It's win-win-win: A new report finds that an organic dairy is
better for 1) you, 2) the planet, 3) the cows.
RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA---In 2006, a United Nations report raised some
eyebrows when it found that cow flatulence accounts for more
greenhouse-gas emissions than all the tailpipe emissions from the
transportation sector combined. A 2009 study out of the University of
California--Davis put the number closer to 3 percent, but no matter
which way you look at it, your cup of milk could be a significant
source of pollution. To figure out which farming systems are more
sustainable than others, a new report looking at four scenarios finds
that grass-based, organic dairy farmers operate much more lightly on
the planet, while often producing milk that's healthier for people.
It's better for cows, too: They live significantly longer and under
better conditions than chemical-based dairy operations.
Your body will thank you, too. Harvard researchers found that
grass-fed dairy cows produce milk that's much higher in conjugated
linoleic acic, or CLA.. In the study, people with the highest levels
of CLA in their tissue touted a 36 percent lower risk for heart
attacks when compared with people to with the lowest levels. Plus,
you're drinking milk free of growth hormone and antibiotics.
THE DETAILS: Charles Benbrook, PhD, chief scientist of The Organic
Center and former executive director of the board on agriculture of
the National Academy of Sciences, led the study that investigated four
scenarios looking at milk and meat production and money earned, feed
intake, land and chemicals needed to produce feed, as well as the
amount of waste generated.
Here are some main points from the study:
* Organic dairy-farming systems promote cow health and longevity
by placing less stress on cows and feeding them healthier
forage-based diets, while also improving the nutritional quality
of the milk produced.
* Because cows live and produce milk longer on organic farms, milk
cow replacement rates are 30 to 46 percent lower, reducing the
feed required and wastes generated by heifers being raised as
replacement animals.
* The average organic dairy cow lives several years longer than
conventional and industrial cows.
* Organic cows reproduce more easily.
* The manure-management systems common on most organic farms
reduce manure methane emissions by 60 to 80 percent; enteric
methane emissions (animal belching and farting) are
significantly reduced