It was reported on July 22, 1936, that Arthur Gwinner, a farmer in Jerseyville, Illinois had noticed that one of his cows had not been producing her usual amount of milk each day.  

What could have caused this?  A hormonal problem?  Some sort of illness?  Could it be psychological?

No.  None of these.

Gwinner suspected that the cow was being milked by – get this – a snake.  

So, he hired a guy named Bud Skinner to keep watch on the herd.  As the cows headed toward a spring for some water, Skinner noticed a snake crawling out from its stump and elevating its head toward the udder of that same cow for a refresher.  

He beat the snake with a club and then shot it to death.

Problem solved.