Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/390790
LIB LIB I n a cultural-norm fl ip, a vegan friend was recently diagnosed with low cholesterol. Before changing her diet to vegan, she'd adored cheese, so I suggested she add it back into the mix. She didn't just politely decline; she erupted with outrage over the horrifi c treatment of dairy cows, exclaiming she would never support animal abuse. Based on news stories and videos I'd seen about livestock mistreatment, I was hard-pressed to disagree with my friend's opposition. However, I was not convinced all dairy farmers are guilty of animal abuse, so I hit the highways and byways to discover the truth behind dairy products available in our Southland markets. e four farms I visited—two spontaneous, two scheduled—represent four standards of conscientious practice. Some are organic, some conventional, and granted I did not see all the animals at every farm, but contrary to the horror stories online, all of the farmers I met clearly love their animals and treat them kindly. ORGANIC PASTURES I began buying O r g a n i c P a s t u r e s kefi r and butter a couple of years ago at the Santa Monica farmers' market, so it seemed a good place to start my research into bovine well-being. When I phoned owner Mark McAfee, he joyfully invited me to his farm near Fresno. Curly, the Oklahoma ranch hand, was crooning about a "bright golden haze on the meadow" from my car's satellite radio just as an Organic Pastures creamery sign encouraging "eco-visits" greeted my dairy land arrival. "Happy cows" is not just advertising, McAfee tells me, as he proudly shows me around. Stress provokes increased cortisol levels in cows, excretion of pathogens in their manure and less milk. Kindness, pasture grazing and sunshine increase vitamin D levels and keep the herd healthy, so humane treatment actually contributes to profi t. Real farm life is quite diff erent from the expectations of most city folk. Cows do not lie down in manure because they have no choice; even with free access to green pasture, I saw cows placidly reclining in poop. But cleanliness is sacrosanct at dairies. Every lactating cow and goat is washed and her udder and teats cleaned with antibacterial solution both before and a er milking. McAfee and his wife, Blaine, both had previous health care careers, which may partially account for their belief in raw milk and the fastidious farming practices required to produce it. For safety reasons, the cows must be clean, healthy and happy, and the McAfees test it daily to ensure it meets state standards. Organic Pastures uses no antibiotics, synthetic hormones or pesticides, and their farm is pasture-based. ALTA DENA AND DEAN FOODS A lta Dena and Dean Foods were not forthcoming with names of their California producers, so I consulted Cynthia Morrison, owner of e Milkman, a Los Angeles delivery service, who delights in obtaining obscure dairy products for her discerning clientele. Morrison said most L.A. dairies are in Chino, so I headed to the Inland Empire to track down Alta Dena. Cows were everywhere. I picked a street and buttonholed a man at his roadside mailbox. Ron LaBrucherie, owner of Basque American Dairy, eyed me with suspicion, until I said I wanted to know if Alta Dena is still the humane dairy trusted by generations of Californians, or if its acquisition by Dean Foods had rendered it unrecognizable. He grinned. " is is a story that needs to be told!" ough no longer a raw milk purveyor, he said Alta Dena maintains the highest standards among W H A T ' S R E A L L Y H A P P E N I N G O N C A L I F O R N I A ' S D A I R Y F A R M S S T O R Y & P H O T O S B Y M E L I S S A R O D D Y practice. Some are organic, some conventional, and granted I did not see all the animals at every farm, but contrary to the horror stories online, all of the farmers I met clearly love their animals and treat them kindly. PASTURES I began buying O r g a n i c P a s t u r e s kefi r and butter a couple of years ago at the Santa Monica farmers' market, so it seemed a good place to start my research into bovine well-being. When I phoned owner Mark McAfee, he joyfully invited me to his farm near Fresno. Curly, the Oklahoma hand, was crooning about a "bright golden haze on the 22 wholelifetimesmagazine.com