R-E-S-P-E-C-T

In Response to the Butter Cow being vandalized....

You want respect, and that’s understandable. We all do. But is this really the way to go about it? You don’t see any of us building a tofu vegan sculpture and burning it to the ground at one of your Iowans for Animal Liberation meetings.

So what’s the problem here? Are we closed minded people, us modern-day dairy farmers and agriculturists? That must be why we are so upset and don’t understand why what you did was totally OK.

I get it. We have different opinions. You think eating those poor little animals is cruel. You have the freedom to think that. But hey, guess what? I ALSO have the freedom to eat whatever the hell I want and not feel bad about it. Dumping "blood" on a butter cow is not proving a point, it’s just making you look like a (for lack of a better term) jackass.

What the group has to say for themselves blows my mind.

Animal Liberation Front supporter Jerry Vlasak, however, praised the vandalism of the butter cow as a “reminder that there are people opposed to the eating of meat and dairy and that the meat and dairy industry is inordinately cruel.”

"After dismantling the lock to the refrigerated case housing the Butter Cow with a screwdriver, we doused the entire butter sculpture in red paint," the email said. "The paint represents the blood of 11 billion animals murdered each year in slaughterhouses, egg farms, and dairies."

Well let’s take a moment and enjoy a little fun fact for the vegans. Just a heads up… you’re not as far from our industry as you think. Let’s take a list at everything made from just cows:

Now, I didn’t say there is “no such thing as a vegan.” But unless you eat dirt and lick the sidewalk puddles when you’re thirsty… It’s going to be pretty hard.

To be perfectly honest, you can be whoever you want and you can believe whatever you want. But if you expect others to listen to you and take you seriously, you’ve gotta earn that R-E-S-P-E-C-T the right way. So how about this, you replace the “blood” on innocent butter sculptures and replace it with credible research and weekly meetings to discuss your findings on how mean we are to our animals. Because I know for a fact I hate cows and I treat my animals badly…

…or not

Bloggin out,

Bec

Dairy Around the World: Peru

I'll admit I've been a little "culturally spoiled." I've traveled a lot, to nine countries in fact. Canada (if it counts), Costa Rica, Ireland, England, France, Scotland, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Fun fact? They've all been dairy related trips. 

However, there is one place I've never been... Peru. That's where Emma Andrew comes in. Emma, former New York State Dairy Princess, is just busy traveling through the world of dairy. First stop, Peru! I'm just here to share her story :-)

Bloggin out,

Bec

Dairy Around the World: Peru

By Emma Andrew

So, I just got back from Peru and I am having serious dairy farm withdrawal. Why, you might ask? Well it's due to the fact Dairy Farms aren't really present in Peru. In fact, they are importing 25% of their milk from Argentina and Holland. I am dying to get my hands on a cold glass of milk (would asking for cookies be pushing it?). The problem is, 25% is not a huge number, and there were no farms where I was living in Cusco. The majority of the farms were located outside Lima and in Arequipa.

However, let me take a second to rewind. Why was I having dairy withdrawal? Well, let me tell you  that nine weeks is the longest that I have ever been separated from my cows, the dairy farm, the surprisingly comforting smell of manure, tractors and anything that has to do with dairy farming.Though it was a a challenge for this farm girl, I made it!

Even though it was tough being away from everything I was familiar with, I know how it is important to see the good and every situation. Seeing the dairy industry in Peru made me realize how blessed New York State is to have so many wonderful dairy farms. In fact, New York has over 8,000 dairy farms and roughly 98% of them are family owned. Many people take for granted the wonderful dairy and agriculture industries we have in New York, myself included.

               

In closing, I want you to go out and enjoy the wonderful agricultural around you. If you live in the city, take the time to go and visit a farm. I can say with confidence that you won’t regret it. So, enough "chatty kathy" for now, this girl is headed out to the barn to final get her fix of dairy!

Is it an ending or a beginning?

Watching the Season Finale of The Bachelorette has me thinking (Yes I am a woman, and yes I cried during that proposal, judge me). With two weeks left of my internship, growing up is hitting me... hard. If it were any other summer, I'd be thinking to myself "What internships should I go after next year?" or "What hot spot should I pick to enjoy a summer off of school?" But now it's different. Going into my senior year, it's not time to look for the next internship or summer job that pays enough for that Fossil bag, my dairy month shenanigans in America's Dairyland or those "bomb" $2 tacos at Bel Air Cantina on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Senior year is time to get serious. I can't laugh at people when they ask me about my future anymore... my future is now. 

A summer in Milwaukee has really opened my eyes. Whether it's the relationships both built and lost, the car repair bills, or the deadlines at my internship it has all served as a swift kick of reality. 

And now for the almighty internship. The golden ticket. The last hurrah before my last year of freedom. I would like to give Bader Rutter a Wisco-sized and cheesy shout out they deserve. This experience has changed me for the better, and taught me to be a more well-spoken, patient, and attentive young woman. However... despite being a PR intern for the summer, my spelling has gotten surprisingly worse. Win some, lose some, right? 

I honestly don't have a clue where  I'll be at this time next year. Maybe I'll be a salesman, maybe a writer. Who knows.. maybe I'll be unemployed. But I do know one thing, and that is my love for the dairy industry is still as strong as it was 3 months  ago when I made that 11 hour journey to Milwaukee. The beauty of it all is not knowing what beginning will come from this end... and being excited about it. 

Bloggin out,

Bec