Monthly Archives: December 2007

Milk Market Moos – The Best and Worst about 2007

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. Continue reading Milk Market Moos – The Best and Worst about 2007

rbST and Milk Labeling – A View from Ohio

Lyle Ruprecht
20009 Mishey Road
Butler, Ohio 44822

I am writing this letter as a concerned member of the dairy industry regarding misinformation surrounding the topic of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST). As a member of the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Dairy Label Review Committee, I have done a large amount of research on the topic of rBST and the FDA’s guidance on labeling relating to the use of rBST. Continue reading rbST and Milk Labeling – A View from Ohio

The End of Cheap Food?

From The Economist print edition (December 6, 2007 issue)

Rising food prices are a threat to many; they also present the world with an enormous opportunity.

For as long as most people can remember, food has been getting cheaper and farming has been in decline. In 1974-2005 food prices on world markets fell by three-quarters in real terms. Food today is so cheap that the West is battling gluttony even as it scrapes piles of half-eaten leftovers into the bin. Continue reading The End of Cheap Food?

Food Labeling Needs to be Addressed

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. Continue reading Food Labeling Needs to be Addressed

Busted: rbST Milk Myth Machine is Revealed

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. Continue reading Busted: rbST Milk Myth Machine is Revealed

Bovine Somatotropin (bST) Safety Around the World

Terry D. Etherton

A common “sound bite” in the arsenal of individuals who oppose rbST use in the dairy industry in the United States is that it is banned in most countries around the world, especially Canada and all the European nations to protect the milk supply. This is inaccurate and misleading. Here are the facts: Continue reading Bovine Somatotropin (bST) Safety Around the World

Hormones and Milk – The Deceptive Marketing Continues

Donald L. Yorlets, VMD
P.O. Box 205
4698 York Road
New Oxford, PA 17350

Recently South Central Pennsylvania has been plastered with new billboards touting the virtues of milk from Rutter’s Dairy. It is billed as “FREE OF ARTIFICIAL HORMONES” and “FREE OF ARTIFICIAL GROWTH HORMONES” on their milk jug labels. Continue reading Hormones and Milk – The Deceptive Marketing Continues