Got Milk? Animal Rights v. U.S. Dairy Industry - ABC News

Got Milk? Animal Rights v. U.S. Dairy Industry - ABC News 

At Pleasant Veiw Dairy, we strive to care for our animals in a humane and caring environment.  I personally don't know any farmer who mistreats his animals, even when tempers flare and you've heard the comment, "kick the dog", we don't abuse our animals in any way, shape, or form. 
It appears that unknowing farming families have hired "undercover people" who, for some reason or another, take measures to uncover anything that slightly resembles what a consumer might think of as "mistreatment".  Then these "employees" (undercover people)  just look for things to video tape that any uneducated consumer might not understand.  Instead of standing up for these animals, they expose the animals, and in the end laugh at the fact that they are somehow a celebrity in the eyes of uninformed people.  If PETA, HSUS, and Mercy for Animals were so concerned, then they should teach their hired "informants" (undercover people) to correct the alleged abuse (which they do not).
Let's look at the practice of tail docking.  Some dairy farmers used this practice.  Surely the cow didn't agree and so the practice was eliminated from the course of keeping the udder clean.  But why do we need to keep the udder clean, and is that the only reason dairy farmers did it?  The daily ritual of cleaning the udder to wipe away bedding materials (sand or newspapers, etc.) and possibly manure begins with a pre-dip, wipe, and hook up to the udder. In simple terms, we want to be sure that the udder is cleaned before we begin to milk the cow.  Think about it.  Another reason to dock a cow's tail is to eliminate the unpleasant surprise when a cow's tail (manure ridden or not) slaps you in the face, this usually happens when the switch (hairy end of the cow's tail) is there and the cow feels the need to swat at something.  It's not pretty!  So many farmers have gone to shaving the hairy end of the tail, therefore just eliminating the "wet slap".  :)
And how about de-horning.  This is the practice of removing horns or parts thereof from the head of a cow.  The most important reason for doing this is...SAFETY!  Cow's are large animals, and not all are "happy cows" all of the time.  Just recently a local man was "gorged" by a bovine.  He crawled to safety and a Life Flight helicopter had to take him to a hospital.  This is very serious, I do not know the condition of the man or his injuries, but he could have been killed. When cows or bulls are protective, they use what they have, and that can be horns.  To protect our workers, our other cattle, and ourselves, we de-horn.  This is done when they are young. 
I am not here to say that all farmers do it right-but I believe that 99.9% of farmers do!  This is our livlihood, this is where we raise our children.  We are good stewards of the land.  We are producers of your food and fiber, and we are happy to be supplying you with products that are nutritious, delicious and American made.

Where's the Beef, the Chicken or the Pork?

You may be asking yourself this very question in the future.  "Where has all the meat gone?  Why can't I buy it in Michigan or Ohio or California anymore?"  Or any of the other states affected by poor legislative actions from people who don't really know the truth but rely on others to tell them the "story".
Do you believe everything you read or hear?  I would hope not.  But, I would say that sometimes you may hear things are just "amazing", "incredible", or even "inhumane?".   
As a dairy farmer, who is truly pro-active in the promotion and education of all of agriculture, it saddens me to think that people would believe anyone who isn't an actual farmer.  Would you ask questions of a lawyer if you wanted a diagnosis for an ailment?  Probably not.  Your best bet is to find a person who really knows their "business". 
Animal agriculture in this country is huge.  The majority of the population likes meat (and no I don't have numbers to back this statement up).  I am one of those people-the ones who enjoy a good steak, chicken salad, and pork loin.  I cannot think of a time or place where I have not seen any type of meat (pork, beef, chicken, fish) on a menu or in a store.  Obviously, I am not a vegetarian, but I am aware that there is a small population that does not eat meat.  And some don't even consume or use products from animals-not even dairy or poultry, these people are called vegans.  Each to his own.  And, I certainly don't ridicule these people, they have a choice, just like I have a choice to "Eat Meat".
I am no different than most people that I know.  I stand up for what I believe in and I tell the truth.  I don't make it a habbit to talk negatively about others.  But just for this "year", I am having a hard time sticking to that last point.  You see, there is a national organization, called the "Humane Society of the United States", HSUS, (led by a smooth talking man named Wayne Pacelle), not to be confused with any state or local Humane Society/Shelter.  This organization's purpose is to "eliminate animal agriculture" in the United States.  Now that leaves me in a bit of a pickle.  My families livelihood depends on animal ag, just like the thousands of farmers and ranchers throughout the U.S.  Where will McDonalds and Wendy's and all the other fast food chains be without hamburgers?  You guessed it-in another country.  And if there's no meat here, then the meat will come to us. Which leads us into another quandry-food safety!  America has the safest food supply in the world. Not to mention, the cheapest. 
The HSUS uses cute little puppies and kittens as their motive for collecting Millions of dollars a year from unsuspecting people, their annual budget is somewhere around $130 Million dollars. You may think you're helping to save the seals or the lost and abandoned animals, but in actuality you are contributing to their fundraising efforts to pass ballot initiatives in states such as California and Ohio.
My point is that people in the "business" know what they are talking about.  To let "outsiders" come into our state and fight for their "beliefs" is just immorally wrong.  Talk to a farmer, or someone who is directly connected to agriculture.  They are the experts-not people who don't live and breath it every day of their life.

Your Poll Results

Thanks for taking the time to vote on the Poll Questions.  The first question asked if you "have visited a farm in the last year"?  Out of the 13 responses, only 1 person hadn't been to a farm within that time frame.  That's terrific!  For those of you who work or visit a farm, you know all too well what actually goes on.  But for the many thousands of Americans who never get that chance, they need someone to tell them the "story".  That's where this blog comes in.  It's a tool to let the non-farm public see up-close and personal the ways in which their food is raised.  The care that we as farmers show to our livestock, our crops, our employees. 
24% of Michiganians are employed in agriculture.  That means that 1 out of every 4 people you may know have some relationship with ag.  But for the 3 out of 4 people who know little, if any, about agriculture please share this blog with them.  There are other blogs that I recommend also, follow my links.  And I am always searching for new and interesting blogs that tell the story of ag, so let me know if you find one that peaks your interest.
This weeks question was "Do you feel farmers take good care of their animals"? An overwhelming YES resounded.  Hooray! You're right.  Farmers and ranchers take excellent care of their animals.  The health of a cow and her calf is very important to us as healthy animals equate to healthy products.  As mentioned in an earlier post, we provide shelter, a nutritious diet of fresh feed and water daily, veterinary care, and plenty of good ole' cow comfort.  We care for every animal, every acre and every person. This is our livlihood, this is where we raise our children and grandchildren and this is where we feed the world.  So Thank a dairy farmer the next time you meet one, and drink that cold glass of milk knowing that plenty of hard work and care went into it!

Until next time,

Thank a farmer.

Milk Prices-Bad for Farmers

Have you noticed the price in the grocery store for milk these days?  Here in southern Michigan, the prices range from $1.48 per gallon to $2.78.  Amazing!!  The $1.48 milk is at a local grocer with a national chain, Kroger, competing for that market share.  The $2.78 milk price comes from another national chain, Wal-Mart.  You know Wal-Mart, who will beat any price, guaranteed??  Well, if you want that lower price all you have to do is ask, and they will oblidge.  Who would have guessed that?
But, I'm wondering, why is milk that high priced?  You see, the dairy farmer only receives about 50 cents from that gallon.  This is not typical.  The milk price paid to the farmer is so low that we are not even breaking even.  How is that?  There are many reasons.
As you have figured out this year, there is a recession.  And there is a world recession also.  That means that other countries who typically buy (import) from the United States have cut back dramatically or are not importing at all.  The dairy supply of dry milk, butter and cheese is then stockpiled in the U.S. with no where to go but wait to get consumed. 
Dairy product consumption is lower in the summer months.  Ice cream may be higher, but overall, other dairy products are not consumed as much as in the Fall and Winter, when baking and holidays lead to stronger sales. 
I want to mention that other businesses suffer from periodic market lows also.  But there seems to be radical changes in agriculture these days.  As anyone who is in business for themselves knows, you can only hold on for so long and then the time comes that you may have to sell out.  Unfortunately, several large and small dairies around the country have had to do just that.  This is very painful to all dairy farmers, to see someone who has devoted his life to feeding the nation, have to call it quits. 
While we all hold on to the fact that agriculture is the core of this country, lets not forget that all consumers want "cheap" food.  According to the United States Dept. of Agriculture, America has the cheapest food supply in the world, only 10% of a person's annual disposable income is spent on food versus 13.4% in 1974.  Because of the increase in technology, our production has gone up and costs to the consumer have gone down.  Other countries remain at a higher level of income vs. cost for food, such as Italy, where the annual disposable income spent on food is as high as 23%, and India where they spend around 51% for food. 
What you can do.  To help out the American Dairy Farmer, buy more milk products.  Follow the Food Pyramid and make sure you get enough of the daily allowance of dairy.  Encourage others to add milk products to their diets and like I always tell my friends: "Support your local dairy farmer"! 

Until next time,

Get your "3 A Day", (dairy servings).

Welcome!

Welcome to The Milk Can!

I am so excited to tell you all of the great things about being a dairy farmer in this blog. Every day, yes, 365 days a year, we are living the story of the American Farmer.
Dreaming the dream of owning our own land. Because, about 99% of all U.S. dairy farms are family-owned and operated, just like ours. And every day we are raising animals in a healthy environment to help feed the world.

Feed the world, you say? Yes, feed the world. Nearly 60,000 U.S. dairy farms provide milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products to the U.S. and other countries. U.S. dairy farms produce roughly 21 billion gallons of milk annually.

A cow will produce an average of 6.3 gallons of milk each day. That’s more than 2,300 gallons each year. Most milk only travels about 100 miles from the dairy to the grocery store to ensure farm-fresh quality. To be sure you get a safe product, milk and dairy foods undergo extensive quality and safety testing before they reach the grocery store. In fact, dairy foods are one of the most highly regulated foods you will consume.

Milking machines deliver milk directly from the cows to a refrigerated holding tank to preserve freshness and ensure safety. The milk is then quickly transported to processing plants for continued freshness and safety. And isn't it wonderful? There's nothing better than a good cold glass of milk.
So stay tuned in to "The Milk Can" and I will help to educate you and your family on the benefits of being a Michigan farmer, and share in the joy (and sometimes the sorrow) of being a dairy farmers wife.

Until next time,

Drink Milk!!