More reasons to choose rGBH-free milk

Steve - an organization backed by Monsanto sued the state of Ohio claiming that farmers and milk producers should not be allowed to put rBGH-free on milk packaging. While a lower court had ruled in favor of the Monsanto-backed organization, recently, a higher court ruled in favor of the farmers and milk producers. Their reasoning is what we have suspected all along, but is nice to see it in the public record. The main three points they agree with are:

1. A compositional difference does exist between milk from untreated cows and conventional milk ("conventional milk," refers to milk from cows treated with rbST). The use of rbST in milk production has been shown to elevate the levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a naturally-occurring hormone that in high levels is linked to several types of cancers, among other things.
   
   
2. Certain studies indicate that rbST use induces an unnatural period of milk production during a cow's "negative energy phase." According to these studies, milk produced during this stage is considered to be low quality due to its increased fat content and its decreased level of proteins.
   
   
3. Milk from treated cows contains higher somatic cell counts (pus), which makes the milk turn sour more quickly and is another indicator of poor milk quality.

Yum!