It's No Bull, Your Milk is Safe

Did you know, June is National Dairy Month? As an avid ice cream lover and an advocate for agriculture, of course I want to talk about it! 

A while back, I scrolled through Facebook and noticed a post by an enraged dairy farmer, fellow FFA member, and friend. He complained about the inaccuracy of yet another article urging people to stop drinking milk. My friend isn’t the only dairy farmer frustrated by the animal rights activists and misinformed bloggers out there spreading lies about the dairy industry. 

As an advocate for agriculture, I fear that my friends and family will read these articles and believe what they see. So, I messaged my friend Zack for the truth, straight from the dairy farm.

Your Milk IS Antibiotic Free

This is an issue that is discussed so often and particularly what set Zack off that day. I am very familiar with the health concern of antibiotics being in our milk, as well as our meat. Any time an antibiotic is given, there is a withdrawal period before the milk or meat from that animal can be used for consumption. And that holding period is ALWAYS stated on the label. Even 4-Hers, as young as nine years old, learn this while completing quality assurance training.

However, I received a further education when Zack explained to me exactly what happens on the dairy farm. After an antibiotic is given, the cow is still milked and the milk is simply disposed of until the holding period is over. The contaminated milk is NOT put in the tank with the rest of the milk. Then, when the milk man comes, he is required by law to take a sample from the tank and label it with the farm name before any milk is pumped out of the tank.

Once the milk arrives at the plant it is tested for any trace of antibiotics or other drugs. If the milk sample fails the test, the whole entire load of milk is disposed of. The product is a loss and this could potentially cost the farm a lot of money. Zack stated, “there are some pretty extreme consequences … I’ve seen farms be shut down because they sent too many bad loads of milk.” I promise you, no farmer wants that. 

So, there you have it and it's no bull. Your milk is safe!

Thank goodness, right? I sure wasn’t ready to jump on board with the anti-milk activists and start dunking my Oreos in almond milk… Oh by the way, how does one milk an almond? (Lol)

I want to extend a huge thank you to my friend, Zack Rohrbaugh, for sharing his knowledge, experience, and pictures! I couldn't have done it without ya!

And as always, I want to thank you for reading. I hope you learned a little something. I know I did! To celebrate National Dairy Month, enjoy as many ice cream cones as your heart desires!

Julia BellComment