June 26, 2008 at 10:17 am
· Filed under Agricultural Biotechnology, Consumer Attitudes About Biotechnology, rbST Public Discussion
“Sweet Bonus” or Survival? Get the Facts and Then Decide!
by Sherry Bunting
Introduction by Terry Etherton
On June 22, 2008, the Star Tribune newspaper (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota) published an article, “Is Labeling Milk as Free of Hormones a Bad Idea“, written by Lou Gelfand. The story is great example of the lousy and slanted journalism being practiced that focuses on agricultural biotechnology … in this case, rbST and milk labeling.
Read the rest of this entry »
April 23, 2008 at 9:26 am
· Filed under Agricultural Biotechnology, Consumer Attitudes About Biotechnology, rbST Public Discussion
Cyndi Young
Brownfield Ag News
Published in Illinois AgriNews (April 17, 2008)
A release I came across in my computer inbox the other day promoted the establishment of a new brand of milk. Not only does this milk come from happy cows, but from socially responsible dairy farms.
It appears that “socially responsible” has replaced “politically correct” as the buzz phrase of choice in many circles. Read the rest of this entry »
April 18, 2008 at 3:27 pm
· Filed under Consumer Attitudes About Biotechnology, rbST Public Discussion, Science & Education
Terry D. Etherton
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) recently has issued two contradictory press releases (see below) that relate to labeling of milk and dairy products. In one, they promote absence claim labeling; in the other they propose labels are not needed.
IDFA supports the use of deceptive absence labels in the rbST-free milk market battle! However, they are opposed to labels on ultra-filtered (UF) milk used in cheesemaking because those labels may confuse the consumer! Read the rest of this entry »
April 2, 2008 at 5:50 pm
· Filed under Agricultural Biotechnology, Consumer Attitudes About Biotechnology, rbST Public Discussion, Science & Education
SHERRY BUNTING
Published in Farmshine (March 28, 2008 Issue)
Dairymen respond to Wal-Mart’s “Great Value”
Wal-Mart announced this week that its Great Value milk brand now sources milk exclusively from cows not treated with rbST. Milk selections at Sam’s Club are also offered from suppliers sourcing milk from non-supplemented cows.
With this announcement came a report on Wal-Mart’s blogging website, where Rand Waddoups, “author for sustainability” writes about several new “sustainability-related” initiatives at Wal-Mart, including this recent change for Great Value milk. Read the rest of this entry »
April 2, 2008 at 4:24 pm
· Filed under Agricultural Biotechnology, Consumer Attitudes About Biotechnology, rbST Public Discussion, Science & Education
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 »
April 1, 2008 at 5:25 pm
· Filed under Agricultural Biotechnology, Consumer Attitudes About Biotechnology, rbST Public Discussion
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 »
March 24, 2008 at 11:11 am
· Filed under Agricultural Biotechnology, Consumer Attitudes About Biotechnology, rbST Public Discussion
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 »
February 23, 2008 at 7:22 am
· Filed under rbST Public Discussion, The Food System
Sherry Bunting
Farmshine February 8, 2008
Don’t ever apologize for what you do: be proud. What you do affects everyone from Main Street to Wall Street,”said Orion Samuelson to more than 600 dairy producers and agribusiness representatives, launching the 2008 Pennsylvania Dairy Summit at the Lancaster Host on Wednesday (Feb. 6). Read the rest of this entry »
February 21, 2008 at 7:27 pm
· Filed under rbST Public Discussion, Science & Education
By SHERRY BUNTING
Special for Farmshine
LANCASTER, Pa. – “They’ve heard the lies, now it’s time they hear from the farmers,” said Pennsylvania dairyman Tom Krall during the second day of the Dairy Summit here on February 7. Krall-View Farm, Lebanon County, is home to a 100-cow milking herd.
Krall, along with DairyBusiness publisher Joel Hastings presented information about the new producer organization: American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology (AFACT). Read the rest of this entry »
February 21, 2008 at 7:07 pm
· Filed under rbST Public Discussion, Science & Education
Terry D. Etherton
Protect consumer choice:In the marketplace it is important that consumers have the right to buy milk produced by the most efficient, safe and sanitary methods of dairy farm management practices and production technologies that are available,and priced to reflect these efficiencies. Read the rest of this entry »
