SCHODACK LANDING (N.Y.) — Nathan Chittenden’s 1,500 Jersey cows in upstate New York live a happy life. dairy farmingenjoy spending their days in well-ventilated barns, eating from their troughs and lounging around. They go to the milking parlor three times per day. There, computer-calibrated vacuums drain several hundred gallons of warm milk out of their udders. This process takes about as long as a reading of “The Farmer In the Dell”.

Mr. Chittenden

Mr. Chittenden (42), a third-generation dairy farmer, who bottles-feeds each newborn calves and shows affection for them. They seemed to be returning the affection when his cows, both pregnant, poked their heads into the enclosure to lick his hands.

He said, while stroking one stubborn cow’s head, “I am in control of its entire life, from cradle through grave.” “It’s a bad person to let it suffer.”

Animal rights activists take a very different view of farms

Animal rights activists take a very different view of farms like Mr. Chittenden that supply the nation with milk, cheese, and yogurt. They see dairy farmers as part of an inhumane industrial food production process that condemns them to a life of misery. They have been waging a fierce battle against the $620 billion dairy industry, after years of successfully promoting other farming practices.

Some of their claims are undisputed. Dairy cows are repeatedly infected with artificial insemination, and their babies are taken away at birth. When they reach eight weeks old, female calves are placed in individual pens. Their horn buds are then destroyed. Males are less fortunate. They are often taken to cattle ranches or veal farms soon after their birth and end up as hamburger meat.

The average American dairy cow will live its entire life in a concrete-floored barn. Most are put to death after four to five years of declining milk production.

Erica Meier, president of Animal

Erica Meier, president of Animal Outlook, stated that people have an image of Old MacDonald’s farm with happy cows on green pastures. But, this is far from reality. While some farms may be more cruel than others, there is no cruelty-free milk.

Animal Outlook has released undercover footage of dairy farms that is often shared on social media to support the effort to stigmatize dairy as cruel and inhumane. The organization released a video that was filmed undercover at a small family farm in Southern California in October. It showed workers beating and kicking cows with metal rods and a newborn male calves left in the mud with its face covered in flies. One segment featured an earth-moving bucket lifting a Holstein injured by its hindquarters into the air.

Stephen Larson

Stephen Larson, a lawyer representing Dick Van Dam Dairy described the images as being staged or taken out of context. A lawsuit filed against the farm by an animal rights group was dismissed earlier this month by a judge. He said it did not have standing. “They are accused of mistreating their cows, which is something that really cuts the Van Dam family,” Mr. Larson stated.

Experts in the dairy industry and farmers who viewed the footage expressed disgust and stated that the abuses shown were not common. Dr. Carie Telgen of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners said, “These videos make every milk farmer and veterinarian sick to the stomach because we know that the vast majority of farmers wouldn’t do such things to cows.”

At a time when many farms in the country are struggling to make a profit, Americans are becoming more against dairy. The milk consumption has fallen by 40% since 1975. This trend is growing as more people adopt almond and oat milk. According to the Department of Agriculture, over 20,000 dairy farms went out of business in the last decade. This represents a 30% decline. Some producers have had to sell their milk as the demand from schools lunch programs and restaurants has dried up.

Joaquin Phoenix’s Academy Awards speech

Joaquin Phoenix’s Academy Awards speech in February for best actor drew enthusiastic applause when it was time to urge viewers to stop eating dairy products.

He said, his voice breaking with emotion, “We feel entitled artificially to inseminate cows and when she gives birth, we steal her baby.” “And then, we take her milk intended for the calf, and we put it into our coffee and cereal.”

The National Milk Producers Federation represents the majority of 35,000 country’s dairy farmers. It has tried to counter the deteriorating public sentiment by encouraging better animal welfare among its members. This means that low-wage workers must be trained on how to handle cows and end tail docking, which was once a common practice of removing cow’s tails.

Emily Yeiser Stepp

Emily Yeiser Stepp (federation’s 12-year-old animal welfare initiative) said, “I don’t think there will be farmers out there that aren’t trying their best to improve the care and welfare their animals.” “But, we cannot be blind to the values of consumers. We must do better and give dairy customers a reason to continue to shop in the aisle.

A small group of animal welfare researchers are quietly trying to find answers to knotty questions. Is it possible to quantify the anguish caused by the separation of a newborn calf and its mother? Is there a way to make a dairy cow’s life more economically viable and scientifically sound?

Marina von Keyserlingk is a Canadian researcher and an internationally recognized leader in animal welfare. She has made progress in understanding whether modern dairy farming causes unnecessary suffering.

Professor von Keyserlingk was raised on a cattle ranch and can sympathize with farmers who are tired of being lectured by urbanites not involved in animal husbandry. Her job includes helping farmers accept science-backed improvements in animal welfare.

“As a child, I castrated thousands upon thousands of calves with no pain-relieving drugs. But, I never thought to tell my father, ‘This doesn’t okay,'” she stated. But would I castrate a calves now without pain relief? Absolutely not.

It is not easy to understand the inner lives of animals. However, scientists such as Professor von Keyserlingk have developed experiments to measure bovine desires and determine whether certain farming practices are causing poorer health or sub-par milk production.

She and other scientists designed the swinging gates to test whether pregnant cows would prefer to stay in their controlled climates. They could either eat their favorite foods or push through the gate to get to pasture. The weather and time of day are important factors in cows’ desire for outdoor activities. They avoid snow and rain, and prefer to be outside at night.

One experiment aimed to see if housing two calves together could increase their learning ability, rather than keeping them in separate pens. They found that they were less afraid and more manageable in paired housing.

Another study showed the importance of mechanical scratching brushes for cows’ well-being. It was found that cows enjoyed rubbing against the bristles of the mechanical scratching brushes, regardless of whether they were gaining fresh feed. The brushes can be expensive, but farmers are increasingly convinced that they are worth it.

Jennifer Van Os

Jennifer Van Os, a University of Wisconsin-Madison animal welfare scientist, said, “It is really important that we do not anthropomorphize cows basing on our human experience. But we do know they can experience negative emotions such as pain and fear that are that we want to minimize.” They can also have positive experiences such as pleasure, reward, and contentment, which we want to encourage.

Animal welfare scientists have made a number changes to the industry through their research. Large dairy farms are now housing multiple cows in one place. This is a departure from the tradition of keeping cows alone in barn stalls. Numerous studies have shown that removing cow’s tails (which they used to sweep away flies) has no health benefits.

(Until recently, it was believed that a swishing tail spread bacteria and feces. But farmers find the tails annoying.

Scientists have also promoted other changes that have resulted in widespread use of pain-relief medication for dehorning. This is a practice that used to anger animal rights activists, but which veterinarians believe is necessary to protect livestock workers as well as cows from being bred.

Mr. Chittenden has a farm entirely populated with Jerseys. This is a smallish, tawny breed that was made famous by Elsie, the Borden Dairy mascot and daisy-garlanded Borden Dairy mascot. Elsie gave millions of Americans a quaint idea of the sweet, happy milk cow. Jerseys are well-known for their gentle disposition and high butterfat content.

The Canadian researcher Professor von Keyserlingk has had similar tough conversations with farmers across North America. She rejects the idea that dairy farming is inhumane. However, she believes farmers have a responsibility for the welfare of their animals. This means that we need to reconsider or at least talk about some of the most basic practices like cow-calf separation.

Professor von Keyserlingk frequently tells farmers who are recalcitrant about the importance of dairy products that they should not ignore it, as it could backfire if there is enough opposition.

Also Read

• Detroit Airport Intercepted Mouth Species
• In Game 7, the Celtics defeat Bucks
• Kim Kardashian 
• Is Mark Cheating On Sunrise Coigney With His Team Member?