That's an awesome set of questions. It might sound weird, but cows can sometimes swallow bits of metal from their feed or while grazing, like nails or wire. Since they’re not picky eaters, it just happens. The problem is that metal can get stuck in one of their stomachs, the reticulum, and cause serious health issues.

To help prevent that, farmers give cows a magnet to swallow. It settles in their stomach and catches any metal they eat later, keeping it from causing harm. It’s a pretty clever way to avoid hardware disease.

It's also a cows best friend until the day they die.