Cows In Space

I opened the gate and called to the cows in the pasture. It was time for them to come in and eat lunch. Most of them stood up and took a few steps. Thinking they were on their way I proceeded to feed a group of calves that were in a nearby barn.

The cows, however, didn't move. They stood silently. Were they doing some kind of protest? Were they pondering which Christmas special to watch on tv? I noticed their ears and eyes pointed to the heavens and it was obvious what they were doing. Cows, as you know, have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. What they had to be doing was "sensing" one of NASA's new spaceships, Orion, circling the globe.  

The spaceship was unmanned for this trip, but one of the future goals of the new craft is a trip to Mars. Of course, when the astronauts are on board they will definitely need some milk. What are their options? As impractical as it is, the first choice is to take a real cow with them.

Monkeys and rats have made the trip so why not our bovine friends? While one little girl did take a baby calf into her house to snuggle with, a cow in space does bring its own issues. Cows need room to move, lots of food to eat, and let us not forget about waste. Then you have the issue with the milk. Raw milk for the astronauts? No. The last thing you need is a group of astronauts getting sick from an E. coli outbreak or having renal problems.  They would need to pasteurize the milk. More equipment and more work for them. We might not be ready for a cow in space.

As a kid I remember the astronauts drank Tang.


I also remember that it was the yuckiest thing I had ever drunk at the time and if that was what it took to become an astronaut then there was no point in me thinking about becoming one. Thanks but no thanks and pass the milk, please.

Due to it's perishable quality milk might not have an option for early astronauts, but today you definitely have more options for your dairy cravings. Ultra High Temperature pasteurizing allows milk to have a long shelf life. You can find conventional milk as well as organic milk on the shelf like this.

Via milkunleashed.com

Coming soon nationwide is a product called Fairlife Milk which uses a new version of UHT and has a unique twist on milk's inherently good properties by increasing the protein and calcium while lowering the sugar content. Perhaps the biggest impact it will make is that it is lactose free making it a perfect choice for those with inherent lactose allergies. Does it taste delicious? I don't know, but I can't wait to try it.

It's National Chocolate Milk Day tomorrow. Make sure you share a glass of @Fairlife Chocolate Milk with a friend! pic.twitter.com/3dSARTufGh
— fairlife (@fairlife) September 26, 2014

Cows in space? Maybe not yet. Milk in space? You betcha! All systems are go!

Soda, Water, and Milk

An AP story on America's drinking habits caught my eye earlier this month:

America's new love: Water (by Candice Choi) Americans now drink an average of 44 gallons of soda a year, a 17 percent drop from the peak in 1998. Over the same time, the average amount of water people drink has increased 38 percent to about 58 gallons a year. Bottled water has led that growth, with consumption nearly doubling to 21 gallons a year.

I think that people are looking for something healthier than soda and by the rate of increase in water consumption I believe they are willing to change their habits.  While in 2011 Americans only drank 20.2 gallons per year, milk could be the healthy alternative to soda that people are looking for. The handout below from SUDIA really illustrates the uniqueness of milk.

Dairy products can meet the wants and needs of consumers. Milk is more than an alternative to sodas and cokes, it is nature's most perfect food.

Changing Dairy On The Go

I wrote a post a week or so ago about how dairy needs to capture more of the on the go market and how they need to innovate to do so. After a bit of brainstorming I came up with three ideas.

Better Milk Containers For Kids

Let me go ahead and admit something, something that might seem terrible: I don't often buy milk for my kids when we go out unless we go to a restaurant. If you've ever had to clean up two pints of chocolate milk soaked into the carpet and seat of your car you might have some sympathy. My main two reasons of not purchasing the milk is because of the size and the lid. While I have found one pint containers of milk at convenience stores, more often than not it is the two pint size with a big lid.

 Milk's competition for on-the-go drinks for kids is in an approximate pint size and has an easy open push up to open push down to close lid. For the kid that doesn't need a sippy cup anymore but is still too small for a big drink these are perfect! Why can't milk be packaged like that?

Diet Milk

You can buy low calorie or no calorie sodas and other drinks, but not milk. Someone on a diet may look at milk and the calorie counts in the two pint container and think it will totally blow their diet and choose a Diet Coke instead. Obviously I know they are missing out on all the nutrition that comes with the natural goodness milk has, but isn't there a way to meet the wants of this consumer too?

I propose Diet Milk, all the nutrition with less calories. I'm not a food scientist so I can't say how to make this, but I do know that the dairy industry is asking to be allowed to add non-nutritive sweeteners to milk, like Stevia, for instance. My friend Dairy Carrie has a great post on the facts on this. This would allow flavored milk to be of lower calorie counts as well as doing my proposed Diet Milk.

Milk Is For Adults

I think adults have the opinion that milk is a kid's drink. When you go to a fast food restaurant the combo meals comes with tea, soft drinks, or water. No option for milk. How often do you see a photo of a meal for adults in restaurant's menu with a tall glass of milk to go with it? Maybe on the breakfast menu, but not the lunch or dinner menu. 

I think we should remind people that milk is beneficial for adults as well as children. The research proving how chocolate milk is a great recovery drink for athletes has been good for this and so has the coffee and milk drinks being sold. Still, what's wrong with a serving of milk to go?

So good ideas? Bad ideas? Room for improvement? How would you innovate dairy on the go?

If You Give A Dairy Farmer Some Ice Cream....

If you give a dairy farmer some ice cream...

He'll probably think about milking cows.

And if he thinks about milking cows then he'll probably think about feeding cows.

If he thinks about feeding cows then he'll probably think about harvesting.

Harvesting makes him think about tractors.

When he's riding his tractor he might see his calves. 

That will remind him it is time to feed again.

Feeding baby calves will probably remind him of seeing them being born.

Thinking about cows and baby calves will remind him 

it is time run the cows up and milk again.

And of course, if a dairy farmer thinks about milking he just might think about 

milk being turned into ice cream again.

Cold Weather on Dairy Farms

Lower Temps and Rain Make a Difference

It is amazing the difference that ten degrees and a little rain can make. With 105 degree temps and no rain for around two weeks, things were getting dry. The corn was twisting and we didn't know if it would be able to last. The cows had lost some milk production as well, from the heat.

Happy June Dairy Month!

Last night I picked up my daughter from dance practice and when she asked for something to drink I handed her the chocolate milk I had picked up for her on the way. "Does this come from magic brown cows?" she asked jokingly. "No," I replied, "this is regular milk from regular cows."

But maybe saying it is regular milk is wrong. Maybe I should say it is extraordinary milk from extraordinary cows. Milk is packed with nine essential vitamins and minerals which makes it a great nutrient rich food. With all the wonderful dairy products that start with it there's no way to describe it as ordinary.

The cows and I wish you a Happy June Dairy Month!

Be sure to celebrate with milk, cheese, ice cream,

and all your other favorite dairy products!

June is Dairy Month!

June is dairy month! Woo-hoo! (You can't see it but this is the part where I'm jumping up and down.) Imagine having your birthday celebrated everyday for a month, that is what June is like for a dairy farmer. All over the country for a whole month people will be talking about dairy farmers and dairy products.

There's a lot to love about dairy.  From milk to ice cream, all types of cheeses, butter, and don't forget yogurt because I know if I forgot to buy yogurt my girls would be upset!  The cows, too, there's a lot to like about the cows out there producing nature's most perfect food. Look at them there eating hay and getting ready to go be milked.  That is dairy delight!

So be sure to celebrate June dairy month and support the cows, farmers, and everyone else down the line that brings delicious dairy products to you!

Antibiotics and Milk

There are always people who worry about antibiotics in the food supply, and they should when it is warranted. Recently the FDA has decided it wants to inspect milk for more antibiotics.  This is in itself sounds scary, as if dairy farmers are pumping up cows with drugs and not getting caught.  The truth is much different.

Dairy farmers do not want to give antibiotics at all.  That goes for plain and organic varieties.  If you need to give any drug it probably means the animal is sick, producing less milk, and will be costing money for treatment and lost revenue.  That said, animals, like people, get sick.  Sometimes you can isolate a cow, give her plenty of rest and extra attention and she will get better on her own.  Other times, she may need medicine, like antibiotics, to get well.

On our farm we only give antibiotics when a cow needs them to be well.  When we treat a cow that is giving milk we separate the animal from the main herd and mark her so we know that her milk should not be put in the milk tank.  We then throw her milk away for the designated withdrawal time for the drug.  Before we mix her milk in with the other cows' we check it with an antibiotic test kit on the farm to make sure it has completely left her system.  If she still checks positive for antibiotics, we will continue to discard her milk until it is clean.

Before the milk truck driver picks up our milk he takes a sample of it to take to a lab for testing.  When he takes the load to the milk plant they, too, will take a sample of it and check it for antibiotics.  If the load contains any residue then the load is turned down.  If the sample taken from the milk on your farm was the bad milk, then you will be responsible for that entire load.  I would not want to pay for an entire load of milk.  I also know some farmers that use the on farm test kit to check every tank of their milk before they even allow the milk truck driver to load it.

That New Calf Smell

We moved a new calf to the calf barn this morning.  This is the most important time of his, in this case, life after calving.  The care he receives right now will affect how he grows and how healthy he will become.  We will make sure he has the right amount of milk for his growth stage every day.  We will also provide fresh, clean water and hay.  His stall would not be complete without having clean, fluffy straw to lay on to keep him clean and warm.

While we do not name our calves, we do give each a number so that we can keep track of them throughout their life.  Keeping records about growth, weight, medicine, and management are all integral parts of raising calves.  

I enjoy feeding and caring for our calves.  It is a very personal thing to help nurture something all the way up to its full potential.  I cannot help but feel sad when one of our calves has become ill, as all animals sometimes do.  Knowing that I am responsible for each of them to stay well and grow strong is a burden I gladly bear.  The future of dairying begins with each calf.