Was stuck in a snowbank......:)
Interesting questions that people inquire of us:
What happens if your milk on the farm does not pass these daily tests? If the milk from a cow that is on an antibiotic is accidentally put in our big, milk tank, we have had to empty the entire tank and be out that money. Ugh. If our tank of milk with the antibiotic of just one cow is not discovered until it arrives at the dairy, the entire truckload of milk, along with milk from other dairy farmers, must be emptied. We then must pay for the milk the other farmers lost. Those are major mistakes that we and our employees must not make.
What steps do you take so the milk from a cow with antibiotics, is not put in your milk tank? Some farmers put tape on the legs of those cows. The milkers must always be alert and remember to check every time, that is every time, a group of cows (usually 8-12 cows) enter the milking area. The milk of that cow with tape is not sent to the milk tank. Some farmers put all the cows on antibiotics in one group together to be milked last, which to implement is 'easier said than done'.
How does our government think dairy products from overseas are safe? Evidently, their reasoning is that heat kills all the pathogens/bacteria. Of course, that does not take care of something like melamine, or a terrorist act, in the food chain supply.
Well, if heat kills the pathogens, it should be ok, right? As the CEO who operates a family-run dairy, processing plant explained: the dairy plant could only produce a product as good as the raw milk that came into their facilities. True, the heat kills the pathogens, but the dead pathogens are still in the milk.
Do these pathogens in the pasteurized milk effect the flavor of the milk? Yes. Some processors insist on even higher standards than the federal government sets. That is why some milk you buy tastes much better than others. The dairy companies that win national awards for the best-tasting milk are those dairy processors who demand the highest standards: they only accept milk from the farms with the least bacteria.
So are these imported dairy products unsafe? Sometimes yes and sometimes no, but how do we know? US inspectors are not there on each of those farms, processing plants, etc.
What else makes dairy products from the US safer than from many countries overseas? Milk and dairy foods are subjected to up to 17 safety, quality and sanitation inspections before they ever get to your grocery shelf. Most cows in the US are regularly vaccinated and checked by a veterinarian.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
More About Imports
More questions about dairy imports from other countries:
Who is buying these imported dairy products, MPCs (milk protein concentrates) and caseins? They are purchased by giant US companies and large US dairy processors to add to various food products. This is a great area for some journalists to investigate.....
Why would the US companies purchase these products from other countries instead of from the US dairy farmer? Cheap. Our big companies in this country can get these dairy products cheaper from overseas than buying dairy products here. However, it is unconscionable that anyone or any business would put big money above the health and safety of our population.
How can these imports be cheaper? The MPCs are allowed into this country tariff-free. And of course, back in their country of origin, they are not under US regulations for sanitation, environmental issues, etc. Workers are often paid very, low wages with no benefits.
Isn't cheaper better? I believe in the old saying, 'You get what you paid for it'. When friends are checking out airline tickets, I often remind them, 'Don't get the cheapest'. Often, it is the cheapest for a reason. Any product that goes really cheap, is usually really cheap because something in the quality has been sacrificed. Quality is usually going to cost some money.
ShouldI/we be concerned about importing dairy products? Visit a dairy farm and see how we continually meet the challenges to keep it sanitary! The thought of getting dairy products from overseas that have not had our high US safety standards is quite frightening.
Are you thinking of the melamine in Chinese milk? Yes, it was just over a year ago that leading dairies in China were found to have melamine, an industrial chemical, in the milk. It sickened over 50,000 children and some died from this. Melamine is the same chemical that was found in some dog food from China which killed thousands of dogs and cats in our country. Can you connect the dots?
How much is your milk tested? Every load of milk that leaves our farm on a milk-truck is tested at least once. If our milk does not meet the highest of standards it is literally tossed out. Our milking facilities at our farm are inspected 3 times a year and must meet rigorous sanitation standards for us to stay licensed to be in business. Actually, US milk and dairy products are among the most tested and regulated foods in America.
Who is buying these imported dairy products, MPCs (milk protein concentrates) and caseins? They are purchased by giant US companies and large US dairy processors to add to various food products. This is a great area for some journalists to investigate.....
Why would the US companies purchase these products from other countries instead of from the US dairy farmer? Cheap. Our big companies in this country can get these dairy products cheaper from overseas than buying dairy products here. However, it is unconscionable that anyone or any business would put big money above the health and safety of our population.
How can these imports be cheaper? The MPCs are allowed into this country tariff-free. And of course, back in their country of origin, they are not under US regulations for sanitation, environmental issues, etc. Workers are often paid very, low wages with no benefits.
Isn't cheaper better? I believe in the old saying, 'You get what you paid for it'. When friends are checking out airline tickets, I often remind them, 'Don't get the cheapest'. Often, it is the cheapest for a reason. Any product that goes really cheap, is usually really cheap because something in the quality has been sacrificed. Quality is usually going to cost some money.
ShouldI/we be concerned about importing dairy products? Visit a dairy farm and see how we continually meet the challenges to keep it sanitary! The thought of getting dairy products from overseas that have not had our high US safety standards is quite frightening.
Are you thinking of the melamine in Chinese milk? Yes, it was just over a year ago that leading dairies in China were found to have melamine, an industrial chemical, in the milk. It sickened over 50,000 children and some died from this. Melamine is the same chemical that was found in some dog food from China which killed thousands of dogs and cats in our country. Can you connect the dots?
How much is your milk tested? Every load of milk that leaves our farm on a milk-truck is tested at least once. If our milk does not meet the highest of standards it is literally tossed out. Our milking facilities at our farm are inspected 3 times a year and must meet rigorous sanitation standards for us to stay licensed to be in business. Actually, US milk and dairy products are among the most tested and regulated foods in America.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Imports and MPCs
To clarify a previous question comparing our own fathers in dairy farming with our current experience: The price we dairy farmers were paid for most of 2009 for a hundredweight of milk was less than our own fathers made in the 1970's! Because the price we get for our milk fluctuates every month, there were times in the last five years, especially, when the price we got was getting very close to the prices dairy farmers got way back in the '70's. Meanwhile, all our expenses were doubling, tripling, etc.
More questions that people wonder about in the dairy industry:
But aren't the dairy imports from other countries, such as China, India and Mexico, inspected? According to my research, less than two percent of any imports are being inspected. But what kind of inspections are done throughout the entire process in these countries, from the health of the cow to sanitation procedures?
How are these imports, MPCs and caseins, used here in the US? These MPCs and caseins are added to many processed foods.
What does the label say to identify MPCs and caseins in our foods? It can simply say.....????????? Meanwhile the label says the product was manufactured in the USA.
What is our Food and Drug Administration, FDA, doing to monitor this so the consumer is protected? The FDA has been petitioned to stop the use of imported MPCs in our food supply. So far, there has been little response.
Whoa, how much of these MPCs are we importing? Currently the milk equivalent of imported products is approaching 10% of all US milk production! That's a lot! We dairy farmers would be in much better shape financially, if all the MPCs used here were from United States' dairy farmers.
Do we have enough milk for the needs of our country without imports? Definitely. We produce enough for our population and for export. But, at the rate dairy farmers are being forced out of business, we risk great peril if our US dairy food supply continues to be 'farmed out' over seas.
More questions that people wonder about in the dairy industry:
But aren't the dairy imports from other countries, such as China, India and Mexico, inspected? According to my research, less than two percent of any imports are being inspected. But what kind of inspections are done throughout the entire process in these countries, from the health of the cow to sanitation procedures?
How are these imports, MPCs and caseins, used here in the US? These MPCs and caseins are added to many processed foods.
What does the label say to identify MPCs and caseins in our foods? It can simply say.....????????? Meanwhile the label says the product was manufactured in the USA.
What is our Food and Drug Administration, FDA, doing to monitor this so the consumer is protected? The FDA has been petitioned to stop the use of imported MPCs in our food supply. So far, there has been little response.
Whoa, how much of these MPCs are we importing? Currently the milk equivalent of imported products is approaching 10% of all US milk production! That's a lot! We dairy farmers would be in much better shape financially, if all the MPCs used here were from United States' dairy farmers.
Do we have enough milk for the needs of our country without imports? Definitely. We produce enough for our population and for export. But, at the rate dairy farmers are being forced out of business, we risk great peril if our US dairy food supply continues to be 'farmed out' over seas.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
What are MPCs?
Continuing questions that people ask or might ask us about the dairy industry:
Don't all our dairy products come from the US? No. It is incredulous that our country would ever allow dairy products to enter our borders without our stringent USA regulations from start to finish. We import dairy products from various countries including China, Mexico and India.
What kind of dairy products are imported into our country? Two major, imported items that are of concern to ag experts are: MPCs, which are milk protein concentrates, and caseins. You haven't heard much about them in the media, have you? Well, it's about time we all get educated.
What are the concerns about imported MPCs and caseins? Like the origin of all dairy products, it depends on the cleanliness of the entire, let me repeat, entire process under which they are produced.
Can you give examples of that entire process that is of concern? Since we deal with many of these issues on a daily basis, it is easy to visualize the concern. It includes the health of the cow or whatever animal (like water buffalo in India) from which the milk is extracted, whether these animals are vaccinated against and routinely tested for many serious diseases, the cleanliness of the barn and equipment where the animal is milked, how quickly that milk is cooled, the cleanliness of the tank where the milk is stored at the farm, the correct and consistent temperature at which the milk is stored in the tank at the farm, the cleanliness of the truck that transports the milk and how cold the milk is kept on the truck, the daily testing and regular sanitation inspections enforced at the plant where the milk is processed as it is kept at the correct temperature, the standards used in packaging, storage and transporting of the final product to its destination.
Wow, those are a lot of steps in the entire process that are critical to the health and well-being of us, the consumer? You betcha! And as I researched this, I am wondering how many MPCs are included in many of the foods I am eating, and what my grandchildren are eating.
Don't all our dairy products come from the US? No. It is incredulous that our country would ever allow dairy products to enter our borders without our stringent USA regulations from start to finish. We import dairy products from various countries including China, Mexico and India.
What kind of dairy products are imported into our country? Two major, imported items that are of concern to ag experts are: MPCs, which are milk protein concentrates, and caseins. You haven't heard much about them in the media, have you? Well, it's about time we all get educated.
What are the concerns about imported MPCs and caseins? Like the origin of all dairy products, it depends on the cleanliness of the entire, let me repeat, entire process under which they are produced.
Can you give examples of that entire process that is of concern? Since we deal with many of these issues on a daily basis, it is easy to visualize the concern. It includes the health of the cow or whatever animal (like water buffalo in India) from which the milk is extracted, whether these animals are vaccinated against and routinely tested for many serious diseases, the cleanliness of the barn and equipment where the animal is milked, how quickly that milk is cooled, the cleanliness of the tank where the milk is stored at the farm, the correct and consistent temperature at which the milk is stored in the tank at the farm, the cleanliness of the truck that transports the milk and how cold the milk is kept on the truck, the daily testing and regular sanitation inspections enforced at the plant where the milk is processed as it is kept at the correct temperature, the standards used in packaging, storage and transporting of the final product to its destination.
Wow, those are a lot of steps in the entire process that are critical to the health and well-being of us, the consumer? You betcha! And as I researched this, I am wondering how many MPCs are included in many of the foods I am eating, and what my grandchildren are eating.
Monday, January 4, 2010
What Part of the 'Pie'?
Continuing with questions people have on how the processors and retailers are getting the same amount of money in the last two years as prices fluctuated, but we are getting less......
Is it legal for the dairy farmer to get such a small part of the 'pie'? It is legal under current legislation. We believe we need drastic changes.
What bothers you most about this inequity? It is hard to narrow it down to one thing! My husband keeps asking the question, that 'if there truly is such a current surplus of milk, then why aren't you seeing much lower prices in the store?' Then maybe you would buy more gallons of our milk!
Can you explain this inequity in other terms? The retail price you paid in 2009 is only down about 15% from the year before, but the price the farmer got for most of 2009 is down %50 from the year before.
How does your income compare to dairy farmers in past years? Our fathers made more in the 1970's for a gallon of milk than what we were making in 2009. The reason why is because all of our expenses have increased dramatically: feed, vet bills, fuel for our tractors, fertilizer, health insurance and workman's compensation insurance, fire and liability insurance, taxes, electric, repairs and parts, wages, and especially equipment.
Why should it matter what happens to the American Dairy Farmer? At this rate of minimal income, we dairy farmers literally cannot stay in business for very long. And realize that a dairy farmer who sells all his cows, will rarely ever go back into the dairy business again. Please read that sentence again. Dairy farming is a complicated business that one cannot just jump out and back into.
So why not get our dairy products from overseas? Believe me, I would never want to get my dairy or meat products from any place else than the USA where we have excellent and regular, federal inspections of the highest standards to monitor the safety of our food.
Is it legal for the dairy farmer to get such a small part of the 'pie'? It is legal under current legislation. We believe we need drastic changes.
What bothers you most about this inequity? It is hard to narrow it down to one thing! My husband keeps asking the question, that 'if there truly is such a current surplus of milk, then why aren't you seeing much lower prices in the store?' Then maybe you would buy more gallons of our milk!
Can you explain this inequity in other terms? The retail price you paid in 2009 is only down about 15% from the year before, but the price the farmer got for most of 2009 is down %50 from the year before.
How does your income compare to dairy farmers in past years? Our fathers made more in the 1970's for a gallon of milk than what we were making in 2009. The reason why is because all of our expenses have increased dramatically: feed, vet bills, fuel for our tractors, fertilizer, health insurance and workman's compensation insurance, fire and liability insurance, taxes, electric, repairs and parts, wages, and especially equipment.
Why should it matter what happens to the American Dairy Farmer? At this rate of minimal income, we dairy farmers literally cannot stay in business for very long. And realize that a dairy farmer who sells all his cows, will rarely ever go back into the dairy business again. Please read that sentence again. Dairy farming is a complicated business that one cannot just jump out and back into.
So why not get our dairy products from overseas? Believe me, I would never want to get my dairy or meat products from any place else than the USA where we have excellent and regular, federal inspections of the highest standards to monitor the safety of our food.
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