Celebrate!
Use some extra butter. Drink lots of milk (and dunk your cookies too!) Eat ice cream until you are miserable!
In Arkansas there are right around 70 dairies. Total. In the whole state! That is a much lower number than it was, say, 10 years ago. I could run through the numbers, but that isn't very exciting, shocking, but not exciting. But you can drive through the smaller towns in our state and see an old milk barn on most every piece of property. It's kinda sad.
It is so sad for me to see farms closing the barn door on the tractors and selling out. I realize that not everyone wants to farm and there may not be anyone to take over. Sometimes after a lifetime of hard work it's just time to turn in the keys. But farms are being put out of business because of strenuous regulations, cost of operation, and more and more because of the propaganda and fear mongering coming from so many different angles you have no idea who is attacking.
There are the obvious attackers of agriculture: PETA, HSUS, ASPCA with their false claims of "industrial farm" animal abuse and the videos that they "secretly" film. I put all of these words in quotation marks because their claims just don't ring true. Let me stop and make a point...there are bad people in the world. There are bad farmers, but those few farmers do not represent the whole...the best of us. Farmers are proud people. We are proud because what we do is important to us and to the world. We take pride in caring for our land, our plants, our equipment, our animals, and our families. We don't abuse any of those things. It just wouldn't make sense. There are practices that may look abusive, but if you understand why we do things a certain way it usually puts the "video" or the practice back into context and makes sense. The best thing to do is ask a farmer why they do what they do and why they do it a particular way. I am always open to questions...if I don't have the answer I will find it or find someone that can answer for me.
The majority of farms in the United States are family owned, operated, and loved. Lots of farms have incorporated their farm legally because it is a multi-family farm or just because it makes good business sense. Just because a farm has an "inc." name doesn't mean it is any less family owned and operated. Farms are businesses just like any other and the owners have to protect themselves and their livelihoods just like any other type of business. Making good business decisions is what keeps a farm running. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in Farmer Brown's overalls and straw hat (or in the Milkman's case...Carharts and ball caps) we forget that inside he still has to wear a suit and tie and make business decisions that can make or break his life's work.
I would also like to touch on the farms that hold a food company name like Tyson, Cargill etc. Those farms aren't "industrial" or "factory." The families that own and operate those farms contract with those companies to produce and sell the products they grow. In order to feed the world this is a necessary way to farm. There is no cost effective way for every farmer to build, purchase product, purchase feed, carry every piece of the production agriculture puzzle on their shoulders and produce an affordable, cost effective product. It can't happen when you need to feed the world. John F. Kennedy said, "The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways." That statement is huge. We need to feed 7 billion people and there isn't really a break in how we do it. We just gotta do it.
Then we have people that are either health activists or what I like to call "brand pushers" that like to either put fear of conventional ag into consumers or shame them into buying whatever they are selling or chose to believe in that day. Yes...organic is one of those. The organic market is booming. Do I buy organic? Sometimes, but only when there isn't a conventionally grown product available. There is no scientific studies showing organic products are healthier or better for you. And if you find one...you better research the researcher. Google makes it easy to find exactly what you are looking for...they analyze your past searches and your wording and it gives you a slanted version of whatever topic you type in. So go ahead and use "the Google" but make sure you are seeing both sides of your inquiry.
Let's touch on a few misconceptions of organic. True or false:
No pesticides (including insecticides/herbicides) are used in organic production....
FALSE
There are "organic approved" pesticides used on organically grown products. They aren't necessarily safer than conventionally used pesticides and lots of cases they are less effective causing larger amounts to be applied. Part of the reason organic products are more expensive is because they are more expensive to produce.
All locally grown produce is organic.
FALSE
Organic is a marketing label. Organic production is overseen by the USDA and must follow certain production guidelines to receive the "organic" label. Farmer's market items aren't necessarily following the USDA guidelines. And if they aren't...they shouldn't be labeled organic.
Organic milk is healthier/fewer hormones/less antibiotics in it.
FALSE
Again....there are no studies showing organic milk being healthier than conventionally produced milk. In our area there are no organic processing facilities. That means that any organic milk produced in Northwest Arkansas is shipped much further than conventionally produced milk. The way they process organic milk is somewhat different than conventional milk and sometimes organic milk has a longer shelf life than conventionally produced milk, but the difference is in the processing, not the producing.
There are hormones in all milk. Not added hormones, but if you break down why a cow produces milk...it is because they had a baby (just like humans.) There are hormones in any animal product and in plants also. Some farmers use a synthetic hormone to boost milk production. The hormone rBST already exists in cows and in their milk. There is no way to test for the synthetic version because it is the same as what already occurs. Because of the hype that was stirred from some false claims, a lot farmers have signed contracts saying they won't use rBST on their farms. This was something several companies did so they could advertise "rBST free" or "no added hormones." Any milk that advertises "hormone free" is stretching the truth. They are trying to say "no synthetic hormones used to increase production." But that doesn't fit on the label as easily. (For more info on rBST please take a peek at this blog: http://www.agricultured.org/hormone-use-in-dairy-cows/)
Antibiotics. Oh the fun, fun topic. Farmers do not use antibiotics on their cows for fun, for growth, or for production. Antibiotics are expensive, for one. We don't like spending unnecessary money...that practice cuts into profits. Any momma cow that has been treated with antibiotics will be milked into a milk can. Their milk is DUMPED out. Down the drain. Testing for antibiotics in milk is very sensitive. The test can show a drop (one tiny drop) of antibiotic treated milk in an Olympic sized pool. If there is a single tiny drop of treated milk on the truck that picks up my milk the entire truck has to be dumped. DUMPED down the drain. Do you know how much I get paid for milk that goes down the drain? Nada. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Do you know how much it cost me to produce that milk? Lots. I mean way more than nada, nothing, zero, zilch. So please, explain to me...why would I taint milk going to the plant if it is going to be dumped and I not only lose income for that load, but I have to pay the other farmer's that may have been on the pickup list for that truck also? That, my friends, is how you lose money and lose a farm...do something stupid like that over and over.
So why? Why do we use antibiotics, you ask? Because we love our cows. If a cow is sick, injured, hurting, etc., we give a vet recommended dosage to her and wait for her to get better. We put her milk into a separate can and dump it out (losing money...) until all of the antibiotic is out of her system. We have testing kits on the farm that we can test the milk with. If the tests say the antibiotic is still in her system...we keep dumping. If it shows clean milk she goes back into the tank. It really isn't rocket science, but when you have groups spreading hate and discontent about antibiotics in your milk the fear kicks in and you just need someone (that knows a thing or two about farming) to break it down for you.
The vast amount of information floating around is overwhelming. The ease in which lies and deception is spread is startling. Farmers want to make a quality product and make a living. That is the point...we love what we do, but we do it to live. We feed our families what we produce so making a poor quality product is out of the question.
Here is the point...Choosing organic or conventionally grown and produced food is a personal choice. Make the choice based on truthful information. Make it based on what you can afford. Make the decision after you have done your research and after you talk to someone that knows agricultural practices and reasons behind them. I'm good with choices and organic production. I'm not good with the folks trying to sell that you should spend more than necessary on food because of a marketing sticker.
Just do your homework.
Speaking of homework, if you like to eat, and you like to eat affordable, quality food make sure you know what you are donating your dollars to. Make sure you know what you are buying and buying into. The sad puppy commercials are a very effective tool. They make you think that whatever you give goes to the puppy mills and starved, mistreated kittens. The reality, that you can find, if you look close enough, is that your money goes to lawyers and the goal of many of these organizations is to shut down production agriculture. If that happens you can say goodbye to affordable bacon, steaks, chops, turkey legs, milk, cheese, butter....you get the point. We will go from 'Merica...BBQ and beer (yep...also an agricultural product) to...well the opposite. Scare tactics aren't my thing, but you smell what I'm cookin'.
If you want to donate to helping prevent animal abuse and help with shelters please donate to LOCAL humane societies. The Humane Society of the United States is NOT a local humane society....
I know y'all will be doing lots of research now. But take a break and go get a bucket of ice cream, cookies to go with your milk, butter for your 'tater, and don't forget the cheese! Dairy farms are going out of business every day. Do your part and keep on buying dairy products. We don't want to see any sad puppy face dairy farmer commercials....
Celebrate Dairy Month!
There are hormones in all milk. Not added hormones, but if you break down why a cow produces milk...it is because they had a baby (just like humans.) There are hormones in any animal product and in plants also. Some farmers use a synthetic hormone to boost milk production. The hormone rBST already exists in cows and in their milk. There is no way to test for the synthetic version because it is the same as what already occurs. Because of the hype that was stirred from some false claims, a lot farmers have signed contracts saying they won't use rBST on their farms. This was something several companies did so they could advertise "rBST free" or "no added hormones." Any milk that advertises "hormone free" is stretching the truth. They are trying to say "no synthetic hormones used to increase production." But that doesn't fit on the label as easily. (For more info on rBST please take a peek at this blog: http://www.agricultured.org/hormone-use-in-dairy-cows/)
Antibiotics. Oh the fun, fun topic. Farmers do not use antibiotics on their cows for fun, for growth, or for production. Antibiotics are expensive, for one. We don't like spending unnecessary money...that practice cuts into profits. Any momma cow that has been treated with antibiotics will be milked into a milk can. Their milk is DUMPED out. Down the drain. Testing for antibiotics in milk is very sensitive. The test can show a drop (one tiny drop) of antibiotic treated milk in an Olympic sized pool. If there is a single tiny drop of treated milk on the truck that picks up my milk the entire truck has to be dumped. DUMPED down the drain. Do you know how much I get paid for milk that goes down the drain? Nada. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Do you know how much it cost me to produce that milk? Lots. I mean way more than nada, nothing, zero, zilch. So please, explain to me...why would I taint milk going to the plant if it is going to be dumped and I not only lose income for that load, but I have to pay the other farmer's that may have been on the pickup list for that truck also? That, my friends, is how you lose money and lose a farm...do something stupid like that over and over.
So why? Why do we use antibiotics, you ask? Because we love our cows. If a cow is sick, injured, hurting, etc., we give a vet recommended dosage to her and wait for her to get better. We put her milk into a separate can and dump it out (losing money...) until all of the antibiotic is out of her system. We have testing kits on the farm that we can test the milk with. If the tests say the antibiotic is still in her system...we keep dumping. If it shows clean milk she goes back into the tank. It really isn't rocket science, but when you have groups spreading hate and discontent about antibiotics in your milk the fear kicks in and you just need someone (that knows a thing or two about farming) to break it down for you.
The vast amount of information floating around is overwhelming. The ease in which lies and deception is spread is startling. Farmers want to make a quality product and make a living. That is the point...we love what we do, but we do it to live. We feed our families what we produce so making a poor quality product is out of the question.
Here is the point...Choosing organic or conventionally grown and produced food is a personal choice. Make the choice based on truthful information. Make it based on what you can afford. Make the decision after you have done your research and after you talk to someone that knows agricultural practices and reasons behind them. I'm good with choices and organic production. I'm not good with the folks trying to sell that you should spend more than necessary on food because of a marketing sticker.
Just do your homework.
Speaking of homework, if you like to eat, and you like to eat affordable, quality food make sure you know what you are donating your dollars to. Make sure you know what you are buying and buying into. The sad puppy commercials are a very effective tool. They make you think that whatever you give goes to the puppy mills and starved, mistreated kittens. The reality, that you can find, if you look close enough, is that your money goes to lawyers and the goal of many of these organizations is to shut down production agriculture. If that happens you can say goodbye to affordable bacon, steaks, chops, turkey legs, milk, cheese, butter....you get the point. We will go from 'Merica...BBQ and beer (yep...also an agricultural product) to...well the opposite. Scare tactics aren't my thing, but you smell what I'm cookin'.
If you want to donate to helping prevent animal abuse and help with shelters please donate to LOCAL humane societies. The Humane Society of the United States is NOT a local humane society....
I know y'all will be doing lots of research now. But take a break and go get a bucket of ice cream, cookies to go with your milk, butter for your 'tater, and don't forget the cheese! Dairy farms are going out of business every day. Do your part and keep on buying dairy products. We don't want to see any sad puppy face dairy farmer commercials....
Celebrate Dairy Month!
Great post!
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