Free on the Range

I grew up less than a mile from a dairy farm where the cows happily meandered about the green pastures of their home until the snow fell and the temperatures dropped. I remember tasting the difference in the milk when the cows were being fed hay and silage and corn and noticing the change again in the spring when they returned to pasture.

Years later I became saddened by the lack of farmers continuing to allow there cows to graze in the green fields under the open sky, instead choosing to confine them to an indoor arena of dirt or, worse, cement. I was told indignantly when I questioned a friend about this practice that it was much healthier for the cows and the milk they produced. “They can get into all sorts of weeds and things out in the field!” she declared. Oh yes, much better to give them antibiotics to kill the bacterial infections from being crowded together and fed corn!

There has been a huge growth in the demand for organic dairy as people became aware of the addition of growth hormones to increase milk production and antibiotics to allow more cows to be raised in less space. Then there are people like myself who gave up meats and dairy because I believe animals should be treated humanely, not like machines producing a product.

The latest controversy is that much milk that claims to be organic is not from cows out grazing under blue skies in green fields as depicted in many advertisements for organic dairy products (Horizon, Aurora, etc.) The dairies that are being questioned say it because the regulations are vague. They are correct.

“The New York Times recently noted that "organic milk" essentially means "it comes from a cow whose milk production was not prompted by an artificial growth hormone, whose feed was not grown with pesticides and which had 'access to pasture,' a term so vague it could mean that a cow might spend most of its milk-producing life confined to a feed lot eating grain and not grass."”[1]

If you are concerned about the organic quality of your dairy products, talk to the suppliers of MHFC to see if they meet your standards, but please also advocate for the rest of the country who may not have access to cow-friendly farms.

To do more go to http://www.organicconsumers.org/ or http://www.consumeraffairs.com

Thank you for helping make our world a more peaceful and loving place