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Isn't there something more useful they could do with that milk than pour it away?
by cglace 13y ago
Isn't there something more useful they could do with that milk than pour it away?
- toomuchtodo 13y agoPossibly composted. That's about it.
- mdparker89 13y agoBacteria is needed for composting to happen. Milk with antibiotics in it would hurt that process.
- toomuchtodo 13y agoIf you're in a professional ag setting (farm, etc), that small amount of milk (and even smaller amount of antibiotics in said milk) should pale in comparison to the amount of material in your compost setup. Should be fine, although I'm willing to test this theory out. Disclaimer: I'm not a farmer, but I do manage the IT/automation of my/a family farm.
- sneak 13y agoThis seems like exactly the kind of "slowly and steadily select for antibiotic resistance in bacteria" behavior that they're trying to avoid with these changes.
- raverbashing 13y agoMaybe But below a certain concentration some antibiotics won't have an effect hence, no evolutionary pressure If at the concentration presented it kills/affects some bacteria, yes, what you mention happens, otherwise it doesn't. Of course, I may be wrong
- sliverstorm 13y agoIt would have to be a non-food application, if we are trying to isolate the antibiotics. The only non-food application of milk that I am aware of is casein plastics.
- fractallyte 13y agoAnd casein paint. Non-toxic, solvent free; used in 'traditional' building, along with other wonderful materials like lime plaster and wattle and daub.
- mitchty 13y agoWhen I was young we'd always spray the kittens with it. (I grew up on a dairy farm, fortunately we got rid of the cows when I was about 7) They loved the whole situation.
- guelo 13y agoWhy fortunately?
- jessaustin 13y agoIf mitchty is like all the former dairy farmers I know, it's because dairy farming is a lot of hard work, and it never ends. There are no weekends, and no holidays. I like raising beef cattle because many days you don't even have to look at them. (Not today though! Ice to break on the pond, for starters...)
- Qworg 13y agoI can agree with this 100% - much of my family out in Iowa raises dairy. They never get a vacation. Ever. In regards to the announcement, without teeth, this won't cause any changes. External enforcement is absolutely necessary to make this stick.
- mitchty 13y agoYep, you're both 100% right. Dairy cattle are basically a prison sentence. We had regular cattle too, those amounted to looking at the pasture they're in and moving them around. Way less upkeep.
- chrisgd 13y agoDon't break it, skate on it.
- mitchty 13y agoGenerally a bad idea when the cows need the pond to drink.
- asciimo 13y agoUnfortunately, cow milk is only useful as a human beverage.
- huragok 13y agoI see a new market for milk baths!
- yetanotherphd 13y agoYeah, but then everyone will want organic milk baths, so they won't be able to use the milk for that either
- Crito 13y agoOr a cow beverage. Could this milk be useful for feeding to calves?
- asciimo 13y agoThanks, Crito. I glad someone else sees the absurdity of drinking another animal's milk.
- awjr 13y agoYes it can be sold as Class B product (not organic) (usually to cheese manufacturers). It just can't be sold as organic.
- po 13y agoI think 'wasting' it is good. Once you find something useful for it, it perverts the incentives. A sick cow should be considered a complete waste with no benefit.
- cglace 13y agoI think there is a lot of ground between pouring something down the drain and it being worth its weight in gold.