What is a mega-dairy?

I recently reviewed my AP stylebook and was struck by the literal definition of the prefix "mega." Quoting from the stylebook:

"A prefix denoting 1 million units of a measure."

To my knowledge, no dairy in the U.S. has 1 million cows. If one did, they would own and milk 10 percent of the cows cared for in the nation. No wonder activists choose this prefix when affixing a label to dairy and other animal production. Caring for this many cows on one facility would be difficult. That's why none of these dairies exist. Dairy producers today have dairy sizes that permit efficient and safe care for their cows – regardless of size. That also can mean that not all family farms are small and that not all large dairies are factories.

rBST in the Midwest

I recently returned from a trip to the Midwest. Dairy producers there are fighting against processors who want to go "rBST-free" with their dairy products. I've heard more commotion about this fight over the use of rBST from producers there than we ever heard from producers here in the West.

Here's the link to a producer who doesn't use the product but is trying to help consumers see why they should want milk produced with rBST.

http://northviewdiary.blogspot.com/

Obviously, the fact that milk produced without the use of rBST requires the consumption of more fossil fuels and grain in order to produce the same amount of milk has not been widely publicized. Like it or not, rBST is actually more "green" than many think.

How can women contribute to dairying?

I believe that in addition to helping out with production-related responsibilities, women can and should also be contributing to the promotion of our industry. They can have the most impact when advocating the goodness of our dairy products to consumers.

For example, consider the following:

More than 80 percent of women seek out health and nutrition information for themselves and their families online, and there is a more than 9 in 10 chance that their search will begin with a search engine. Depending on the search terms they use to find information, their point of view regarding dairy consumption may be swayed considerably.

If one searches the Internet with the keyword “milk,” among the first results are two industry-sponsored webpages about milk with positive messages and two negative websites with antagonistic opinions about milk and dairy product consumption. Results are even more discouraging when using any negative keyword search term that consumers may have heard used in connection with our products, such as rBST or antibiotics.

Women can help dispel the misconceptions that have or may be circulated about the health or safety of dairy. Sharing their positive experiences related to dairy consumption and its production with those beyond their local peer group, even online, is just one way women can get more involved. Here's a list of milk sites with positive messages to refer your friends to:

Got Milk?

MyPyramid.gov

Milkdelivers.org

National Dairy Council

Dairy Council of California

United Dairymen of Idaho

National Institutes of Health

Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association

National Dairy Council

—dairyeditor

Win $180

Here it is: The first post of 2008. It's a link to a rich text file of the questions you'll find in our current issue of Progressive Dairyman. Find the answers to my questions in the magazine and send them to me (walt@progressivedairy.com) to enter. You could win $180. Hurry the first 18 entries are eligible.

http://www.progressivedairy.com/blog/files/0108/18_questions.rtf

Happy New Year!

—dairyeditor

Rush on organics

I've emerged from producing our first issue of 2008. It's going to be a good one. Watch for it in your mail box on Jan. 2. We'll be doing 18 issues for our readers this year. In my editorial this issue, I give readers 18 reasons why they should read Issue 1. If you know the 18 reasons, you may be able to win $180. Watch for more details to be forthcoming.

Last week one of our readers told me about a conversation she heard while listening to Rush Limbaugh's radio program. Limbaugh's topic of the hour was food sold under the USDA-certified organic label.

Here's a link to the radio program transcript:
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121207/content/01125109.guest.html

Here's what Rush had to say about organic milk:

Rush Limbaugh: "I've never done a side-by-side taste test of organic broccoli versus nonorganic broccoli. I've done side-by-side taste tests of organic milk, and I cannot taste the difference. I can not."

Limbaugh later says that in his opinion it's OK for consumers to buy products labeled as USDA-certified organic as long as they know that there's no safety or nutritional difference between organic and non-organic foods.

It's a middle-ground philosophy that all dairy producers could benefit from talking about.

—dairyeditor

Pro-activity

I recently received the following letter from Jon Wheeler, a producer here in the Northwest. Today I've posted excerpts of his letter to the editor. I believe the following letter was also submitted to newspapers and other media outlets. These topics are ones I think all dairy producers need to be talking to their neighbors, friends and community members about.

"All milk is produced naturally by cows. Milk is produced by animals as part of a natural biological process. All milk has hormones. It is an undisputed fact that all milk contains scores of hormones, the natural consequence of being produced by a mammal. Be an intelligent consumer and protect your right to make choices based on facts rather than emotions triggered by marketing campaigns. There are a few simple things to remember when you are standing in front of the dairy case.

"All milk is subjected to the same rigorous testing before it can be sold. The tests ensure that all milk is pesticide and antibiotic free. All milk is rbST-free, as cows supplemented with rbST produce milk without rbST in it. In the United States of America:

"ALL MILK IS MILK.
"ALL MILK IS SAFE.
"ALL MILK IS NUTRITIOUS."

Thank you, Jon, for your pro-activity.

—dairyeditor

To contact Jon Wheeler, e-mail him at wheelrjb@aol.com

Hungry for milk shakes?

The rage in the young teenage crowd is a website known as Miniclip.com. The site allows kids and teens to play free Flash-based video games online. Here's one of the games my younger brother-in-law showed me.



http://www.miniclip.com/games/milk-shake/en/

The game allows you to be the driver for a milk home delivery service. The goal is to deliver as many unbroken bottles of milk to customers while weaving in and out of busy traffic. After playing it once, I'd have to say it's addictive.

Examples like this show that dairy has a lot of "good will" built into its image. Producers in the past have built that good will. We're all grateful for that gift. However, we can't ride the enthusiasm of the past alone. Young producers must help share the benefits of dairy with today's consumers.

Share this link with your children, friends and colleagues, especially any adolescents you know. They're the group that will influence how much milk is purchased in the upcoming decades. Playing games like this one will put them in front of milk's image, and hopefully give them a positive (fun) experience with our industry's primary product – milk.

-dairyeditor