organic milk

[QuilterMom]

http://www.organicgardening.com/feat...2-1123,00.html

The claim: Organic milk is more nutritious than regular milk.

The facts: Almost all milk comes from cows living in confined areas. The image of free-range bovines frolicking in fields is just that—an image. What sets apart the cows producing milk sold as organic is what they eat: grain that is not genetically modified and feed containing no animal byproducts. These gentle creatures are not injected with antibiotics or fed bovine growth hormones. If the cows do graze, they do so on land free from artificial fertilizers and pesticides.

Drinking organic milk has health benefits. The Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, in the U.K., compared conventional milk with organic milk from cows that had access to good grazing, and found that the organic milk contained up to three times as much of the beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids known as omega-3s. A more recent study from Aberdeen University in the U.K. supports these findings and attributes the significantly higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids to the clover forage in the cows' diets.

Let them eat grass. USDA-certified organic dairy farms must provide cows time outdoors, but they are not required to graze their cows. To support this humane practice, buy from suppliers such as Organic Valley, which has made a commitment to pasturing. Dairy cattle that graze produce five times more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in their milk than those fed silage, reports USDA Agricultural Research Service scientist Larry Satter. CLA has been studied by researchers for its cancer-fighting properties. It cannot be produced by the human body, but comes to us through foods such as whole milk and butter.

Local matters. Buy milk directly from a farmer near you, and you save fuel and help keep local farmland profitable (and not for sale to developers). Visit localharvest.org to find farms in your area.

Is organic milk worth the price? Some folks don't think organic is better, and a few suggest that labeling claims by organic milk producers are misleading. According to the Center for Global Food Issues, all packaged milk is tested for purity and safety, so consumers can be sure there is nothing in their milk except natural nutrition and goodness. They believe the marketing of organic milk is bad for consumers because it "creates false fears and drives people away from affordable, nutritious dairy products."

Conclusion: Buy organic milk if you can direct part of your food budget to one organic product. There is emerging scientific evidence that offers good reasons to drink organic milk. Omega-3s in our diet help maintain a healthy heart, flexible joints, and lower blood pressure and are linked with fewer mood disorders. Moreover, if you want to avoid pesticides and hormones, especially for children who are more susceptible, and purchase a more environmentally friendly, humane product, then organic milk is the way to go.

[madhen]

I rarely use milk, but I *do* use Half and Half in my coffee (and I do buy organic). I have always had to weigh the idea of supporting how dairy cows are treated with the enjoyment I get from cream and butter. I understand that it would be prohibitively expensive to allow the dairy cows to roam freely in between milkings and still keep the milk sanitary, but I hate that they never really have any freedome. I also know that you have to breed a cow yearly to keep her in milk, which means a lot of calves are becoming veal so I can have butter on my popcorn.

I used to only buy free-range chicken eggs and avoid poultry for the same ethical reasons. Now I get all the eggs I want, from my own chickens, but I do still try to go free-range on meat (which I only eat rarely, just because I am not a big fan of most forms of protein). I don't necessarily have any issues with eating other animals (or their by-products), but I don't feel they should have to suffer for me to do so.

[halloweenfreak]

well i bought some organic milk the other day because of the claims that it tasted so much better. so when we had finished off the gallon of the regular stuff i was anxious to see what organic milk tasted like. i poured me a big ole glass and sat down to savor what was going to be the best milk i had tasted.... it tasted exactly the same. it just cost more for half as much. so unless someone can tell me in lay terms why its so much better for me or those involved, i'm afraid i'll be going back to the regular stuff. i mean i've lived off it for 30 years so it cant be too awful for me.

[QuilterMom]

Originally posted by halloweenfreak
so unless someone can tell me in lay terms why its so much better for me or those involved, i'm afraid i'll be going back to the regular stuff.

As the article states, organic milk does not contain hormones (or antibiotics) or pesticide residues that the cows have been given or consumed. Those things pass on to you when drinking the milk (do an online search when you have a chance about the cancer risks, etc. from this).

As far as taste goes, I think it completely depends on the brand of organic milk just as I always could tell a difference between brands when I drank regular milk. I personally think Organic Valley tastes the best followed by Stonyfield Farm and then Horizon. Those are the only brands we can find for sale around here.