A Tuesday Ten--Got Milk? Edition

On Saturday, Hubby & I spent several hours at a local farm whose incredibly tasty products we recently fell in love with. I wrote about this yesterday. If you haven't read it yet, do it now. Really. It will make you all warm inside.

During our time there, I learned a lot of new information about dairy production, and I learned a lot of  information I thought I knew about dairy production. Here's what I learned, in no particular order. As you'll soon see, a lot of hot button issues really simply depend on the dairy and their individual practices.

1. Mechanical milking is not necessarily bad for cows. In reality, there is no way to physically express all the milk from a cow's udders by hand milking, nor can a single calf drink all the milk in her udders. A milking machine most efficiently expresses all the milk, reducing a cow's risk of developing mastitis. As Todd Moore (owner/operator of Lavon Farms, which supplies the milk for Lucky Layla Farms' delectable products) pointed out, his cows show up willingly in the mornings at the sound of his voice to be milked. If the machines hurt them, they wouldn't be such willing participants.

2. Different cows satisfy different priorities. Just as different breeds of beef cattle produce different grades of meat, different breeds of dairy cattle serve different purposes. Moore's family farm has been raising Guernsey and Jersey cows since the 1930's. These breeds were chosen, Moore points out, because their milk is of exceptional quality, with high butter-fat and protein content, though the quantity is much less than other breeds. For example, Guernseys & Jerseys produce about five gallons of milk daily, whereas Holsteins produce at least twice that amount but of lower quality.

3. Pasteurization is necessary, but somewhat evil. We tasted raw milk while we were at the farm, and it was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, the law prohibits any farm that has a creamery from selling raw milk in addition to the finished, pasteurized products, due to possible cross-contamination. Pasteurization, unfortunately, kills a lot of luscious flavor in addition to the germs. If run in a clean, safe manner, dairies can produce raw milk that is as safe as pasteurized, but the law is designed, I'm guessing, to protect consumers from the farms who are operating for quantity of sales, not quality of conditions.

4. "Antibiotic-free" is a marketing ploy which ultimately means nothing. Having organic certification means that we are guaranteed that cows are not being given a steady stream of antibiotics to try to prevent infections, thus possibly increasing antibiotic resistance in humans. Sounds okay so far, right? However, it also means that a farmer cannot give a single round of antibiotics to a cow who has a non-transmissable, but still painful, infection like, say, mastitis. Additionally, milk is so highly regulated that farmers have to submit milk for testing on a regular basis; if any antibiotic is found, the milk isn't accepted. Antibiotics very rarely will ever make it into the food chain; you may as well buy "gasoline-free" milk. Knowing your dairy is very important, as is being able to ask them questions. If you can't find a local dairy, try Organic Valley. They are a sort of co-op situation that works with individual family farms. Horizon Organic may as well be a factory farm; they've been questioned numerous times for pushing the limits of technicalities for their organic certification.

5. The national average lifespan of a dairy cow is a pitiful three years. I wholly believe this is due to the stress of constant antibiotics and growth hormones given to increase productivity; sooner, rather than later, those cow's bodies wear out. Moore's cows live fully twice the national average, and this cow, named Sybil, who was getting ready for an appearance at Whole Foods, is ten years old. And due to calf in June. Happy cows apparently live longer lives. Imagine that.

6. Calves weigh between 40-100 pounds at birth. I never, ever would have guessed this. Looking at these "adolescent" calves, at about 12 weeks old, I wouldn't guess their weight to be 200-400 pounds, either. Guernseys & Jerseys weigh in at adulthood between 1000-1300 pounds.

7. Gestation for cows is nine months, the same as humans. Sometimes human intervention is required for calving, but most often cows handle delivery all on their own. Hubby, who is an anesthesiologist, and I found it quite amusing when Todd relayed that his wife, after giving birth the first time, came home and proclaimed that all the cows should be given epidurals when they labor.

8. Calves do not stay in the pasture with their mothers. The first surprise that greeted us as we drove up the driveway was the area where calves are kept. I wanted to be appalled; after all, the calves are kept tethered to their own individual "cow house" (my term) and the ground cover is large pea gravel, not grass. Upon inquiry, however, we learned that the babies are separated very early to prevent sickness. Just like sending a kid to daycare, if one baby, with a weaker immune system than adults, gets sick, it can spread like wildfire. After 10-12 weeks, the babies are moved to a pasture with other youngsters for a time before heading out with the big cows. The pea gravel was very clean, and the babies were well-fed and well-tended.

9. Horns are removed almost immediately. While many claim it is barbaric, it really is for the safety of the cows. If there is ever a "disagreement," these cows will fight to the death to settle it, so horn removal is necessary if the cows are kept communally in a pasture.

10. Cows are very smart and each has its own distinct personality. Some of them were timid, some of them were curious, some were very loving, and others were simply indifferent. (This one, whom we nicknamed Bucksnort, would snort and hop around if Hubby quit petting on her.) But all of them, Moore insists, are very, very smart. Do not be fooled by the somewhat vacant expressions (I personally consider it "serene," not "vacant"); it's all an act.

Comments

[RedMolly]

That last picture is like the cutest thing ever. Moo!

[Lobo]

I think the dairy industry did a great brainwash job on you. Get the facts correct. A dairy farm is a concentration camp, nothing else.

[Lori V.]

Thanks for stopping by, Lobo. I wish you would have actually read the post before commenting. If you had, you'd know I actually visited a dairy farm on 24 hours notice. That is definitely not enough time to make sweet, well-fed cows. I saw and interacted with these cows, and they were not afraid of their owner in any way, nor were most of them at all fearful of strangers; they were well-taken care of, almost to the point of spoiled. You'd also know that I don't support the whole dairy industry, only the small, local farmers who actually treat their animals with love and respect. The last time I checked, concentration camps don't feed their prisoners regularly, let them have access to free food of the kind they naturally love, or care for them when they are sick.

[Lobo]

Hello there, thanks for replying to my comment. I had read your post before commenting but I still stand by the concentration camp analogy. If the cows you saw are well fed, that's only because it converts back into money for the farmer. You say the local farmer loves and respects his/her cows - surely pulling out their horns and separating them from their babies is a great way to show affection. And in the end, dairy cows will be killed too, adding a whole new dimension to the expression, 'love kills'. I know what you're trying to say: that small farms are 'humane'. But I think that's a false concept. As long as animals are treated as commodities to serve man, their treatment will never be humane, perhaps less horrible in some cases. Besides, cow's milk is not necessary for humans, in fact it can be harmful. I just wish people would stop seeing farm animals as mere property and look at them for what they really are: amazing, affable creatures with incredible intelligence, who, like all living creatures, would choose freedom over slavery.

[Lori V.]

Hi, Lobo. Thanks for coming back; I was worried about the possibility of a drop-in "troll."

I agree with your statement that these are "amazing, affable creatures with incredible intelligence, who, like all living creatures, would choose freedom over slavery." Unfortunately, I think this represents a very naive and unrealistic viewpoint. Do you also disagree with keeping dogs and cats and other domesticated animals as pets? They are, realistically speaking, to serve us and our need for comfort. Are you implying that nomadic camel or reindeer herders are inhumane?

Coming from 200+ acres in beautiful forest land, I know that sometimes animals must be killed humanely in order to save them from suffering from starvation or disease because of overpopulation. And so we have, on occasion, eaten venison, killed by hunters. We do not allow sport hunters on the property, but if they eat their kill, they provide a necessary service. Would you rather the deer die from a bullet or a savage coyote attack?

Man has been utilizing the meat and milk of other animals for millennia. We are animals, plain and simple, and we have a fortunate place on the food chain: at the top. This is no accident of nature. Every species has its own predators and prey, including humans.

Unfortunately for us, we are also gifted with empathy. It is conflicting to our natures, and we must all deal with it in our own way. For my part, I accept that we are carnivores at the top of the food chain, but I can temper this with compassion by choosing carefully how the animals were treated and slaughtered.

[Lobo]

Hi Lori, thanks for another comment. I can see your points and it's great that you have brought up the concept of empathy. This is what makes us humans. We used to kill each other as well (we still do, but it's a crime when it happens) and we have evolved. We can't justify things simply because they 'have always been like that'. We can move on and we should. Humans are not carnivores, and a plant-based diet is much healthier for us and much more environmentally-friendly. As to the the overpopulation problem, well, if we stop breeding animals, then gradually bovine, swine and avian populations will be reduced to a number where people with land can keep them with no economic interest. I understand they have lost their natural habitats because we have destroyed them so we owe them sanctuaries and similar places. We really should be looking at our own overpopulation problem, which will do us in before the end of this century. As to pets, we should only have them if they are rescued animals. We should never buy them because they are not things. Besides, buying puppies contributes to the shelter crisis. Wishing you all the best, I hope you'll be considering a vegetarian diet in the near future. Lobo

[Lobo]

Hi there, just another extra point that I forgot to mention in the last comment. About the humane, 'happy' meat movement: While I welcome improvements in animal welfare (banning battery cages and gestation crates for example), I think the idea that you could provide this type of product to six billion plus people is even more unrealistic and naive than convincing people to stop eating meat. While the concept of eating meat persists on the scale that it exists now, so will factory farming and all the horrors that come with it. It's a simple mathematical issue. Anyway, that will be from me. I also apologize for the bluntness of my first comment. Thank you!

[Lori V.]

Thanks for a lively discussion, Lobo. As always, "You comment. I reply." It's a movement! :-)

Regarding "justification" of things, because they've always been a certain way, I agree *to some extent.* We have evolved in many ways. However, since we do, indeed, still kill each other, it would seem that we haven't evolved quite as much as you'd like to think. As for murder being a crime now, consider that premeditated murder carries a harsher sentence than a crime of passion. We accept that there are still animal tendencies within all of us. Also, do we know for certain that murder was not looked down on in prehistoric times? Also, we still have canine teeth; yes, they are smaller than theyAlong the same point, your argument seems to suggest that current nomadic peoples should abandon their traditional way of life (which includes eating and milking goats, camels, and reindeer), that perhaps they are less evolved somehow; just because they've always lived like that doesn't mean they should now. After all, our more modern lifestyles seem to be a panacea, right? ;-)

Regarding overpopulation, I think your point might be better regarded, again, if I hadn't seen overpopulation in progress. We don't breed deer, yet their populations aren't "gradually dying down." Besides, do you think those populations will "gradually die down" quietly and peacefully? No, they will starve and they will suffer.

BTW, I agree wholeheartedly with the human overpopulation point. I also mostly agree with the pet issue; most of our pets are "strays," "throwaways," or "extras": six dogs and four cats.

Toward your last point, I think it would be much easier to convince the public at large to eat "less meat" than to eat "meatless." Daily meat-eaters will never respond to guerilla tactics that PETA has adopted, except with disgust and more meat-eating. Approaching it from a health standpoint would be a much better idea. (I don't believe full veganism is MORE healthy, but daily meat consumption at 1//2 to one full pound is definitely worse; it's all about moderation, not abstinence.)