Happy Holsteins

Here are some holstein crosses eating what they were designed to eat - grass! (wow, what a concept) Cows aren't supposed to sit in a crowded feedlot, wading in feces eating corn. The close, unhygenic quarters of a feedlot combined with an unnatural genetically engineered corn diet pumped up with antibiotics, promote disease such as the pathogenic E. coli and antibiotic-resistant bactera. The animals get stressed out and are unable to fend off the microbial invaders and become sick, and infect others.

Grass-fed cows such as these pretty girls, freely graze pasture and have room to roam. As a result, they are stronger, healthier animals. The milk from grass-fed cows also contains conjugated linolenic acid which promotes muscle growth and fat burning, and is thought to protect against heart disease and some cancers.

As a consumer, there is absolutely no good reason for you to drink non-organic milk from corn-fed cows. The same goes for eating beef.

Organic dairy Brookford Farm, Rollinsford, NH

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Comments

orangesoc12 says:

Let Me Share My Opinion...
#1 Those are Not Holsteins, they are crossbreds!
#2 Cows should not have horns, they will hurt each other!
#3 How can these cows "freely graze and have room to roam" in New Hampshire 12 months of the year...I believe the growing season is significantly shortened there! And plus I think they get a lot of snow.
#4 unhygenic? any farm can be unhygenic its a matter of management, not organic or non organic!
#5 Speaking of management perhaps you should research dairy farming before you make such comments against non oraganic farmers...you may anger one.
#6 again managment...we have cows that are 13+ years old and they aren't organic cows imagine that...maybe its just because that they are well cared for? could that possibly be it? No, only organic cows are healthy surely any other non oraganic would die at a very young age, maybe 2 or 3 that has to be it! sorry for the sarcasm but you comments are just that absurd!

Come to think of it...as a consumer there is absolutly no good reason for you to drink organic milk!

All Milk is All Heathly is All Safe
Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

iLoveButter says:

Hi OrangeSoc,

Thank you for your comment. I seem to have hit a nerve, and I'm sorry if I've offended you. I failed to differentiate between the small family farm and the large factory farm, and I think that is where the problem is. My comments were aimed at the large-scale industrial farm where hundreds or thousands of heads of cattle are raised, not dozens. (I'm guessing the farm you grew up on is a small family farm - in which case I fully understand why you're pissed). When you raise anything on a large scale - be it chickens, cattle, corn or vegetables - you lose the ability to lavish your brood, herd or crop with personal attention. In my mind, this is where the problem lies, when we turn to mechanization and chemical input to artificially increase production without regard to the consequences inflicted on the environment, animal or mankind.

To respond to your comment:

#1 - Yes, I know they're not purebred holsteins, but "Happy Crossbred Jersey-Holstein Mix" didn't have quite the alliteration I was going for.

#2 - Their cows have horns, and they do fine with one another. They are not limited to confined space where I imagine this could be a problem. These farmers keep the horns on because they believe it results in better quality milk. They told me this topic is actively being researched in Europe (where they previously farmed), and also that cheese makers (who *really* know milk) prefer milk from horned cows.

#3 - I never said they freely roam 12 months a year. They do graze much of the year but obviously not all. During winter months they eat hay and silage, and a portion of the pasture was plowed and planted with winter rye. The goal is for them to graze March through December (which I think if pretty amazing given our climate).

#4 - Yes! You're absolutely right - any farm can be hygienic or not. However, even the cleanest farm that packs animals in close quarters where they can't roam will be less hygienic than the same number of cows on pasture where they can roam and move about freely. Ventilation is better (it's outside), they don't have to stand in poop (they can move around), and they have some space between one another. As an analogy, the spread of disease is dramatically higher in urban areas than in rural because close quarters facilitates transmission of disease.

#5 - As a nutritionist, I feel it's important to understand where food comes from and over the last year have set out to learn. In terms of dairy farming, I've spoken with university professors knowledgeable on the subject and have personally visited farms. I don't claim to be an expert, I am still learning and would welcome your experience in this field. When I speak out against conventional farming, again, it's directed at factory farming, not small family farms. My criticisms can be backed up with scientific evidence. (for example, higher rates of pathogenic E. coli among grain fed cattle, or antibiotic resistance bacteria becoming a problem among factory farmed animals, or the nutritional difference in milk from grass-fed vs grain-fed cows)

#6 - Again, there is a difference between factory farming and small farming. I have no problem believing that well-cared for conventionally raised cows can live a long, happy life if they have owners who care about them and work to keep them happy.

As a consumer, there is almost no good reason to drink conventional milk that comes from grain-fed cows. Making the choice to consume organic milk is:

#1 - better for the environment (less oil use and employment of biotechnology/agrichemicals to grow corn),

#2 - better for people - the milk from grass-fed cows contains different kinds of fats which protect against heart diease and cancer,

#3 - better for people because there is lowered incidence of pathogenic E. coli,

#4 - better for mankind - the use of antibiotics is prohibited resulting in no spread of anti-biotic resistant bacteria (MRSA),

#5 - better for people - milk from cows given recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) have higher levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) which may increase the risk of some cancers and diabetes

#6 - its more humane; the organic standard requires most of the cow's diet to be pasture where the cow can indulge natural behaviors (graze) and eat its natural diet

Not all conventional farmers feed their cows grain, use antibiotics or rBGH. However, NO organic farmers use antibiotics or rBGH (ever), and limited grain is allowed. Therefor, by buying organic you are guaranteeing these 3 things; by buying conventional, you are not.

All milk is healthy and safe if you look no further than its edibility. When you dig deeper and look at the environmental, social and ethical consequences, not all milk is created equal.
Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

orangesoc12 says:

Perhaps next time you decide to write such you will think twice about what you are saying and who you are saying, I too am against factory and fully understand that your making a crack at the so called happy cows from California...however your not too much better then those ads when you generalize all dairies together that are not this so called better organic. But I suppose if you went to a university and visit farms periodically you would know much about the subject and aparently you've made your mind your mind up about the subject and refute others facts....and lastly you say its more humane, do you think that if a cow is not feeling well one day and you give her some banamine (equivalent to asprin) she might feel better-but organic cows don't get this so in turn this is like a person having a head ache and not being able to do anything about it, but I am sure there is some organic fu fu dust you can give them!
Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

iLoveButter says:

As I have already stated, I was wrong by not differentiating between factory farms and small family farms, and next time I will make this distinction.

As a personal philosophy, I endorse small scale organic farming because I disagree with man's assertation that nature is something to be controlled; rather, I believe it is something to work with. I do not see a difference between humans and animals, I believe we are one in the same - we are all sharing the same earth, the same air, the same water and the same future. However, humans have a higher consciousness and I feel it is our duty to protect these resources for future generations.

With regards to banamine, and your example of taking aspirin for a headache - Headaches can be caused by hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hormonal imbalances, allergies, a magnesium deficiency causing muscle spasm, and other things. Taking an aspirin does nothing to address the underlying cause, all is does is mask the symptom. If you ignore the primary cause of an illness, you run greater risk of repeat occurances of that illness. Further more, animals that are fed their natural diet and don't live in physiologically stressful conditions don't normally get sick. This applies to cows as well as humans. But that's another topic.

Back to your point about banamine and your implication that organic farmers would rather let their animal suffer than pharmacologically treat its ills... Organic farmers don't ignore illness and pain in their animal, they just use other therapeutic measures - the "fu fu dust" as you put it. Their animals are treated holistically where the whole animal is treated, not just the symptom.

I think it's interesting that you criticize me for passing judgment about things when I don't know all the information, yet you continually do so yourself. Clearly you know very little about the philosophy behind organic farming and holistic medical care, but you don't let this lack of knowledge stand in your way of attacking me. Frankly, you have done little to convince me that conventional farming is any different than I believe it to be.

No one can be an expert in everything. However, lack of expertise does not prevent us from forming opinions based on the knowledge we have. I have never claimed to be an expert on dairy farming. However, given the information that I have about animal science, nutrition and the environmental impact of agriculture coupled with my personal philosophy, I feel sustainable, organic agriculture is a better system. If you disagree with me, you should try to convince me of your viewpoint rather than attacking me. I can promise you that attacking me will not sway my opinion.
Posted 22 months ago. ( permalink )

vitaman says:

This is a great photo! I have the perfect blog post to accompany it. I will forward our readers to this page. (Attribution and link to your photo is listed at the bottom of the post.) Check out your pic in action: www.marksdailyapple.com Have a great day!
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

iLoveButter says:

Hi Mark - I'm glad you liked and used my photo. Keep up the good blog!
Posted 21 months ago. ( permalink )

tankgirl_1973 says:

Hello, I used your beautiful photo in an article on grass-fed beef. I thought you might appreciate seeing it. Thanks!

ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/14/grass-fed-beef-f or-the-consc...
Posted 10 months ago. ( permalink )

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Happy Holsteins

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