ Barn & Soul - Episode 20Farm Instincts: What Animals Know Before We Do (And How We Forgot)Animals notice things long before we do - whether it’s a storm rolling in, an illness on the horizon, or even a natural disaster. In this episode, we explore the incredible sensory abilities of farm animals and how humans, over time, have lost many of the instincts we once relied on.From goats pausing before rain, to birds adjusting flight paths hours before a storm, to toads leaving breeding grounds days before earthquakes - nature offers constant signals if we’re willing to listen. We’ll talk about how animals tune into barometric pressure, infrasound, and subtle chemical changes, and what their behavior can teach us about paying attention, reconnecting with our environment, and even caring for their health more effectively.Along the way, we’ll uncover fascinating “fast facts,” like why goats prefer smiling faces, how rabbits sense seismic vibrations, and ponder why cows act like living compasses.✨ Whether you’re a farmer, animal lover, or just curious about the instincts we’ve forgotten, this episode is a reminder that animals are often our earliest, wisest messengers.🐐 Tune in for Episode 20 of Barn & Soul—and learn what your animals might already know.We are back from hiatus! New episodes every Wednesday at 9pm EST!#BarnAndSoul #FarmLife #AnimalInstincts #DalbyFarm📚 References & SourcesDogs sensing storms and barometric pressureWeather.com, “How Dogs Sense Storms,” 2025https://weather.com/nature/wild-animals/news/2025-03-25-how-dogs-sense-stormsBirds sensing infrasound and adjusting flightNational Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), “Five Faunal Forecasters: Can Animals Predict Weather?”https://www.neefusa.org/story/climate-change/five-faunal-forecasters-can-animals-predict-weatherToads predicting earthquakes by leaving breeding grounds earlyThe Guardian, “Toads Could Sense Earthquakes, Study Finds,” March 2010https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/mar/31/toads-detect-earthquakes-studyDogs detecting lung cancer with high accuracyAmerican Osteopathic Association, “Cancer-Sniffing Dogs 97% Accurate in Identifying Lung Cancer,” June 2019https://osteopathic.org/2019/06/17/cancer-sniffing-dogs-97-accurate-in-identifying-lung-cancer-according-to-study-in-the-journal-of-the-american-osteopathic-association/Dogs detecting diseases through scent (diabetes, seizures, COVID-19)Owlstone Medical Blog, “Dogs and Smelling Cancer,” 2024https://www.owlstonemedical.com/blog/dogs-and-smelling-cancerAnimals detecting natural disasters (P-waves, electromagnetic shifts)Times of India, “5 Animals That Can Sense Natural Disasters Before They Strike,” 2023https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/5-animals-that-can-sense-natural-disasters-before-they-strike/articleshow/121485792.cmsDogs and storm anxiety statisticsBuffalo Healthy Living, “Dogs and Their Unique Relationship with Weather,” 2022Support the show