Crying Over Raw Milk

I don't cry about spilt milk but as a dairy farmer,mom, and registered nurse, I do feel like crying when I read about children or adults who have gotten sick from drinking raw milk. Drinking raw (unpasteurized) milk is a health risk. Is it really food freedom to subject your children to illness? Reading about the nine children in Tennessee sickened and hospitalized in November due to an E.coli outbreak caused by raw milk is distressing because it was unnecessary.

 According to Food Safety News, two of the nine children developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially fatal kidney disease associated with severe E.coli infections. In just two weeks, five year old Maddie Powell's medical bills had mounted to more than $125,000 and that's not the final bill. Is food freedom worth risking your family's health or life?

From the dairy producer that was involved in this recent outbreak, to the comments from the head of the largest raw milk dairy in the nation, it's obvious they don't seem to understand or believe the proven science that pasteurization is the only way to kill  harmful bacteria that can be present in milk regardless of how diligent the dairy farmer works to provide a safe product.

Here are some proven facts about milk and pasteurization:

• Pasteurization DOES kill harmful bacteria.
• Pasteurization DOES save lives.
• Raw milk DOES NOT kill dangerous pathogens by itself.
• Both raw milk and pasteurized milk can cause allergic reactions in people sensitive to milk proteins.
• Pasteurization DOES NOT reduce milk's nutritional value.

If you're considering purchasing raw milk for yourself or your family, please consider that children, pregnant women, the elderly and any person with a suppressed immune system are more  susceptible to raw milk illness. You can find more information at  Real Raw Milk Facts or Midwest Dairy. I'm also happy to answer any questions about how we work every day to provide safe, high-quality  milk on our Arkansas dairy.

Raw milk illness is preventable---real  freedom involves making a  a responsible,informed choice.

Do Cows Have Hormones?

 

Like all mammals, cows have hormones.  Cows have a naturally occurring protein hormone produced in the pituitary gland called bovine somatotropin (bST). This hormone regulates metabolic activities and helps young cattle grow and adult cattle to  produce milk. This natural hormone does not have any physiological effect on humans consuming the milk because:

• bST is species-specific, meaning that it is biologically inactive in humans
• When milk is consumed, the small amount of bST present is broken down completely by the body's digestive system, just like any other protein.
• Pasteurization destroys 90% of bST in milk.

In 1993,  artificial bovine somatotropin hormone (rbST) was developed and after extensive review  approved by the Food and Drug Administration   that could boost milk production and ensure a plentiful supply of milk. 

While  scientific studies have found no difference between milk from cows that are given the artificial hormone from cows that are not, consumers wanted a choice in how milk is produced. You now find milk labeled with the pledge from dairy farmers that produce milk without using this approved technology tool .

 

We support consumer choices but it's important to understand that carton to carton, bottle to bottle, all milk is wholesome, safe and nutritious.

Do You Buy Antibiotic Free Milk?

For the last couple of years, I have been hosting dairy farm tours for University of Arkansas nutrition students. We have had very interesting conversations about how we produce milk and the fact that milk and dairy products are among the most highly regulated foods in this country. Many students state that they buy a particular brand of milk because it states it contains no antibiotics and they feel it is safer than the other brand.  Is this marketing at its best or worst?

Although we sometimes find it necessary to treat cows with antibiotics when they are ill, the milk from those cows is discarded and does not go into the milk supply. Milk from a treated cow will be tested by our dairy cooperative lab and declared antibiotic free before it can be returned to the supply. It is illegal for any dairy farmer to sell milk that might contain antibiotics and we take the responsibility to produce safe milk seriously. Each load of milk is tested for antibiotic on the farm before it is loaded onto the milk transport truck, before it is unloaded at the processing plant and at least two more times before processing occurs.  Strict U.S. government standards ensure that milk is wholesome,safe, and nutritious. More information about dairy food safety  can be found at http://www.midwestdairy.com/ or http://www.dairyfarmingtoday.org/.

Once our milk leaves the farm for processing we have no say in how it is labeled. In my opinion, milk that is labeled "No Antibiotics" or "Antibiotic Free" is misleading because NO milk is sold with any antibiotic. Marketing is a great tool in any business and consumer choice is important but I think when labeling leads to increasing doubt about the safety of our food it is an injustice to the consumer and the farmer.  What do you think?

America's Milk Safety

America's dairy farmers provide safe milk. When I go to buy my two or three gallons every week at the grocery store, I never worry about milk safety because I have first hand knowledge of how milk gets to the store. Three hundred sixty five days a year, we milk three hundred cows twice daily. Along with the nation's 55,000 dairy producers, we take our responsibility seriously when it comes to providing a safe product. Milk is the most highly tested and regulated food that is available to consumers. Safety of milk starts on the farm with proper care of our animals and vigilant milking procedures. Our animals receive medication only when sick. Treatment plans are developed by our veterinarian to provide proper care. On our farm, if a milk cow is treated with an antibiotic, that cow is milked in a separate container and the milk is thrown away. That treated cow's milk will not be allowed into the bulk milk tank until a sample of her milk is tested by our dairy cooperative lab and proven free of antibiotics. Each time milk is picked up on our farm to travel to the processing plant, a sample of milk is taken by the milk truck driver and carried to the plant. Before the milk is unloaded at the plant, the milk is tested for antibiotics. It is unloaded into a milk silo before processing and will be tested again before it is pasteurized and bottled. If at any time, antibiotic is found in the milk, the milk is discarded. The commitment of the dairy industry to provide safe products is reinforced by a statement from the National Milk Producers Federation this week:

The U.S. milk industry has an exemplary record concerning management of antibiotics. Under a comprehensive program administered by the state regulatory authorities and overseen by FDA, the U.S. dairy industry conducts nearly 4 million tests each year to ensure that antibiotics are kept out of the milk supply. For example in 2009, only .028% tested positive, and those very rare cases, the mik is not sold to the public. http://www.nmpf.org/latest-news/press-releases/jan-2011/dairy-industry-statement-on-supplemental-antibiotic-residue-test

Rest assured, America's dairy farmers are committed to providing safe and wholesome milk to consumers.