Michelle Kretzer: Giving the rest of the story about dairy animals

Re “Mobile farm brings ag life to students” (Page 2A, Aug. 26): When the Dairy Council of California takes cows to classrooms to “talk about where milk comes from,” it’s doubtful that children are getting the full story.

Cows on dairy farms are repeatedly impregnated to keep them producing large quantities of milk, and their babies are torn away from them, often within hours of birth. Male calves are commonly confined to tiny crates and their flesh is sold as veal. Most cows on modern dairy farms are intensively confined: A dairy-industry study found that by the time cows are killed, nearly 50 percent of them are lame due to standing on concrete floors.

All this for a product that isn’t even healthy. Milk is a high-calorie food and actually pulls calcium out of our bones. Animal proteins produce byproducts when they are broken down that our bodies buffer with calcium. Milk doesn’t contain enough calcium to buffer these acids, so our bodies go to our calcium stores – including in our bones.

Rather than being force-fed dairy industry propaganda, children would be better served learning that almond, coconut, soy and other dairy-free milks are healthy, tasty and don’t hurt animals.

This story was originally published August 31, 2016 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Michelle Kretzer: Giving the rest of the story about dairy animals."