June is celebrated as Dairy Month, so I have one question for you: got milk? If not, stay tuned. I am going to remind you why you should be obsessed with this delicious beverage that has been giving us artificial mustaches since we were children. It may be cheesy (see what I did there), but I have narrowed the long list of reasons of why to down a glass of milk to three important points…
Dairy products are like a bath bomb of health and wellness for our bodies
I may be 20 years old, but I still go wild when someone hands me a GoGurt. If loving this childhood snack is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Slurping down a tube of this mobile dairy delicacy is proven to be good for your health. Did you know that a glass of milk a day could keep the type-2 diabetes away? That’s right, folks. In an article published by the Dairy Alliance, research has found that higher consumption of low-fat dairy foods is associated with a 40-50 percent reduced risk for type-2 diabetes. So, the next time your cute 5-year-old niece hands you a GoGurt to eat with her, go to town, buddy. She is looking out for you.
Dairy does not discriminate
Okay, fine. I’m guilty. I am that girl with a complicated coffee order. I take my coffee 1/8 espresso, 7/8 whole milk. Basically, I like milk with a dash of espresso. As much as I wish I could buy into the whole black coffee movement, I just can’t. Thankfully, we live in an age where one can order a coffee drink that does not taste like coffee at all. Just like how we can order a black coffee or a triple mocha chocolate chip Frappuccino, we have infinite possibilities to enjoy the delectable taste of dairy.
Where I would buy a gallon of whole milk, some put their money towards 2% or skim. Where I choose to stop by the frozen custard shop, some stick with the classic ice cream parlor. For some, cheddar is the cheese of choice. For me, I like to chow down on some mozzarella. What I’m getting to here is that you cannot go wrong with dairy. There is something for everyone— even you weird strawberry milk lovers. Don’t worry, lactose intolerant community. You can enjoy the pure perfection of dairy, as well. Yes, you heard me right; lactose-free dairy products are a thing. So, put down your soy “milk,” and fill up a glass of the real stuff. I promise, one taste, and you’ll never go back.
Dairy farmers are the real MVPs
Full disclosure: I wish I was a dairy cow. First of all, they sleep an average of 12 hours a day. As if that isn’t enough, dairy cattle are spoiled. Comfort is key when it comes to milk production. Therefore, dairy cattle are provided with clean, comfortable bedding daily, aisles are cleaned multiple times a day to ensure that the barn they live in is top-notch and sprinklers and fans are installed to keep the cattle cool and comfortable.
In addition, veterinary care is top priority for the livestock. Depending on the herd size, a veterinarian may come out to the farm as often as weekly to ensure the well-being of the cattle. Who makes all of this happen? Dairy farmers. As you can imagine, this is not a nine to five kind of gig. Dairy farmers work well over 40 hours a week to ensure that these 1,500-pound divas stay happy so you can have as much creamer in your morning coffee as you desire. And to think…their livelihoods are based off whether you go buy that gallon of milk I have been trying to sell you this whole time.
Multi-generational dairy farms are collapsing under the pressure of the current market. With every dairy farm bankruptcy, another farmer’s pride is crippled, another family loses its lifestyle and another young person is turned away from farming. Buy that gallon of milk, order your pizza with extra cheese and, for the sake of our dairy farmers, their families and future generations, do not limit Dairy Month to the month of June.
All posts are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the view of the Animal Ag Alliance.
