OK, back to sustainability and DAIRY

So we have talked about the dog so I guess I need to get back to sustainability.

I have been told by more than one person if you are going to put your money anywhere when it comes to food put it into milk.  Not just milk of course, but milk and milk products we all eat a lot of like yogurt and cheese.  This really didn't matter to me at first.  I don't drink milk. I just don't like it.  Now I have a 3 year old that likes milk. I am not sold on the health benefits of milk so I don't over do it.  I haven't drank any milk since I was weaned from the bottle around a year old.  I have never broken a bone despite some falls from interesting angles and high places and I have pretty decent teeth.  I ate your normal amounts of cheese, yogurt, and ice cream and I have always loved leafy green vegetables which are a great source of calcium so no one ever worried too much. Through research have come to learn that we humans really weren't meant to drink milk much past the time all of our teeth grow in so about age 3. Being smart humans, we figured out how to nurse all of our lives off of a creature other than ourselves.  When you think about it that way, milk isn't nearly as pleasant sounding now is it?  I have also done research on the benefits of raw milk.  There are many, including greater availability of vitamins, minerals, and beneficial bacteria than in pasteurized milk. 

When Rose was younger and drinking a lot of milk, I bought organic milk. It cost about $5.50 or more per gallon depending on where I purchased it.  At a gallon a week that is $22.00 a month.  The biggest supplier of organic milk to major markets is Horizon, www.horizondairy.com. Although Horizon is a big fish and a big corporation, they do employ family farmers following USDA organic guidelines to provide their milk and I think they do a pretty good job for as big as they are and when you think about it $22.00 a month isn't a bad deal until you compare it to $8.00 a month I could be spending on Wal-Mart's Great Value brand milk.  

Then you get to  learning about USDA organic guidelines.  A cow must be fed organic feed (check) a cow must be allowed 120 days of pasture each year (check). Wait, ummm, where is the cow the other 8 months of the year?  In a feedlot, being cycled through a huge milking barn, just like any other dairy cow being milked for Wal-Mart's milk except the cow is being fed organic feed and if it is given any antibiotics or medications it must be removed from the organic herd for a longer period of time than just the withdrawal period of the medicaiton. Happy cows?  Maybe. Happier cows than those stuck in a feed lot situation all of their lives like a typical dairy cow. Trust me that cows in California are not any happier than cows in Colorado like the commercial leads you to believe.

Oh, and you do know that a cow has to have a calf to make milk, right? Usually a dairy cow is milked for 9-10 months and then allowed to dry up for a few months before she calves again.  This "dry" period is when a cow in an organic dairy is probably turned out to pasture. Back to the calf.  Cows that are going to calve soon are separated into different pens.  They calve.  Their little bitty cute as a bugger calf may be allowed to nurse some colostrum from its mama, or it may just be whisked away.  The calf will be tethered what looks like, or what IS, an oversized igloo dog house within site of other calves but allowed no contact with them.  It will be provided with ample food, water, and milk.  The heifers will be kept as replacements.  The bulls will be sold as soon as possible to anyone willing to buy them and raise them for meat or whatever they desire.  Nature's way, yes?

So where am I going with all this?  Raw milk.  In Colorado and most states, you must OWN a cow to drink milk from it that is raw or unpasteurized.  So these farms sell shares in the cow.  You actually co-own the cow.  In most co-ops, you pay $40.00 or so per month for 1 gallon of milk per week.  Yes, $40.00!!!!  I am not saying it isn't worth it, but compared to $8.00 or even $22.00 per month that is insane.  But now you are dealing with dairies where the cows have names, the staff are bottle feeding and oogling each calf that has been removed from the mother, that is if they have even removed them for the cow is perfectly capable of producing enough milk for her offspring and plenty of humans as well. Your milk is given to you in glass containers providing the nostalgia everyone looks for these days in addition to the sustainability of glass container.   Live in Colorado? Find out about it www.rawmilkcolorado.org. 

My newest idea is the family dairy cow.  Our own family milk bar could provide us with milk to drink, make cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Would I like one? Yes. Is it feasible? I am not sure.  A cow must be milked twice a day each and every day for 9 months or more per year to stay in full production and her udder doesn't care if it is 20 below or 100 degrees and sweltering, it must be milk and the milk must be properly handled and stored and you will have a date with every 5 o'clock or 6 o'clock of this world for as long as you plan to milk a cow. You need to buy the equipment.  You need to buy the COW.  A halter broke, friendly cow you can milk by hand an run you $1,500 and up.  Heifer calves to raise up gentle and breed yourself? Virtually unheard of, and if they are at the sale barn you can assume there is something wrong with them. After you buy the equipment your initial investment is going to be at least $2,000 and then your monthly upkeep of lets say, $25.00 per month to feed your lactating wonder. I don't even want to do the math to see how long it would take to break even.   So the moral of this story is:

Wal-Mart Great Value Milk - Great value.  For you.  Not for the cow in a concrete barn or her calf in little hut in the throes of mid-west or Colorado Winter

Horizon or other "big ticket" organic companies - Great value for the product. Better for the cow. Still not so good for her calf in the little hut.

Raw Milk - If you are really serious about this sustainability stuff, do your research and join a raw milk co-op in your area and see how you like it.  Most of them have a starting fee, but it will be refunded if you choose to leave the co-p so you don't have much to lose. You can tour the dairy and meet the cows that are giving you your milk and their little doe-eyed dears that came into this world to give it to you and even give one a bottle.  Cute.

A dairy cow in your back yard - Only if you are crazy.  I am a little, so don't be surprised if you see Bessie in the front pasture when you come over next spring.