Hi,

First off I am not trolling. This is a question that I have been trying to find since I got to know how milk production works. To produce milk, the cow has to have given birth to a calf and taken away and to keep the cow from producing milk for a long time, I believe hormones or something is injected to keep the cow producing milk. Given that this may be the only way to get milk currently, is there such a thing as ethical milk production?

As a home barista who loves his latte and for folks in the cafe industry serving milk drinks do we think about this subject? As much as we think of how to help coffee farmer by direct trade and higher pay, what about the milk that we use?

from a country where cows produce ridiculous amounts of milk I can say that hereabout no hormones are used to keep production going. Cows calf and can be milked for up to 300 days after which they get two months off and start a new cycle with having a calf again.

If you care enough I'd advise you to find a local farm and look around, I'd start with looking for biodynamic farmers or milk as it also gives me the best results.

I have a pal that operates a fairly large dairy operation and also family that used to have small farms. The milk production is a natural thing following the birth of a calf and nothing other than milking is required to keep the cow fresh. The only time medication was used was for illness and during those times the cows were either hand milked in the small operations or milk was isolated from the production tanks in the large one. The cows are well treated and fed in order to keep production and milk fat at high levels. On our family farms all the cows had a name not a number and were treated more like pets than livestock. They all had individual personalities.

I'm curious, where did you learn about how milk production works?

Without planning it, you have asked a question(s) that open up an whole host of philosphic debates, some quite complex.

(Which philosopher stated, "The unexamined glass of milk is not worth drinking.")?

As a first, obvious, premise, partaking of cow's milk introduces some conflict within your own mind, or, at least, you do not take being supplied with milk for granted. Rather than entertain everyone else's philosophy on the question, I would like to propose what I believe is actually a shortcut to finding a resolution of the conflict, and that is, spend time internally with your thoughts and feelings on the matter and try to clarify what you are experiencing and why you are experiencing it. Perhaps you need to ask specific questions, like, 'do cows get upset when their calves are taken away, and for how long?' Or, perhaps, 'what is life like for untamed herbivores?'

It is also interesting to entertain the history of coffee and to note that, back in the old days when coffee was a bitter drink, fresh milk was a rarity in coffee-producing cultures, which added sugar and sugar was an expensive luxury in dairy-producing European cultures, which added milk to coffee (steaming milk makes the taste of the milk sugars more accessible).

My practice has been to drink only black coffee and to brew coffee that tastes better to me that way than any other way.

BT

find a local dairy, not a mass production nightmare. Problem is, sometimes they're not allowed to sell directly to the public. So that may be a hurdle to pass on ur journey. As for me, have no "long dark night of the udder" moments when I drink or use milk. There may be local cheese producers that sell milk also.

Hi Kelvin, I see that you're from Singapore so I'll chime in on what's available here.

In short, yes, ethical* milk production is possible; however depending on the area, it might not be the norm. From the Singaporean supermarkets, your best option will be free range milk from Europe or Australia. Unfortunately, a lot of these are UHT. The high-end organic markets might have fresh milk from Australia, but expect it to be more expensive.

* Given that the notion of "ethical" varies, here's my definition based on what I've seen first-hand. I stayed at an organic agri-tourism farm in Costa Rica, and witnessed their milk production. Their process is in stark contrast to commercial practices. All milking is by hand, in the morning. The cows and their calves have plenty of open pasture to graze on. The cows are only separated from their calves while they are milked, and the calves are kept close-by during the milking process.

A few years ago New York began issuing licenses to sell raw milk (unpasteurized). I buy from the only such farm on Long Island that sells it... They only have a few cows which I believe are grass-fed with no hormones.

I think this depends on the area and farmer.
I spent many summers with my great uncle on a dairy farm in san miguel azores in the 70's and upto the early 80's.
Small operation, grass fed never in barn and hand milked . I knew each cow by name and use to make wooden stalks by hand to secure the cow as many pastures were near cliffs. Three times a day the cows were moved, fed with other grains and brought to water. Never did I hear of or see a needle or hormones used. The milk and cheeses were incredible. Not sure how things are done today since he's long passed. For the most part horses and donkeys have been replaced by pick-ups and electric fencing is used to contain the cows within the pasture. All machine milked now as heards have grown. I recall iodine was used to clean the cow udders and rinsed prior to milking. Highly trained dogs were used to coral the cows. Dogs understood whistle, word and hand signals. It was a joy to watch them in action. If I could save time in a bottle....

Rob, your mention of iodine solution to clean udders brought back some long forgotten memories of my aunt and uncles milking parlor. And don't forget the trough behind the cows. My job was to muck that out when the operation wound up. I also remember leaning against that big warm beast on cold fall mornings when hand milking in the still dark hours before going to school.