Our family drinks 1-2 gallons of milk a week. That gives us a lot of potential to ingest a liquid produced from an animal that is often given growth hormones and fed corn grown in an industrialized setting with petroleum fertilizer and a long list of chemicals/pesticides. Studies have shown that milk carries some of these harmful chemicals when the cow is exposed.
Luckily, we have toured and fell in love with a local dairy.
Shatto Milk Company is a local dairy which prides themselves on "No Growth Hormones" and milk from cow to shelf in 12 hours!
The milk comes in glass bottles (which require a $1.50 deposit) and tastes delicious.
My wife and I both agree, buy local when available. When presented with Organic vs. Local, we will often take the local option.
Why?
Organic isn't perfect. There are a couple of factors which we believe make local the best option.
1. Local produce, milk, and meat have a travel time which allows for the best tasting, and freshest available products.
2. The impact of transportation with organic food is sometimes so great that it offsets the positive environment impact. A peach traveling 500 miles burns a lot of fossil fuel.
3. Supporting local farmers and a local economy will only benefit the cause.
Take the time to find a local dairy.
Make a weekend out of it. Take the family and see how these animals feed, and how they are cared for.
The local dairy is still out there, and it's worth it.
We love Shatto milk. We have not gotten a chance to take the tour, but it is on our list of things to do.
ReplyDeleteThe kids love it! It is nice to see where the milk comes from, especially since we drink so much of it.
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