Just the facts, milk
I Chedid/Wikimedia Commons
June is Dairy Month, so the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association sent me some interesting statistics about dairy production in the state of Virginia.
It should be no surprise that Southwest and Central Virginia are home to the most dairy farms and account for the most milk production in the state. According to 2009 data:
* The top six ranking dairy counties according to the number of Grade A dairy farms were: Rockingham (241 farms), Franklin (62 farms), Augusta (50 farms), Fauquier (29 farms), Wythe (25 farms) and Bedford (17 farms).
* The top six ranking counties for milk production were: Rockingham (355 million pounds), Franklin (138 million pounds), Pittsylvania (122 milliion pounds), Augusta (103 million pounds), Wythe (47.3 million pounds) and Washington (45.8 million pounds).
Now, how could two counties be listed at the top in milk production but not in the number of dairy farms? I suppose because they may have fewer farms, but those are very large, high-producing farms. A few other facts:
* In 2010, a dairy cow in Virginia cost about $1,300 per head.
* Each dairy cow in Virginia produced about 2,089 gallons of milk in 2010.
* Total amount of milk produced in the state in 2010: about 198.5 million gallons
* Average value of a gallon of milk: $1.29
* Average value of a day’s milk: About $7.58 per cow
* To produce this much milk, an average cow consumes 50 gallons of water, 20 pounds of grain and feed concentrates and 55 pounds of corn silage.
When I ate my bowl of cereal this morning (which was, as usual, pretty heavy on milk), I should have thanked the cows! Cereal, by the way, is my favorite way to consume milk. I also crave milk with a slice of cake and whenever I eat pancakes for breakfast. Oddly, my husband likes milk with savory foods. I’ve even seen him drink a glass with Italian food.
I usually drink skim milk, but I prefer to cook with 2% or richer. And when I do crave a glass of milk, it is usually because milk seems colder than any other beverage to me.
Milk is a key part of any healthy diet, and it is especially important that children drink plenty of low-fat or fat-free milk. If you have to give them low-fat or fat-free flavored milk to get them to drink it, that’s OK. It still has a lot of protein, vitamins and minerals. For more information about milk, click here.
How much milk does your household go through in a given week, and what are your favorite ways to consume it?
June 27, 2011 - 10:30 AM
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Probably a gallon a week. Four of us in the house, two drink milk, 1%, and two do not. The two who do usually drink milk w/ a meal, or w/ cereal.
I stopped drinking animal milk a few months ago in favor of almond milk. I haven’t missed it.
I do use dairy in the form of cheese and cream in various dishes. But not milk on it’s own.
I get my protein and other vitamins elsewhere.
Doesn’t it seem weird that humans drink the milk of other species?
I like my milk RAW, if I can get it. Otherwise, local pasturized milk is preferable. I grew up drinking a glass every night with dinner no matter what the fare – Italian or otherwise. Now I will occasionally have a glass before bed. If I drink a small glass of raw milk before bed I sleep very deeply. Works every time.
As far as drinking milk, a container will usually spoil before it’s consumed in my house. That being said, there are many other forms that are consumed in greater quantities. Yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, butter, cheese, cheese and more cheese. Oh, let’s not forget the ice cream! Most of the milk products are used in cooking, as well as in other ways. I also use evaporated milk, powdered buttermilk (if I don’t have the real stuff on hand), half and half and cream, although I try not to use these frequently. BUT how on earth can you have mashed potatoes without butter and evaporated milk???
The only milk we drink and use in our house is almond milk. We haven’t bought animal-based milk in years. I really enjoy using SIlk’s almond milk for cooking, baking, and other purposes. It’s thick like a whole milk, and adds some to the flavor. Almond Breeze by Blue Diamond is a lot more watery like a skim milk, so it has its place too in our cooking for some purposes.
@ Beet Queen, raw milk is a fascinating food safety issue. I believe the sale of raw milk is illegal in Virginia, but if you own your own cow or have a cow share or something of that sort, I think you can get it. Isn’t it interesting that people used to drink raw milk regularly without health concerns, but now it is considered dangerous by some parties?
If anybody has thoughts on this, I think it would make for a lively discussion.
Yes, raw milk sales are illegal in Virginia, and many other states (most, I think). I am fortunate in that I can milk my goats and get whatever milk I want. I have been known to barter it but I do not sell it for “human” consumption, only “pet” consumption. I am not a milk drinker, and silly husband won’t drink the goat milk which, in my opinion, has it HANDS DOWN over anything from the store (but doesn’t anything from the farm??). I make soft cheese which makes THE BEST lasagna (husband will eat that) and also fudge (again, he’ll eat that) and I use it in cooking. I always have some in the freezer for emergencies, both human and animal. Raw milk, when handled properly, is as safe and certainly FRESHER than anything you can get at the store. I had a get-together at my farm on the 18th with lots of other goat people, and we are all of the same opinion, but nobody wants to fight the government about it. Figured I’d chime in, didn’t ya, Lindsey?
My hubby & I don’t drink as much milk as we used to, we go through a gallon every 10-14 days. However, when we are camping on the weekends, we can drink almost an entire gallon! I have no idea what causes this but it always seems to happen. We went from 2% to 1% about 5 years ago but that is as low as I’m willing to go… no 0% for me!
The National Holstein Convention was actually held in Virginia this year! http://www.holsteinconvention2011.com/
I personally know a lot of hard working dairy farmers in our state, and grew up drinking 2% milk along with eating a lot of cheese and dairy products. It still goes fast at my apartment
@S.Selvage: Yes, and I’m glad you did. The Weston A. Price Foundation is in charge of something called A Campaign for Real Milk. They have a pretty interesting website: http://www.realmilk.com/why.html
I have not fact checked this site, but it also has a page with info on the laws regarding raw milk in different states: http://www.realmilk.com/happening.html
I’m not a fan of milk. I use it for cooking and with an occasional bowl of cereal, but I’ve never really liked it. I do like the vanilla flavored silk for cereal. I’ve never tried almond milk.
All milk intended for direct consumption should be pasteurized – it’s a matter of food safety. The dairy industry, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend that no one consume unpasteurized milk. It is important to remember that harmful bacteria, including Salmonella, TB and Listeria, are destroyed by pasteurization. These harmful bacteria can seriously affect the health of anyone who drinks raw milk, or eats foods made from raw milk. However, the bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 800 people in the United States have gotten sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk since 1998.
As a dietitian and expert on dairy science, I am extremely concerned that people risk their health by drinking unpasteurized milk. Pasteurization removes disease-causing bacteria from milk. It does not affect milk’s nutritional value.
LBuxenbaum, thank you for weighing in with information about raw milk.
I am curious, as I am always interested in culinary history, whether a lot of people used to get sick from these bacteria before pasteurization began? We read so much about our ancestors having cows on the farm, going out to milk them before breakfast and having a glass of fresh milk that day, after skimming off the cream. Were they getting ill, or has the presence of bacteria in unpasteurized milk grown over the course of time?
Good questions Lindsey! Yes, prior to pasteurization, raw milk caused 25% of all food and waterborne outbreaks, which resulted in many infant deaths. In the 21st century, dairy products now cause less than 1% of reported foodborne outbreaks, but about 70% of reported dairy outbreaks are from raw milk or raw milk cheeses. Additionally, as you mentioned, many of the germs in unpasteurized milk, such as E.Coli, Listeria and Salmonella are modern day germs and can cause severe illness and even death.
As a mom and a Registered Dietitian, my family’s health and well-being is always top-of-mind, so I make sure that milk is an important part of our diet. Milk’s nutrients help build strong bones and protect against disease, so I wouldn’t even think about counteracting milk’s health benefits by serving milk that doesn’t have the added benefits of pasteurization.
Here are some websites that provide more insight on this topic:
Real Raw Milk Facts website: http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com
Center for Disease Control:
http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/raw-milk-index.html
I have one question, why don’t the grocery stores around here sell organic milk in quarts too, and not just half gallons? Am I maybe just buying mine from the wrong store (Kroger)?
I just want to weigh in on LB..’s comments on pasteurization. Grain fed cow milk requires pasteurization . Grass fed cows milk does not. Period. End of discussion. Just because he/she is .(.insert credentials) and spewing govt/industry facts doesn’t validate their point. In fact the data from those agencies on raw milk incidents is due to people drinking grain fed raw milk. Please see thecompletepatient.com to learn more about how the govt supports the dairy cartel in bankrupting small farmers who sell raw grass fed milk. And yes, WAPF is a great place to start learning more.