[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Their bodies are bent, hooves are collapsing and their udders drag in the mud. Dairy farmers got in line for profit just like the meat industry.”

You’ve got to be grossly generalizing, there. I live near four dairy farms and dairy goat operations. Those animals are the bread and butter of those operations; they’re not abused. Do you know how much a dairy cow costs to purchase, let alone maintain? There’s not a huge profit margin in dairy and an ill-treated animal won’t produce a good product.

Don’t drink the rBGH Koolaide via the likes of Meryl Streep and other lefties. As for scare stories by the HSUS? Do your research. They’re as bad as PETA! Scary stories about abused animals and danger to your children bring in the cash, Baby!

Granted, it’s YOUR CHOICE what to feed your kids, but sweeping generalizations about dairy production aren’t called for. There are 14,000 (FOURTEEN THOUSAND!) dairy farms in my state alone. If there was wide-spread abuse, the Lefties in our County Seat would be swinging from the steeples shouting about it. You don’t earn the title of “America’s Dairyland” through abused animals that don’t produce quality milk.

Don’t curse a farmer with your mouth full. :)

[ex-Texan]

I've seen the dairy cattle with their udders dragging myself out here near Tillamook, Oregon. Tillamook County is world famous for dairy farms. With me at the time in my car was a retired cattle man. He pointed out how sickly the dairy cows looked to me . . . Not some Hollyweird liberal.

rBGH Free labels are popping up everywhere. I used to have to look for specific labels like Dairy Gold. Now RiteAid is selling hormone free milk by the gallon. At reduced prices.

[BobS]

Well, here in the L.A. area those that still shop at the major supermarkets have another option. There are independent supermarkets (probably owned by smart Mexicans and no unions) that know what the coastal farms in Ventura are growing and buy directly from the farm managers a portion of their crop grown only 13 miles away. So produce is only 1/3 the price from the major unionized supermarkets.

They must have a deal on cuts of meat too. No shrink wrapped stuff either. Butchers wrap your selection in wax paper and weigh it and price it. The selection of meat is excellent and 1/2 the price. T-bone steaks an inch thick and big enough to make you drool on your footwear.

Not much diesel used used to get the stuff to the markets.

There is a giant produce terminal in downtown L.A. where farmers sell their whole crops. And trucks are needed to move it to the big supermarkets. That means driving up the I-5, the 405, etc. where there is always some kind of accident causing 8-10 lane freeways to slow to 5 mph.

Once a truckfull of live chickens overturned and chickens were running around. So traffic stopped so people could grab them and put them in their trunk. Another time a truckful of frozen pigs overturned on the 14 fwy-S. Every pickup truck had a pig in the back. Same with the beer truck and the Brinks truck full of quarters.