He'd stopped the John Deere and was engaged in a rant. Only the cute animals get their attention. They don't get all bent about hogs, but cows are cute. Cows make a funny noise and have a sad, dopey face. PETA doesn't freak over fish.
Fish are ugly.
Cows are petting creatures. These people equate cows with the family dog. They're so urban and insulated and repressed, it's comical. Their precious soy would become Fluffy the kitty. If my cornstalks had a face, PETA would show up naked, painted up like corn, and sit in a cage until the TV idiots arrived.