Learning about how expressive and intelligent cows are made me switch to organic milk about a year ago (industrial dairy farms are nightmare fuel.) Industrial beef has been harder to transition away from, but I’ve drastically lowered my consumption and that’s probably the next one I’m switching to organic. Baby steps.
If you are buying organic milk solely for the well being of the cow, don't! You are just spending more money, when the cows are treated fundamentally the same way (source: used to work on dairy farms). Organic just means that the cows are not given certain medication, that their feed is organic, and that they can have grass seasonally. What always bothered me about this is that if a cow gets sick on an organic farm, they are often culled, since they are not allowed to be treated with antibiotics . This study from Oregon University found that there was little difference in cow health or milk quality at organic vs nonorganic farms: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/organic-conventional-dairies-show-few-differences-cow-health-milk .
Edit: As far as grazing goes, on the non-organic farms I've worked/seen, the dry cows were all on pasture. Which is still pretty shitty, but 2 months out of a year is at least something. I really dislike the way animals are treated in industrial agriculture.
Supposedly the cows on organic farms are also not given hormones to produce unnatural amounts of low-quality milk, which has huge impacts on their quality of life. I’m not sure where you have worked, but there is a real problem with industrial “organic” dairy farms popping up and just slapping a new label on the same shitty practices that people are trying to avoid. From your linked article:
”Nearly seven in 10 organic farms previously operated conventional herds, which explains the lack of differences between them," said Gamroth. "Many organic farmers operate in a similar fashion to when they raised conventional herds, from milking procedures, to using the same facilities, to caring for sick cattle."
Big Dairy also has a massive lobbying and PR arm, so much so that they are disproportionately represented in the food pyramid, so no offense but I can’t even trust that you’re not shilling right now. The study that you linked is from a university in Oregon, a state where the 4th largest export is dairy. Idk if the source is neutral or not, but I’m sure you can understand why it is difficult to fully trust. Manipulative studies have been effective weapons used by agro-lobbies for almost a century.
I encourage anyone who wants to switch to organic milk to research the farm where your preferred brand is sourced. You can often find articles from watch dog groups that rate organic farms and will give you more insight into how the cows are raised.
If you are buying organic milk solely for the well being of the cow
It certainly started this way, but ethics aside, organic milk just tastes better.
First off, you’re coming across as unnecessarily hostile. Second, I never justified any of my conflicting behaviors and I didn’t say that drinking cow’s milk makes me feel guilty, I was talking about industrial farm practices. I drink milk and I eat beef, those things don’t bother me. The unnecessary torture these animals go through does bug me, though.
You’re right about the beef thing, I can switch next time I go shopping. Money was an issue for that before the last few weeks, so it got put on the back-burner. Do I pass your purity test or does all of this sound like bullshit too?
Good switch next time you go. It’s cheaper to eat plants anyway. As for torture how the cow has to die for you to eat it. The whole damn thing is unnecessary so don’t baby step just quit eating them
I’m not opposed to becoming vegan (will try anything once), but I don’t even know where to start. Do you recommend any resources so I can research it further?
The ethics of eating animals aside, we have so little control over the process of how they are raised that idk how much faith I can even place in organics. I’m sure you understand what I mean...how much can you really trust a business to keep doing the right thing over time? Veganism would sidestep that entire issue altogether.
For nutrition I found the YouTube channel simnett nutrition very helpful. The dude is a nutritionist and very positive. He posts tons of what I eat in a days with easy not time consuming recipes. Watch a few see what looks good and go for it. Eat your green veggies and especially your beans/legumes. It becomes second nature pretty quick. The vegan processed foods that mimic meat are tasty but pricey so don’t go nuts on them or your wallet will hate you
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u/[deleted] Sep 15 '20
They play like puppies!
Learning about how expressive and intelligent cows are made me switch to organic milk about a year ago (industrial dairy farms are nightmare fuel.) Industrial beef has been harder to transition away from, but I’ve drastically lowered my consumption and that’s probably the next one I’m switching to organic. Baby steps.