Got Milk? Cause you need it!

If there is one thing that gets under my skin, it's ignorance and stupidity. When people preach "facts" that aren't really facts. I mean, who are we, to go around spreading around information that is 100% complete and total crap? Well that seems to be the theme of whatever poor lost soul posted the image and facts with Got Milk? Throw it away.



While I wish I could find the evil culprit behind this stone cold, false, wrong and crappy junk, I would like to set this mystery punk straight. Here's a few REAL facts about milk, nature's most perfect food.

1. Milk is dairy, and dairy is irreplaceable in your diet. Without dairy, you are depriving your body of essential nutrients it needs to survive. Whether it's milk, yogurt in a breakfast smoothie or string cheese as an afternoon snack, these products provide magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and 48% of your daily value of protein... ever heard of Osteoporosis? You should probably start pouring a glass of milk with dinner and sprinkling a little extra cheese on your pasta.

2. Not only is dairy an essential part of your diet, it's beneficial to other aspects of health and wellness as well. From now on, when you work out (or look at the equipment and consider that exercise like I do) have a glass of white or chocolate (my favorite) milk afterwards. Your abs at the beach will thank me in a few months.

3. If you're not convinced that milk is important, maybe you need to think about some of the kids in your life. It doesn't matter if their your own children, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, students... they're a part of the 100% of children who need the bone-building calcium and other nutrients in milk their bodies need to survive.

4. So you only like chocolate milk? That's totally ok. Chocolate milk is still just as beneficial. In fact over the last 5 years the added sugar in flavored milk has been reduced from 4 tsp to 2.4 tsp per serving.

5. If you are a low fat or fat free kind of person, there are lots of dairy items available that fit your diet requirements. There are also lactose free products, and I'm not talking about almond or soy milk (throw that shit out). I'm lactose intolerant actually, and according to every doctor I've ever talked to it takes 4-6 hours for someone to react to dairy, not 30 minutes, in case you're wondering about this milk hater's credibility. The lactose free options are just as satisfying and provide your body with what it needs, and are still real dairy products.

6. Fun fact: If you cut dairy out of your diet, think twice. Instead of three glasses of cold, delicious milk, you're going to have to replace that same amount of calcium with 21 cups of chopped broccoli. Unless you're a rabbit, that's not enjoyable. And if you think that sounds appetizing, drop what you're doing and go eat a cupcake, NOW.

6. Now for the touchy subject... hormones. All milk has a very small amount of hormones. But hey, want to know something funny? Milk from cows who are treated with the hormone rBST show the same normal range of hormones in their milk as a cows that have NOT been treated with rBST. Says who, you ask? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and other respected and trustworthy health organizations say so.

7. Why is rBST used? Some farmers give it to their cows as a tool to help them produce more milk. However, some milk companies have started offering rBST free milk, NOT because it is healthier. ONLY because it is in response to what the market is demanding. Milk, with rBST or rBST free, is wholesome, nutritious, safe AND YOU SHOULD JUST DRINK IT OK.

Milk comes from the cows on our farms to you consumers as a delicious, fresh, pure and SAFE product that ensures the health and well being of your body. Next time someone is slamming a soda and tells you to ditch the milk, you should probably just ditch them.

Wanna know more about what I've told you? Check out these sources:

• Dairy Check Off
• Dairy Farming Today
• National Dairy Council
• Dairy Good

Farmers are real people too, ya know

In the dairy industry, we talk a lot about "reaching out" and "creating trust" with consumers. But at the same time, we're constantly fretting over the progress we have or have not made with our attempts at public outreach. So what is it that we're missing? Why do we, as farmers and industry advocates, feel like we're taking one step forward while our consumers are taking two steps back the other way?

In my experiences at school, I've never been able to get used to the reactions of my peers to us "farmers." Wait... I come from a dairy farming background? NO WAY... Yes way. I, Rebecca Shaw, grew up feeding calves, cleaning poop out of pens and finding excuses to keep me out of the milking parlor. But why is that so hard to believe? Are others more willing to listen to me, as a farmer, now that they feel a similar peer connection?

For us to tell our story, maybe what we need to do first is show our consumers that we're not that much different than they are. In fact, we're exactly like them in some ways. Farmers are consumers that shop at the local super market and members of a community who serve on the school board next to you. Farmers are parents, little league coaches, dance moms and fans starting chants at a high school basketball game. Farmers travel the world and may have a few beers or virgin cocktails along the way. Farmers stop at Dunkin Donuts for a fancy latte and Sheetz for a tank of gas and the latest Cosmo magazine (or maybe that one is just me...).

My point is, that people are more willing to listen and create a connection with those who they can relate too. Other than having a 24/7 job that requires a person to cancel dinner plans last minute, skip a few years of vacation here and there and wake up around 4am every day (including holidays), farmers really aren't that different from their consumers.

More than a Farmer: I'm an Environmentalist

Though this may only be a 12 credit semester, it has proven to be one of my busiest yet. All but one of my classes are discussion based and require readings, papers and prepared debate material. The main idea of these courses are based around the many similar questions. One being, "How can we feed a world of 9 billion people without destroying the environment?"

I'm all about feeding the world and the new technology we've created to do so. However, I am NOT all about people criticizing farmers for not caring for their land. As said by a very good friend and former colleague Kelcie Degenfelder, "Farmers are the best stewardess to the land! In order to prosper the farmer needs to take care of the land."

Unfortunately, not all people like to think that. After a pretty heated debated in an International Agriculture class on this topic, an ERM (Environmental Resource Management) major approached me and said,

"I like the environment and you like cows and farms... can we be friends?" 

As silly as something like that sounds, it gave me the idea for this "More than a Farmer" idea. I couldn't stop thinking about this girl's question while I was on a field trip last Saturday to learn about a biodigester on a nearby dairy farm.

Schrack Farms, located in Loganton, PA, runs a biodigester off of his herd of 1,000 milking cows and around 400-500 dry cows and heifers. For the past 7 years, his biodigester has run at a 99% usage rate, fueling the entire farm, only needing half of the electricity produced. The remaining 50% is then sold back to the grid and used by the surrounding towns and communities.

These cows and heifers are producing manure and waste that is then pumped into a biodigester, and the burning of the methane gas creates electricity. The leftover waste is put to good use as well. The solid matter is dried and used as bedding for the cows and the liquid left over is used on fields as a fertilizer for the soil and its crops.

All during the visit, our tour guide, manager and partial owner of Schrack Farms, made it clear many times that he is not only a farmer, but a stewardess to the land as well. Without adequate soil, he has no farm. So, by implementing this biodigester he has turned waste into a number of beneficial solutions throughout his entire farm, from his cows to his crops.

My point is for you to remember...

We are farmers. We are environmentalists. We are making a difference. Poop happens, and sometimes... poop is excellent.