Guest guest Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 > > The Sunday, August 20, Chicago Tribune has a front page story headed, > " Organic. Critics say dairy tests the boundaries and spirit of what > 'organic' means. " > > It opens: > > " With its neat white barns and lush green pastures, the Horizon Organic > dairy farm on the outskirts of this tiny town on Maryland's picturesque > Eastern Shore would seem to fit the organic ideal. > > " But on a recent Wednesday morning, with crisp blue skies and temperatures > in the low 80s, there was something missing from Horizon's pastures. Namely, > there were no cows. > > " Critics of Horizon, including two former workers, say the empty pastures > are emblematic. The dairy's new management, installed a year ago, has been > so obsessed with increasing production to meet the soaring demand for > organic milk that it has mostly kept the cows in the barn, the former > workers allege, despite a U.S. Department of Agriculture requirement that > organic cows have access to pasture. > > " Where the cows once routinely spent their days munching on clover, now they > are allowed out in pastures infrequently, typically at night or when a tour > group visits the dairy, the workers said. > > " 'One of my frustrations was putting cows out for tours to make it seem like > we were really grazing,' said Jacob Tice, who served as grazing manager from > February 2004 to July 14 of this year, when he quit in frustration. 'Their > primary objective was production. They didn't want grazing to interfere. " > > " Said Robert Fry, who served as a contract veterinarian at the farm for > eight years before he was dismissed in February: 'They portray to their > customers that they've got this happy cow out on grass, this pastoral, > idyllic scene. And that's not the case. There's a bit of misrepresentation > on their part to the consumer.' > > " When cows are kept in a barn, they can be fed large amounts of energy-rich > food, increasing their milk production. Organic milk enthusiasts argue that > it is healthier, more natural and better for the cows to be allowed to > forage in a pasture, even if that results in less milk. " > > We read that Horizon denies the allegations, a representative saying, > > " Grazing has to be a part of any organic dairy. We absolutely meet and > exceed the regs. " > > But the article shares surprising information about " the regs. " We read that > " As the organic business has flourished, critics maintain that big business > has sought to water down the organic standards in the interest of profit " > and that as Wal-Mart and others get into the organic business " they demand > cheaper and cheaper prices, forcing suppliers such as Horizon to look for > ways to cut corners. " > USDA standards insist that cows eat food that has not been treated with > chemical fertilizers or pesticides and " The USDA standards also include a > requirement that cows have access to pasture. " But the article continues, > " Because of complaints that several large farms were exploiting loopholes in > the regulations, the Organic Standards Board sought to clarify the > guidelines last year. Under the new guidelines, organic dairy cows would be > required to get about one-third of their diet from pasture four months out > of the year. The board also urged that 'in no case should temporary > confinement be allowed as a continuous production system,' essentially > meaning that pasturing should be the norm for cows producing milk labeled > organic. To date, the USDA has not adopted the recommendations. " > > In other words, even regulations insisting that one third of a third (one > ninth) of an organic dairy cow's diet come from grazing did not make it > through. > > You can read the whole article on line at > http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0608200391aug20,1,4196286.story?c > oll=chi-news-hed > Or > http://tinyurl.com/p68ue > > It offers a great opportunity for letters to the editor singing the praises > of plant-based diets for humans. The Chicago Tribune takes letters at > http://tinyurl.com/4lsug > > Coincidentally, Natural Health Magazine, from which I selected the > " flexitarian " article in its September issue earlier today, ran a nice > article in its August issue on alternatives to cow's milk. You'll find that > article on line at http://www.naturalhealthmag.com/nutrition/28 > > Yours and the animals', > Karen Dawn > > (DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in > the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. > You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at > http://www.DawnWatch.com. To , go to > http://www.dawnwatch.com/cgi-bin/dada/dawnwatch_.cgi You are > encouraged to forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts but please do so unedited > -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.) > > > > ------- > > You are d to DawnWatch using the following address: > > robert8422 > > Sun Aug 20 15:36:58 2006 DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove... Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text | Full Headers Check MailCompose Search MailSearch the Web Move Options [New Folder] Guitar info plu... Health Praction... black lab email famous homescho... inquirer my favorites reprint list valentines part... 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You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way. Doris Lessing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 does organic necessarily mean free-range or free-grazing, though? Meg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 Very interesting. That's the brand we use for my son since he's allergic to soymilk. Not like we can just switch brands, though, can we? Looks like they're all just moneymakers. Anybody know if there's anything I can add to rice or almond milk to make it as good for my boy as soymilk? I'd love to cut out milk completely anyway, and if organic milk is just BS that's even more of a reason, I guess. Kadee Sedtal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 I will compare them next time I'm in the store... I would assume rice milk had less protein? I do agree about the thing about the milk being for baby cows... wonder who thought up using it for people?? I never knew some of the horrible things about dairy until a few months ago when I read something about how since it's an animal product it pretty much causes the same problems as meat... gross! My poor little boy, he freaks out if he doesn't get his milk every couple of hours! We'll try the rice milk for him, though. Kadee Sedtal Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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