Goat Farmer Wows America With Killer Dance Moves While Doing His Chores

While 9% of all the milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to make ice cream, one man is using his dairy farm to help him create some viral-worthy dance moves.

Within the past week and a half, upstate New York dairy farmer Jay Lavery has gone viral after he uploaded a video of himself dancing to Sia’s hit “Cheap Thrills” as he was going about his barn chores. He uploaded the video to his public Facebook page, which was quite a change for Lavery, who considers himself quite the private person.

But now, things have changed, and every viewer seems to be enthralled by Lavery’s fantastic dance moves.

As of press time, the video has been viewed over nine million times, and Lavery told the Huffington Post his dance moves are being watched and shared by a whole array of people, including “people who love goats, people who have back issues, people who are getting older and… people who just love hay.”

However, it is the story behind these killer dance moves that has grabbed the nation’s attention.

Dancing not only helps Lavery to burn calories, as on average a 150-pound person burns about 240 calories per hour while dancing, but it helps him treat his chronic back pain. After an injury 15 years ago, Lavery adopted yoga for some holistic pain treatment; however, he discovered that dancing simply works better.

After suffering through numerous surgeries to help heal his spine, Lavery found that dancing his way through mundane chores is the best way to cope with his pain without relying on medication.

Not to mention that besides the killer moves, his video offers viewers a glimpse of a life that is often forgotten on social media: the life of an American farmer. Lavery has quite the background; after working as a flight attendant, a translator, and a stand-up comedian for over 26 years, he decided the farm was his true calling. He then moved to the upstate area from New York City, landing in Sharon Springs. From there, he opened his farm, and now sustains more than 200 animals ranging from goats to guinea fowl.

The main method of his farm is permaculture design, which is an approach to farming with a goal of figuring out more sustainable, eco-friendly ways to provide food to Americans nationwide. With his newfound fame, Lavery’s hope is that viewers will recognize his farm’s mission, and think about more ways they can be sustainable in their daily lives.

The man behind the samba moves and jazz hands has a powerful message that he wants all to hear:

“My motto on the farm is ‘changing the world one meal at a time’. If I can change one person to think about the food they’re eating, I think that’s great.”

Check out his video here.