The Diva Gets Dirty

Not a controversial person by nature, I began this blog more for entertainment than educational purposes. I do not consider myself an expert on anything. I greatly enjoy my life, my children and my time spent working on the dairy farm with my family and among the cows; who to me are beautiful, gentle giants that bring me peace and happiness nearly every moment I am with them.

Farming, however, has become controversial! The technologies and practices are continually called into question. We as consumers question (justifiably!) where our food comes from and how it is produced. In a capitalist society, that is how it should be. The customer is always right and will buy the products that most accurately fit their needs. Those producer's businesses in turn (should) flourish and the ones whose products are not favored either change their product or go out of business.

I've tried to keep my fingers clean and not delve into inflammatory subject matter here (as I said - this is supposed to be fun!). Lately, I am seeing some things around that are pushing my aforementioned digits to work with the brain and add some Diva Dish to the buffet of digital information so readily available. I am not about to say Organic or Not Organic; but I will say, Choose Dairy! I will say, if you have questions, look at the available research, talk to a farmer, do some experimenting in your own home with This Brand or That Type and see if it makes a difference for you. Only you can choose what is right for you.

In the interest of trying to provide a little additional insight as to the use of hormones and antibiotics in farm animals, I'd like to tell you how we handle these items at our place.

BST - that dirty little hormone so many people fear. Bovine somatotropin, a hormone that already occurs in cows (and no test can detect a higher presence of in milk) that when supplementally injected, will cause some cows to produce more milk. I say some because it is very important that you pick and choose what cows you administer it to; based on their overall health and stage of lactation. We choose cows that aren't eating as aggressively as we would like to see and aren't milking as much as we believe they can as candidates to receive BST. Once they are on the injections, most times their overall health and condition (and of course milk production!) improves.

You must remember, as much as farming is a passion and a lifestyle, it is also a business. What is most important in business is efficiency and productivity! We must have healthy cows who can milk. We do not like to cull (sell or send to slaughter) cows. It is a much better option to take care of them, keep them healthy and watch them thrive! Those injections are not free. Popping every cow in the herd with hormones would be an inefficient, expensive way to do business. So please do not think farmers are out there randomly juicing up cows with hormones to squeeze every last drop of milk out of them before they toss them away like used toilet paper.

Now, let's get to antibiotics. I'm sure you have personal experience to draw from here. You get sick, it won't go away. After you've tried everything you know to do, you go to your doc and they prescribe an antibiotic that finally clears whatever had you feeling so wretched.

Cows get sick too. Not often, really, but they do. They can't look at you and say "Man, I feel like crap! I've got a fever and no appetite and I just really don't want to get up to milk today!" It would be a lot easier if they could! But this is why it is so important to pay attention to them as we work around them. We watch feed input (and output...), the condition of their coats, how they are walking, their eyes. If we think one is getting sick, we jump on it! A quick response usually means a better prognosis and recovery.

If one comes up sick, the first things to try to help are topical: feed hay for an upset stomach, we have mint rubs for sore legs or udder ailments (I am an AWESOME masseuse!), vitamin injections can be very helpful. Sometimes a visit from the veterinarian and possibly even surgery is in order. Sometimes a visit from the hoof trimmer does the trick. Sometimes antibiotics have to be used.

If antibiotics are used, here is what happens. As soon as that first treatment is given, a bright yellow ankle bracelet is put on one of her back legs to indicate that she is "treated". That cow's milk is collected into a separate container (we call it a drop pail) and discarded. We milk our treated cows last. Once the milking equipment comes off that cow, it is taken into the milk house (the barn equivalent of a kitchen sans cooking appliances) and not used on another cow until it has been run through the wash (think industrial dish washer!) cycles.

This process goes on throughout the course of treatment for the cow and for awhile thereafter, depending on the type of antibiotic used. On each box of medication is a label that states a "withhold time" - how long the milk will be tainted with antibiotics. Once the cow has been off the medicine for the stated amount of time, a sample of her milk is taken and tested to make sure it is clear of the antibiotics. It usually is and her milk can then go back in the mix with the other cows. If it is not, her milk continues to be discarded until her samples come back clear.

I should also mention that when the milk truck comes to pick up our milk, the driver takes a sample of our milk to be tested at the plant. If a truck full of milk comes up tainted with antibiotics, the milk is dumped and they know which farm it came from which means you are going to get called on it! Other than not getting paid for that shipment, I am not sure what the actions are here; but know that we are not the only people testing the quality of that milk.

Again, drugs cost money and sick cows mean lost milk income. So we do our very best to keep our cows healthy and our milk as clean as possible. There is way more to it than this; but this seems to be the big stuff people worry about, and at least now you know how one little farm handles these issues.

You know, we drink milk too! I wouldn't feed you anything I wouldn't eat myself!