Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky
Ok. Fine.
In an effort to help this thread out- would you be willing to write some reasons as to why industrialized dairy farming is bad? If there are any.
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Eh? In regards to public health, the possible negative effects are rather obvious.
-local water systems can be damaged, through both large concentration of feces and animals passing antibiotics.
-disease; cramped living quarters obviously make it easier for disease to be transmitted
-smell; a few tons of **** will stink.
In regards to quality of the product; there are competing studies on this issue. However, for most people, the difference is nihil; most bottlers don't produce their own milk, and most who produce their own milk do so with minor differences (no rBGH, glass bottling, etc). The real difference starts in regards to the expensive ****; the cows that are fed exclusively by grazing. If you go that route you get differences based on the breed of cow & what they're fed (etc.), and this difference is reflected both in nutritional data and taste.
The problem, however, is that these premium brands have a premium price; and just because the end result is superior doesn't mean the employees or cows are being treated well.
Now, in regards to how I feel emotionally; my fathers main business when I grew up was repairing dairy equipment, which he bought from his father, whose father had dairy cows, etc... further, ideologically, I am an agrarian. I truly wish we could have more small farms in this nation. However, the economy, the law, and -
most importantly - the culture are against it. If you're an American and you want more people to stay in the family farm business, and to treat animals and the land with respect, I'd say the most important thing you can do is to stop ****ting on their culture and stop supporting people who do this.
Now, for a random point I must add because my former job is usually so irrelevant to this forum; did you all know that for dairy products to be considered kosher a Rabbi has to not only inspect the equipment and cattle before you milk (each & every time!), BUT has to be there while they milk? It's true; it's not uncommon for big operations to have a Rabbi living on the farm. This is why lots of smaller operations lack that circle K. However, thanks to the telecommunications revolution, they're just putting up what amounts to security cameras in dairy's..... weird ****.