Milk
It's poured over cereal, consumed with dinner, and used for dunking many a cookie. Of all the drinks consumed, milk comes in at third place, with over 10 percent of the beverage market. But milk is more controversial than most people realize.
Milk is a primary source for calcium and vitamin D. A one-cup serving — eight ounces — supplies 30 percent of the daily recommended amount of calcium and 25 percent of vitamin D. It also contains significant amounts of protein, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorus.
Cows in large numbers are quite a burden on the planet. A satiated dairy cow can produce 120 pounds of manure a day, and cows account for 28 percent of global emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas. Two issues define the controversy over dairy cows: how the cows live and what the cows are fed.
Grazing Versus Confinement
Like most businesses, dairy farmers are under increased pressure to maintain a profit even when operational costs rise and the cost of milk stays level. Dairy farms generally operate in one of two ways, either using grazing or nongrazing methods to feed the cows. Research, studies, and evaluations abound regarding the profitability of both forms of farming. Both methods of dairy farming require daily milking of cows, and cows are slaughtered for meat when their milking days are over.
Grazing farms use pastureland and allow herds to forage with scheduled moves from paddock to paddock. Cows generally rely on pasture grass for food, with some forms of supplemental feed.
Nongrazing, or confinement or factory farms, limit cows' movement, keeping them close to the milking barn. Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are popular ways of mass raising dairy cows. Since cows don't move in CAFOs, all of the food must be harvested elsewhere and transported to the cows. In warmer climates, cows need fans and misters to reduce the potential for heat stress and keep milk production up. With factory farms, a lot of money is spent on food and managing the cows' environment.
Cows living on factory farms expend little energy on anything other than producing milk. Their food is brought to them and they don't move much. The reason pasture cows make less milk than confined cows is that they spend energy walking from paddock to paddock and grazing. In short, pasture cows spend more time being cows.
Pasture cows tend to produce less milk on a daily basis than their confined counterparts, but they generally live longer. Also, grazing cows suffer less mastitis, an infection of the teats, and produce more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a potent anticarcinogen. When costs are tallied, the increased quantities of milk factory farms produce do not compensate for the high costs of running the farm. Grazing has been found to be the more cost-effective method of farming.
Antibiotics and Growth Hormones
Many dairy cows are given bovine growth hormones (BGH) to encourage milk production, and antibiotics to ward off infection. Organic milk has increased in popularity as people become more aware of the antibiotics and hormones given to cows. Horizon Organic has been in the organic dairy business since 1992. With animal welfare and healthful products in mind, the company refrains from giving antibiotics and hormones to its cows and from applying pesticides to its fields. Beyond running its own organic dairies, the company works with other farmers who want to make the move to organic farming.
Two New England farms that have made the switch to organic include Dean Foods and H. P. Hood. The two dairies started by eliminating the use of artificial growth hormones. It is hoped that this step will alleviate consumer concerns without dramatically increasing the cost of the milk. It's expected that the hormone-free milk will be offered at half the price of organic milk.
Many organic farmers do allow pasture grazing for their dairy. However, the USDA is working to define clearly what constitutes organic milk. Although the USDA understands that organic milk should come from cows that have not been subjected to growth hormones or antibiotics, the use of pasture or confinement farming has not been well defined.
Milk Alternatives
Soy, rice, and almond milk have a mild sweet taste and can be used instead of dairy milk in cooking. They work well in baked goods such as breads and muffins and in breakfast foods such as waffle and pancake mixes. But this sweetness doesn't make for a good substitute in cream sauces or mashed potatoes. Unsweetened soymilk works best in saltier dishes.
If you are planning to subtract dairy products from your diet, then soy, rice, or almond milk can be good replacements for cow's milk. These substitutes are extracted from natural ingredients that do not produce manure or methane, two environmental detriments for which cows are responsible.
Like organic milk from cows, these alternatives also allow you to avoid hormones associated with the dairy industry. In addition, since a primary component of a cow's diet is plants, by drinking milk made from plants, you are bypassing the animals all together.
Soy and almond milk contain comparable amounts of protein when compared to dairy, with rice coming in slightly behind. Nutrients not present in dairy alternatives such as calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and riboflavin are usually added. Not all milk products taste the same so it may be worth trying a few different brands. Once relegated strictly to health-food stores, a variety of nondairy milk products can now be found in many chain grocery stores.
