Milk delivery vs. Organic Milk - WWYD?

[dules]

I've always bought organic milk for DD - Horizon or other "big" brand, the kind that has dates a month out on the carton.

Recently I found a milk delivery service locally that will deliver fully pasteurized, hormone and antibiotic free, local milk to my door weekly. It's a family owned business and I'd like to support them and the local farms.

WWYD? Continue with organic, or is hormone/antibiotic free just as good, considering I can also get a local source?

TIA!

Mary

P.S. DD drinks about 2-3 glasses of whole milk per day, on average.

[jenjenfirenjen]

Personally I'd prolly go for the local milk. Are the cows pastured? Even it's not organic feed, I'd prefer to drink milk from cows that are pastured than cows that spend their lives confined (which is the case for most big brand milk, even organic.)

[tarahsolazy]

As long as its pasteurized, I'd be tempted to go for the local source as well. Be aware, though that it might be unhomogenized, so you'd have to shake it up before use, since the cream will all rise to the top.

[calebsmama03]

I get delivery from just such a place. I like "knowing" where my milk comes from and knowing that it was just milked a day prior to it's delivery. FWIW, our milk is pasteurized and homogenized, though I *wish* the latter were not the case, but that's another story entirely....
Mommy to C 3/03
And Miss P 5/05

[Marcy_O]

I agree with PP's. I'd go local for sure, so long as it's pasturized.

[C99]

Well I switched from milk delivery to organic milk, but that's because it was a large corporation delivering the milk and I found it was cheaper to buy organic milk at the grocery store than it was to get milk delivery.

[Elilly]

My main concern is the growth hormone and antibiotics, so go for local source. We just switched from organic milk to the land o lakes antibiotic and hormone free to save some $$.

[dules]

Thanks ladies! You confirmed my initial thoughts. I'll sign up later this week!

Mary

[bostonsmama]

I went back and forth with this since I purchase organic dairy products to lessen my exposure to pesticides/herbicides, hormones and antibiotics (because endometriosis is believed to be caused/aggrevated by such things).

Our local dairy had really yummy milk, but b/c they stopped home delivery and went onto local grocery shelves (some health code violation), it became too much of a hassel to keep taking the glass bottles back to the store and wait in line to get my deposit back. Plus I hated that the glass bottles scratched my fridge shelves. Anyways, they had really great milk (and you could have fooled me...the skim milk tasted like whole milk it had that much flavor & richness), but inevitably it was cheaper for me to get organic milk for between $2.75 and 3.19/half gallon vs. $3.99/half gallon plus a $1.50 refundable deposit. It was also nice to know the cow's feed was organic so I wouldn't have any pesticide residue from cattle feed. But if it were cheaper & they offered home delivery, I'd go local again.

L

[brittone2]

I'd go local if it was hormone/antibiotic free, without hesitation.

Despite their "organic" label, Horizon has been called into question for some of their farming practices. The cows apparently have minimal to no access to grass in certain circumstances, and it has become what some people consider to be a "factory farming" situation. There have been a lot of Horizon boycotts by people in the organic community. So even their "organic" label doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy, kwim?

[mum1day]

Organic Valley does pasture feed their cows-only! And you can tell!

To the OP: I would get local, pasture fed milk if it's organic. YUM!

[kijip]

local without hormones would win out for me. Heck, that reminds me I need to get milk delivery started up again. :)

[kimbe]

One of the places I lived we were able to get local, no hormone, no antibiotic, pastured cow milk from a local farm. It was THE most amazing milk (and milk products) that we have ever had hands down!

We liked supporting our local farmer and the milk was delicious and fresher than fresh.

Try it, if you don't like it, you can always go back to organic!

[dogmom]

I have an issue with organic milk production. You are only supposed to give antibiotics if the cow's life is threatened. Guess what the number one infection in cows is? Mastitis. I got a little too much empathy for that condition. I'd rather they give the poor cow some antibiotics. My understanding is that in a normal dairy heard they just don't sell the milk from the cow on antibiotics for x number of days since it shows up in the milk. I freely admit to only doing some reading on the subject, however, and some people may be more well informed.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03
& Eve 6/18/06

[urquie]

i asked a similar question a while back. here's the link...

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=244174&mesg_id=244174&listing_type=search

i have been using milk delivery ever since :)

[brittone2]

Well, that's why it is nice to know your farmer, kwim?

There are "factory farming" types of organic milk production (ala the current issues w/ Horizon) which are questionable in their humane-ness IMO.

Organic certification goes beyond being antibiotic-free...it also involves what the cow eats, hormones given, etc.

I hear you though. I don't think organic necessarily equates with humane, which is why we don't buy Horizon, for example. I've had one plugged duct and one brief bout of mastitis, and no, it isn't fun...I totally agree w/ you.

[mum1day]

What she said...

Horizon is horrible. My local grocery store stopped carrying it for these reasons, but people were in an uproar and wanted them to keep selling it. Uninformed consumers are the worst kind.

[icunurse]

This is what the milk delivery service we use has to say about it:
http://www.oberweisdairy.com/web/whatsnew.asp

Admittedly, I don't know much more beyond some little extra reading that I have done on the subject. But I feel better knowing that I am getting hormone/antibiotic free milk and a cow isn't dying for it. I didn't know that is how it is handled in organic milk and, for some reason, that really, really bothers me.

Traci
~Mom to DS 02/2004~
Hoping, waiting...

[calv]

great ?. How can I find if/who will deliver to my area in MA?

And what EXACTLY does this mean:

http://www.garelickfarms.com/newprod/index.php

IS this the next best thing compared to organic? I'm not quite sure what this means.

[dules]

I looked and looked and could not find, googled everything I could think of, then saw a banner ad on a local message board to the place I found (N NJ).

My family had a milk delivery business in Southern NH and MA from the mid-1800's till mid-1900's - wish I could help you in MA but sadly the business is long gone now. :) Good luck though!

I am very excited about the chance to patronize a business like the one that supported my grandfather's and my mom's family growing up.

Mary

[dules]

I looked and looked and could not find, googled everything I could think of, then saw a banner ad on a local message board to the place I found (N NJ).

My family had a milk delivery business in Southern NH and MA from the mid-1800's till mid-1900's - wish I could help you in MA but sadly the business is long gone now. :) Good luck though!

I am very excited about the chance to patronize a business like the one that supported my grandfather's and my mom's family growing up.

Mary

[dogmom]

Here's a list of all the dairy fams in Mass according to the state:
http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/dairies.htm
I think Crescent Ridge delivers.

Here is the dairy I like to buy from: http://www.whittierfarms.com/ they are sold at a place near me in Acton.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03
& Eve 6/18/06