Dairy Cow Abuser Gets Jail

Dairy farm worker pleads guilty to gut-wrenching abuse of cows, calves


Posted: Sep 24, 2010 9:50 AM CDT Updated: Sep 24, 2010 2:58 PM CDT
Fox19.com


MARYSVILLE MUNI COURT, OH (WOIO) - A guilty plea from the man accused of abusing cows at a dairy farm in Plain City.

Undercover video taken by animal rights activists at the Conklin Dairy Farm show Billy Joe Gregg, Jr. hitting, stabbing and even dropping the cows.

Friday morning, Billy Joe Gregg, Jr. pleaded guilty to six counts of animal cruelty and six additional counts of animal cruelty were dismissed.

The judge sentenced him to 8 months in jail and ruled he can't have any contact with any animal and must enroll in counseling on how to treat animals. Gregg has already served about half of his sentence.

19 Action News is told that the Minerva Cheese Factory has stopped using Conklin Dairy.   Link

Why this guy took pleasure in abusing these cows is beyond me.  What we do know is that this isn’t normal behavior.  In order for our food animals to be productive they need to be as healthy and stress-free as possible.  That can’t be achieved with abuse like we saw in that video.  As a fifth generation rancher and someone who takes animal husbandry very seriously, I’m relived to know that this guy is getting some help.

Too Much Milk?

Too much milk?
By Chris Woolston Special to the Los Angeles Times
July 12, 2010

Few things in life look as pure and simple as a glass of milk. The ingredient list on the carton is refreshingly short too. All it says is "milk," perhaps along with some added vitamin A and vitamin D. No preservatives, no artificial colors, no high-fructose anything. Just milk.

But like many things that appear simple from the outside, there's a lot going on beneath milk's surface. That glass is swirling with natural cow hormones, which isn't surprising considering the source. Milk contains sugars found nowhere else in nature, and it offers a particular blend of nutrients — including protein, calcium, magnesium and potassium — that you can't get anywhere else.

Yet, almost 8,000 years after nomadic herders realized they could tug at the udders of slow-moving livestock, we still aren't sure how much of the stuff we should be drinking. The USDA recommends three cups of dairy a day for all adults, but the science behind milk hasn't been settled. "This is one of the most complicated and interesting areas of nutrition," says Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, "and we don't have all of the answers."

Many high-profile nutritionists — often working with large research grants from the dairy industry — say that milk in great quantities is an essential part of the daily diet that can help prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer and other illnesses. "Anything less than three glasses a day, and you won't get all of the nutrients that you need," says Connie Weaver, head of food and nutrition at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Most of Weaver's funding comes from the National Institutes of Health, but she's also supported by the National Dairy Council.

On the other side, groups promoting animal rights and veganism — including PETA and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine — say that cow's milk is a nutritional nightmare that doesn't belong in the human diet. "It's gross," says Dr. Neil Barnard, author and founder of the PCRM. "Milk is nutritionally perfect for one purpose: feeding a calf," he says. "The idea that we should be drinking milk from a cow is just bizarre."

Willett, one of the world's most prominent nutrition experts, doesn't belong to either camp. From his viewpoint, one or two cups of milk each day is a safe, reasonable and nutritious goal. "But beyond that," he says, "the benefits are unclear, and there may be some risk."

The PCRM website says that milk raises the risk of breast cancer, but even Barnard isn't convinced. " Breast cancer is unclear," he says, adding that he doesn't often look at the organization's website. A 2005 report from a researcher with the Australian equivalent of the Dairy Council combined results of 52 previous studies examining the issue. When put together, the studies didn't show any connection between dairy and breast cancer.

Read More


With all of the studies mentioned in this article that may suggest this or that, we do know that no single food has ever been proven to cause cancer. That is undeniable fact. So with that in mind we need to go back to common sense. When it comes to food it’s important that we eat a balanced diet that includes meat and diary products. And just to show you how radical groups like the PCRM are, Dr. Barnard (founder of the PCRM) even admits that he doesn’t agree with everything they are saying about milk on their website. You would think that they’d at least try to get their story straight while trying to mislead the public.

Congressman Says Milk, Meat Unhealthy For Kids

Colorado congressman wants healthier school meals
By: DAN ELLIOTT Associated Press05/17/10 10:15 PM EDT

DENVER — More kids could get vegetarian meals and nondairy food and drink in the school cafeteria under a bill proposed by Colorado congressman Jared Polis.

"One of the things I've always been dismayed by is the nutritional value of the meals schools serve," Polis said Monday before promoting his Healthy School Meals Act at a suburban Denver charter school.

Polis, a Democrat, wants to give schools an incentive to offer more plant-based food. He estimated it would cost around $50 million a year but said he believes that would be more than offset in health care savings because fewer children would suffer from juvenile diabetes, heart disease and other conditions linked to obesity. Read More


Withholding meat and milk from our children is certainly not going to make them healthier. If we want our kids to be healthier we have to get back to the basics. They need to eat a balanced diet that includes meat and diary products, get plenty of exercise and cut down on the junk food. This congressman’s proposal is as ridiculous as it sounds. Besides that, I wonder if the parents and the congressman realize that the vegetarian option of macaroni and cheese they are promoting uses cheese which is made from milk, they very same milk that they want removed from the lunch program. Our kids do need to eat healthier, but telling them not to eat meat or drink milk won’t accomplish anything. ~ Troy

Affordable Nutrition

Cheap Foods That Are Good For You
Rebecca Ruiz, 03.16.10, 4:00 PM ET
Forbes.com

Every few months, the food cognoscenti start touting a new super food for its ability to ward off disease. Hot foods in recent years include wild salmon ($15 a pound and packed with omega-3 fatty acids), antioxidant-loaded leeks ($3 a bunch), and the exotic açaí and goji berries (as much as $20 and $40 per 16 ounces, respectively). These foods are packed with nutrients but can send your grocery bill into the stratosphere.

You can get all the nutrition you need for much less money if you shop carefully. A cup of cooked navy beans has a similar amount of protein as 3 ounces of salmon, and is loaded with more magnesium, phosphorous and potassium. One large orange has almost seven times the amount of vitamin C and more fiber than a cup of raw blueberries, at a small fraction the berries' price this time of year. A $3 bunch of dark green, leafy kale is a big nutritional improvement on watery iceberg lettuce--but broccoli has just as many nutrients at half the price.

These are comparisons that Adam Drewnowski, the director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington, has focused on in recent years. To help ordinary Americans who don't have unlimited budgets, Drewnowski has created an index ranking the most affordable healthy foods, ones that are packed with essential nutrients.

Drewnowski favors basic foods that are widely available year-round. His approach is the opposite of one taken by Omnivore's Dilemma author Michael Pollan, who has championed unprocessed, locally grown foods. “These foods give you maximum nutrition per dollar,” Drewnowski says.

Many items that rank high on his list, including milk, broccoli, beans, and tomato juice, won't surprise anyone. Others are a little more curious: Eggs make the cut despite their high cholesterol content because they are cheap and packed with protein and nutrients. Potatoes (skin on) also do well. And a few items on the index are jaw-dropping. If you believe Drewnowski, hamburger is a health food. He maintains that its high levels of protein and affordable price outweigh its huge saturated fat content. Read More

Common sense continues to show that eating a balanced diet which includes items such as meat, dairy and eggs is not only healthy but also affordable. As is typical, the reporter tries to plant a seed of doubt in everyone’s head, however no one can argue that these are very nutrient dense food. Think of them like tasty vitamins.

PETA Says Cows Aren't Happy

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009
PETA says cows still aren't happy
Animal rights group renews effort to show milk promotion misleads
By John Holland jholland@modbee.com

An animal rights group Tuesday renewed its campaign against the "happy cows" promotions by the California Milk Advisory Board.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, in a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, claimed the Modesto-based board misleads consumers by depicting cows in lush pastures.

The group said the cows live mostly in manure-filled dirt lots and suffer udder infections because of a lack of veterinary care.

"If the CMAB is to be believed, cows in the dairy industry are free to kick up their heels in rolling green fields with a handful of their peers," said Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of the Virginia-based group, in a news release.

"The truth is that conditions commonly found on California's factory dairy farms have been scientifically proven to cause cows extreme physical pain and mental distress." Read More

For the second time, PETA is attempting to shut down the California Milk Board’s “Happy Cows” advertisements. It’s a very lame attempt, but that won’t slow down PETA. However, if they don’t succeed again with this argument, be prepared for the next complaint over the ads to focus on the fact that CA’s dairy farmers are misleading the public into believing that cows can talk. ~TH

Miss America Has Milk Mustache

Miss America Promoting Indiana Farmers
06/22/2009
by Gary Truitt

The American Dairy Association of Indiana has announced their new spokesperson: Miss America. She will now be able to represent the Hoosier dairy industry to a worldwide audience. Katie Stam is the first Hoosier to be crowned Miss America and now the first Miss America to also be a spokesman for the ADA of IN.

Stam told HAT that representing the dairy industry will come naturally since she grew up in a dairy farm family in Indiana, “As one of 4 children my job was to help take care of the baby dairy cows and help our in the milking parlor.” She will now be able to take her story of to the whole world, “It is my story; I can talk about my family’s lifestyle and how I was raised.” In 4-H, Stam had experience showing dairy cattle at the Jackson County fair, is not afraid to talk about animal care, and is eager to tell consumers about how dairy farmers treat their dairy cows, “For a farmer, his cows or his crops is his livelihood. It is the way we make a living so, of course we are going to take good care of our animals.” Stam said dairy farmers live on or near the land that their families farm and they understand the importance of protecting the natural resources.

This extremely articulate and intelligent young woman will serve as a role model for many young people and has a strong message about dairy products and the role they play in a daily diet, “Not only are dairy products a great source of calcium but 12 other important nutrients.” She also stressed that dairy products taste great. Her day begings with dairy, “I could not start the day without a good breakfast of bacon, eggs, and fruit and, of course, milk.” She said that after her daily exercise routine she enjoys a glass of chocolate milk.

Stam was in Indianapolis this week participating in a photo and video shoot. From this, advertising messages will be produced and used by the American Dairy Association of Indiana, to educate consumers about dairy. Deb Osza, General Manager of Milk Promotion Services of Indiana, said, “Katie is a wonderful role model for girls and people of all ages, and we are confident she will set a good example to remind us to drink milk every single day.” Link

It’s refreshing to say the least when we see someone like Katie Stam achieve so much success and not forget her rural farming roots. Congratulations to her for representing the dairy industry. Not only is she supporting American agriculture, but she also is supporting good nutrition for children.

Eat Your Beef, Drink Your Milk

EDITORIAL: Where's the beef?
Friday, October 17, 2008

(Rodney Lamkey Jr. / The Washington Times)

Wendy's coined the phrase "Where's the beef?" in the 1980s. Today, it seems that meat is out, and more expensive soy products and supplements are in. Helped by activist groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who cry "Meat is murder," they make Americans feel embarrassed to bite into a steak or take a swig of milk.

Health nuts ponder, should I eat meat? It can be fattening and can contain growth hormones that most of us can't pronounce. Americans could be better off without meat and animal products altogether, right? Well, experts say - a resounding no. Our bodies need meat and animal products, such as dairy, to function.

As animal-rights activists continue to protest the consumption of animal products, more evidence comes forward contradicting their obvious lack of knowledge where the human body is concerned. This week, the American Academy of Pediatrics doubled the required dose of vitamin D needed for children to 400 daily units. The health benefits go unreported by activists. Women with higher levels of vitamin D are more likely to survive breast cancer once diagnosed and treated. Vitamin D helps prevent rickets, osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer and lowers mortality risk. The best source of vitamin D for the body comes from whole milk. In fact, human breast milk does not always contain enough vitamin D for developing babies. Try telling that to PETA. Read More

I am glad to see that the Washington Times editorial board has been reading my blog. The stories about Vitamin D and Travis Barker are articles that I have posted recently. Seriously though, it is very refreshing to see a major newspaper have the courage to stand up for agriculture and the products we produce instead of caving to activists and their agenda. Thank you Washington Times!

Kids Need More Milk in Diet

Importance of vitamin D
Updated: Oct 14, 2008 04:04 PM MDT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The nation's pediatricians are calling for a double dose of Vitamin D. But what exactly does that mean when it comes to feeding your child.

Children need about four cups of vitamin D fortified milk every day in order to get 400 units of vitamin D - that's the new, higher amount now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. One reason for the new recommendation is that kids are suffering more fractures than they used to.

Dr. Lucy Holmes, Pediatrician, from UB/Kaleida Health said, "Perhaps the reason why kids may be getting more fractures is because their bones aren't that strong, and that is because they're not drinking enough milk or at least being supplemented with enough vitamin D and also eating enough calcium."

And bone health isn't the only benefit of vitamin D.

"Poor vitamin D levels might actually affect your immune system, so you'd be susceptible to more infectious diseases." Read More


I seem to read a lot about people who claim eliminating animal products from your diet will make you healthier. However, many doctors are seeing the results of kids and adults that aren’t getting enough of one animal product and that is milk. Not drinking enough milk has resulted in increasing health and development problems in children. Unfortunately, many parents today seem to be compromising the welfare of their children in favor of their misguided attempts to improve animal welfare.

Milk, The Cancer Fighter

Milk May Help Prevent Cancer

Milk may help fight cancer, according to a group of researchers at Flinders University in Adelaide.

The researchers are currently exploring the role of cow's milk in preventing bowel cancer through a research.

The university has said it is expecting to have clear evidence by the end of the year on the role milk could play in boosting the anti-cancer properties of a natural trace element, selenium.

In a human trial, the cancer expert Graeme Young is testing the benefit of selenium when delivered through cow's milk compared with other forms of the dietary supplement. Read More

The importance of milk in a healthy diet continues to be proven in study after study. The dairy industry is responsible for so many food products and is a key component in agriculture’s efforts to feed the world. As with beef cattle, dairy cattle have the unique ability to convert roughages, that humans can’t utilize, into useable forms of calcium, protein, vitamins, zinc, iron and more.

No Difference Between Milk

Study Backs Up rbST Supporters’ Claims on Milk Labeling
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 07/25/2008 - 12:45pm.

Differences Not ‘Biologically Meaningful’ in Three Types of Labeled Milk

A new scientific study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (JADA) reports the results of the first in-depth survey study comparing retail milk for quality, nutritional value and levels of different milk hormones, including bovine somatotropin (bST). The study found that there were “no meaningful differences” in the composition of milk with the three different label claims, according to a news release this week from the Penn State Department of Dairy and Animal Science.

Prompted by the recent trend in food labeling based on dairy cow management, the study looked specifically at three label claims: conventional milk (including milk from cows treated with rbST or recombinant bovine somatotropin), rbST-free milk and organic milk.

While minor differences were observed in milk composition for the three labels, the differences were not “biologically meaningful.” The coauthors of the study concluded that label claims “were not related to any meaningful differences in the milk compositional variables measured,” a claim that supporters of rbST in the dairy industry have been making from the start of the controversy over milk labeling. Read More

Just as we have been told all along, there is no difference in the milk from cows exposed to different management styles. After traveling to both coasts two weeks ago and talking to consumers along the way, words like “hormones” have negative a connotation regardless of the science and truth. Regardless of whether you as a producer decide to adopt certain technologies, educating consumers on the truth about the technologies available to feed a growing population is a story we all need to be telling.

Improving our Cattle

SDSU dairy research considers history of methane emissions
By SDSU Extension


BROOKINGS, S.D. - Modern dairy cows produce more methane than their predecessors, but fewer dairy herds and a smaller dairy cow population has resulted in less overall methane emission.

South Dakota State University Extension Dairy Specialist Alvaro Garcia, along with James Linn, head of the University of Minnesota Department of Animal Science, looked at the role cattle and dairy cows play in methane emission.

Garcia and Linn presented their findings at the 2008 American Dairy Science Association meeting in Indianapolis.

They compared today's dairy herds to those of 1924, the first year U.S.Department of Agriculture cattle and dairy statistics were compiled. Read More

Agriculture has continually been improving its efficiency and this is a great look back at how far we have come. Being able to produce more with less is how we can continue to feed a growing population. This is another one of the great stories that agriculture has to tell.

Cows & the Environment

Hormone use may make dairy farming greener-US study
Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:24pm EDT
By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO, June 30 (Reuters) - Using bovine growth hormones to boost milk production could help the dairy industry significantly reduce its impact on the environment, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

They said supplementing 1 million cows with the growth hormone recombinant bovine somatotropin or rbST would have the same effect as removing about 400,000 cars from the road or planting 300 million trees.

"That's a pretty substantial impact," said Dale Bauman of Cornell University, whose research appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read More

The same groups that claim that animal agriculture is inefficient also fight and argue against technologies that improve efficiencies at the production level. Why? Because their goal is to eliminate our industry and anything that comes along that will mess with their argument has to be blown off as untrue. The efficiencies that we have gained in agriculture over the last 100 years is phenomenal and that is something that we should be proud of.

Milk Does a Body Good

The Science Is In: Drink Your Milk!

Thanks to researchers at the University of Illinois, activist-driven smear campaigns against milk and meat hit a major bump in the road this week. Contradicting what the animal rights clan has been claiming in recent years, a study published in this month’s Journal of Nutrition shows that milk still does a body good. And this latest evidence proves that the 1970s-era science cited by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is as old and antiquated as lava lamps and leisure suits.

In a futile attempt to get everyone to stop drinking milk, PETA and PCRM have been perpetuating the claim that diets in animal-based proteins actually suck calcium from our bones. PETA promotes the idea that drinking milk "can cause people to excrete calcium through their urine and increase their risk of osteoporosis." And PCRM blindly insists that milk should be yanked from school lunches because "consuming too much protein causes calcium to be pulled from the bones and excreted through urine." Read More

Another study has determined that drinking milk is good for you. It’s highly doubtful that this will stop those that are trying to eliminate animal agriculture, but science has one again proven that mom was right when she told us to drink our milk.

No such thing as hormone free

Lifeway Foods Switches to 100% Certified Hormone Free Milk
Wednesday, June 11, 2008; Posted: 06:00 PM

MORTON GROVE, Ill., June 11, 2008

Lifeway Foods, Inc., makers of the nutritious, probiotic dairy beverage called kefir, announced today that they are now using milk that comes from cows not treated with hormones. This 100% certified hormone free milk comes with a Farmers Pledge, which Lifeway will market on the labels of its products. This change came as a response to a growing demand for hormone and antibiotic milk by customers. Read More

Here we go again with the claim of hormone free milk. There is no such thing. Milk comes from a cow which produces hormones. Hormones are essential to life on this planet. Plants and animals rely on hormones for their very survival. To say that this milk is 100% hormone free is completely untrue.

Milk is Good For You (No Kidding!)

In Fad-free Nutrition, exclusively on CNN.com, the editors of Cooking Light help you digest the latest diet and food news and trends.

When Wal-Mart announced last week that its private label milk would be produced exclusively from cows that had been given no artificial growth hormones, it sparked nationwide concern about how milk is produced and how its production may affect your health.

While scientific studies have proven inconclusive, it's important to focus on what we do know. Milk has nutrients that are essential to your health, so whatever you do, don't stop drinking it. Here's why: Read More

I had to include this article, just because I was a little surprised to see a very pro-milk article (regardless of the rBST issue) appear on CNN. Most articles about milk have all been about using rBST and have been ignoring the fact that milk is a very nutritious product and we all need to drink more of it.

Hormone Free Cows

Ohio frees up 'free from' milk hormone claims

By Shane Starling02-Apr-2008 -

Ohio's ongoing regulatory debate about how best to label milk derived from cows treated with growth hormones has taken another turn with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) revising a rule that restricted 'free from' claims. The ODA's revision, which reduces the size of an on-label FDA-mandated disclaimer, came after a March 12 public meeting in which industry, processors and consumers expressed concern about the mooted rules that control the manner in which milk derived from hormone-free cows can be marketed.

The ODA says the regulations are intended to level the playing field between the two milk sources but hormone-using processors are opposed in principle to such labeling because they assert it unfairly implies milk derived from hormone-treated cows is compositionally different to milk sourced from hormone-free cows when it is not, thus misleading the public.

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=84406-ohio-department-of-agriculture-milk


Here is another article on hormones in milk. We have been hearing more and more about labeling of milk and I think it is very important to continue sharing them with you to show you how misled people are on this subject. In the second paragraph, please note the term “hormone-free cows”. If these cows were hormone free, they would be dead. There is no such thing as a hormone free cow, or a hormone free anything. Hormones are necessary for life. Every one of us need to be prepared to do our part educating consumers about this subject.