Terry Etherton’s Blog on Hormones, Biotechnology, and Food Safety

Posted on Truth About Trade & Technology
April 2, 2008

Sixty-six university dairy and veterinary scientists launched a broad attack Monday against milk processors and retail marketers who increasingly seek to advertise and label milk produced by cows not treated with Monsanto’s recombinant bovine somatotropin. A letter from professors at nearly every major land grant university asserted there was no difference between conventional and “rBST-free” or organic milk but that consumers were being misled by emotional advertising claims to pay higher prices. Read the rest of this entry »

Terry Etherton

Retail food prices at the supermarket increased in the first quarter of 2008, according to the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 basic grocery items in the first quarter of 2008 was $45.03, up about 8 percent or $3.42 from the fourth quarter of 2007. Read the rest of this entry »

John Fetrow VMD, MBA
Professor of Dairy Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Minnesota
1365 Gortner Ave.
St. Paul, Minnesota 55108

Terry D. Etherton, Ph.D.
Department Head & Distinguished Professor of Animal Nutrition
Department of Dairy & Animal Science
324 W.L. Henning Bldg
Penn State University
University Park, PA 16802

Milk is probably the most pure, wholesome, safe, highly regulated, inspected, and most carefully handled food that any of us consume. Dairy products provide a wealth of nutrients, including protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals. Even the butterfat in milk contains substances that may reduce cancer risks and help prevent obesity. Read the rest of this entry »

The following podcast features Orion Samuelson of WGN Radio discussing the use of recombinant bovine somatotropn (rbST).

Orion Samuelson is heard on WGN Radio, where he has served as Agribusiness Director since 1960. He and his associate, Max Armstrong, present 15 agricultural/business reports daily on WGN. They also host the hour-long Morning Show and Noon Show, both heard on Saturdays on WGN. Orion is also heard daily on more than 260 radio stations with his syndicated National Farm Report and on 110 stations with his syndicated Samuelson Sez. Orion and Max are seen weekly on rural channel RFD-TV, carried on Dish-TV and DirecTV on This Week in Agribusiness.

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The following podcast is of an interview with Dr. Terry Etherton on WHYY Radio in Philadelphia. This interview took place on January 15, 2008.

Summary from WHYY: The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recently ruled that dairies that do not inject their cattle with synthetic growth hormone can no longer label their milk as hormone-free. The decision, which has been put on hold until the beginning of February, raises serious questions for consumers, dairy farmers, and retailers. We talk to TERRY ETHERTON of Penn State University.

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Terry D. Etherton

The Case Study

The following editorial on milk labeling, Truth is spilled over milk, was published in the January 3, 2008 issue of the Centre Daily Times (State College, Pennsylvania).

As an educator for almost 30 years, and having given countless quizzes and exams, I thought it would be informative for the readers of my blog for me to GRADE this editorial. Read the rest of this entry »

Editorial from Hoard’s Dairyman
January 10, 2008 Issue

Kudos to Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff for his department’s announcement that it will not allow dairy retailers to market milk with so-called “absence labels” in the state. Wolff, a dairy farmer himself, said that his department reviewed 140 labels and found 16 of them false or misleading. This announcement covered labels promising milk to be free of certain things such as artificial hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides. Read the rest of this entry »

SHERRY BUNTING
Published in Farmshine (December 21, 2007 issue)

The purpose of this column is to discuss news affecting dairy marketing and prices. Before digging in, let’s reflect on the season and the yearend state of the dairy business…

New and value-added products in the dairy case are receiving good demand from consumers. Record exports brought record prices to overseas markets. And dairy farmers received record prices for their milk. 2007 has been a good year: particularly welcome after the abysmal losses of 2006.

But there’s something else 2007 will be known for: unease and potential division based on differences in production practices.

The milk labeling issue – and the uncertainty and controversy it brings to technologies like rbST – are overshadowing what would otherwise be a banner year. Read the rest of this entry »

Dieter Krieg
Published in Farmshine (December 7, 2007 issue)

On the one hand, I agree and support Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff’s efforts to clear some issues regarding the labels on dairy products.

On the other hand, I understand and sympathize with those who aren’t exactly thrilled with what he is attempting to do.

There are valid reasons and good arguments on both sides of this issue. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that something needs to be done about the way many foods are labeled today — not just dairy products. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Normand St-Pierre
Dairy Management Specialist
The Ohio State University
The Buckeye Dairy News, November 2007, Volume 9, Issue 4

If you believe the headlines of most major newspapers and magazines, the U.S. consumer is against the use of biotechnology in agriculture and prefers that his/her food be grown in a natural and organic fashion. Read the rest of this entry »