Udderly Important: To Know Your Dairy

Where does your milk come from?


Do you know anything about the farms that your dairy comes from? Buying milk organically and/or locally can be expensive and time consuming if you don't know where to look. There are a variety of reasons why sourcing dairy properly benefits you, the animal and the environment.

First and foremost, I'd like to throw out there one of the MOST important reasons why you should know the conditions of the farms that your dairy comes from. The FDA only inspects dairy farms once every ten years. Yes, you read correctly. Not having the time and resources has been a major problem in ensuring the safety of our food and drinks. Ironically, much of the FDA's focus and money is on the foodbourne outbreaks that occur in response to the living conditions of the animals.

In large scale factory farms, about half of all dairy cows experience the infection, mastitis because of poor living conditions and hygiene. It causes the cows a lot of pain (boo) :( and reduces the nutritional value in casein (major milk protein), potassium and lactoferrin (another protein).

Quality dairy has quality ingredients.

A great local farm!

Speaking of nutritional value, this is one of the most important things I could mention. For those of you who are not as inclined to choose your dairy based on animal welfare, it's also important to remember that the living conditions, diet and medicine a cow ingests can effect the quality of your milk. If a cow becomes infected with mastitis, it will be given antibiotics which, in turn you will ingest those antibiotics when you drink the milk. Antibiotics can weaken your immune system because they not only kill the so-called, "bad bacteria" but the "good bacteria" as well.

Happy cows play in the sun.


Cows that graze and eat grass for dinner as opposed to corn or animal by-product, also produce a better quality milk. Think about it. Whenever a cow eats what it's meant to eat, (grass) it is healthier and it creates a milk with less contaminants. Whenever a cow gets to exercise and pasture in the sun, it's soaking in more vitamin D which, in turn leaves your milk with a higher vitamin D content. A happy cow is not the only one who benefits from a healthy diet and exercise.

Another great local farm!!

Speaking of happy cows, did you know that often in factory farms, cows have to have their horns removed to create space so they can all be crammed in together? This de-horning process is painful and no anesthestic is used. An ABC news report from 2010 stated that 9 out of 10 farms practice de-horning.

Dairy cows are supposed to live for roughly 20 years. Factory farmed cows live about 5. Exhaustion, over working and poor living conditions are the reasons for this.



Let's make a change.

I pose the question, why do we accept that animals are treated poorly? Why do we allow our country to produce sub-par milk? What can you do to help make better choices in dairy?

Three things: Buy local. Buy organic. Know your farm. If at all possible and you trust your farm, try some raw milk too. Pasteurization kills off many of the nutrients in milk and the only reason we really have to pasteurize is because conglomerate farms farm in unsanitary conditions. Raw milk contains all 8 essential amino acids... it's a perfect protein! Raw milk also contains higher amounts of soluble and non-soluble vitamins than pasteurized milk. Have you ever seen the words "Vitamin A & D" on the label of your milk? Like this --->



Basically, the milk people have to add BACK in vitamins and minerals because the pasteurization process kill so many of the wonderful things that milk has to offer. Raw milk has protein, fat, carbohydrate and vitamins from a natural source.


Why cows are rad. 

Okay, so finding quality dairy means that you must look for a cow that is treated properly so you can get more vitamins, minerals and protein when you consume it. Does it benefit the planet? The cooooooolest thing about cows is, they make their own fertilizer for harvesting their own food. Cows that eat grass, poop on the grass, which helps the grass grow. It's pretty great. We don't have to do much. Nor do we have to use pesky pesticides and herbicides.

Don't let this information go through one ear and out da udder. Know your dairy! Buy locally and organically to keep you, your family and our local cows happy :)