Why All Milk Is
Not Created Equal
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10
Reasons To Buy Hudson Valley Fresh Milk |
| 1. |
The BEST
tasting milk!! Try it at one of our
tastings –see our website coming events. |
| 2. |
Quality -
Our cows are not stimulated by synthetic
RBST. Our premium milk has higher quality
standards than the industry norm. Even
higher than organic milk! |
| 3. |
Freshness -
Our milk is delivered to local stores
within 36 hours of the cows being milked.
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| 4. |
Nutrition -
The fresher the food; the higher the
nutritional value. Milk is among the best
sources of calcium and Vitamin D.
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| 5. |
Supports
local businesses - When farming is
economically feasible, the farmer spends 90%
of their dollars in their community.
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| 6. |
Preserves
open space - Viable farms do not get
sold for housing developments. |
| 7. |
Tax
revenues - Farms generally generate more
tax revenue than they use. |
| 8. |
Environmentally friendly -
Farming
prevents erosion and the crops they grow
capture carbon dioxide, a known greenhouse
gas. |
| 9. |
Builds
community - Know your farmer and have
confidence in knowing where your food comes
from. |
| 10. |
Protects
the future - Local farmers grow a much
wider range of varieties of produce and
meats than agricultural giants. This ensures
biodiversity for future generations. |
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Believe it or not, all milk
is not the same. We believe in producing the highest
quality milk possible. Let us tell you why the quality
of our milk puts heads and shoulders above the rest:
- Udderly good – Good
udder health is essential for producing premium
quality milk. Bacteria, like E. coli, can cause
several commonly known cow ailments like mastitis
[painful inflammation of the mammary glands] and
udder infections. Somatic cells are leucocytes
(white blood cells) which mobilize to make sure the
milk is free from these infections. Each tank of
milk is tested for Somatic cell counts (SCC) - an
essential test that monitors the health of the herd.
Elevated somatic cell counts are an early indication
of infection and unnecessary pus in the milk itself.
The federal government’s legal limit on bulk milk is
750,000 cells per milliliter [mm] - most industrial
AND organic dairy farms have an average of 420,000
cells per milliliter. The somatic cell count of
every one of Hudson Valley Fresh’s farms is under
200,000 per mm at all times -- and actually the
range is from 45,000 to 160,000 per mm, which is
unheard of in the industry. The average SCC for all
farms is 110-120,000 per mm as a group. This all
means that we offer far cleaner milk than you will
find anywhere else. There is no better milk bottled
that has that quality standard. And the lower the
somatic cell count, the better the taste. Our low
SCC counts are what make for a more flavorful latte,
ice cream or cream cheese. The labs at Cornell
University will back us up.
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Strictest Quality
Standards, Always - We are vigilant in our
adherence to the strictest quality standards
possible. On a monthly basis HVF voluntarily
mandates additional testing of each cow via the
Dairy Herd Information Association (DHIA) for
the same SCC criteria. This information is on a
national registry for public viewing.
-
 Hay, Hay, Hay – A
varied diet makes happier cows and better
tasting milk, and HVF cows get fed a combination
of alfalfa, oats, barley, soybeans, corn silage
and lots and lots of hay. Large commercial farms
often give less hay as it is costly to produce
and requires more labor to distribute.
A
diet rich in hay is better for a cow’s immune system
[and incentivizes the cow to chew her cud more - we
count 32 chews per mouthful!] Hay and healthy
chewing combined means more omega-3 fatty acids in
the milk, and a better ratio between omega 3 and 6,
providing a better overall quality cream.
-
More Omega 3’s –
Omega 3’s are crucial for normal growth, brain
function and development and are known to reduce
inflammation and can lower the risk of heart
disease as well as other chronic diseases. Low
somatic cell counts [SCC] means more omega-3
fatty acids, because their immune system is not
being stressed in the same way as cows with an
SCC of 450,00- 600,000 cells per mm, a common
condition in milk today, whether it is in glass,
plastic or cardboard containers.
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No rBST, rBGH, ever
– HVF never has and never will use artificial
hormones like recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST)
or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH),
which are used in cattle to stimulate milk
production for a large proportion of America’s
commercial milk supply even though the the Food
and Drug Administration has approved its use
since 1993. [rBST and rBGH are used to stimulate
milk production which unnaturally increases
short term milk output through stimulation of
the pituitary gland, and avoids the natural
gestational cycle of the cow.] Cows that have
been injected with rBST and rBGH have been known
to develop many reproductive problems like
infertility, birth defects and fetal loss.[9]
While the health risks for humans continue to be
studied, HVF chose to avoid artificial hormones
altogether to ensure the absolute highest
quality of milk that is available on the market
today. |
-
 We
process all our milk at Boice Brothers Dairy in
Kingston, New York. Our milk is the only
milk they process and we never co-mingle our
milk with milk from any other farm. That ensures
taste and quality. We guarantee that Hudson
Valley Fresh milk is from Hudson Valley Fresh
farms. What other dairy can say that?
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From
our cows to your store in 36 hours - we want
our milk to be as fresh as possible, so our milk
arrives at your store within 36 hours after
leaving the farm (unlike conventional milk which
can take up to a week.)
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We are
NOT ultra-pasteurized – for optimum flavor
and quality, we do not ultra-pasteurize our
milk. We pasteurize for only 20 seconds at 166
degrees. That’s in contrast to much of the
industrial AND organic milk which is
ultra-pasteurized, meaning heated to 280F –
changing not only the flavor of the milk but the
nature of the protein. Milk with higher somatic
cell counts need to be ultra pasteurized as
heating the milk at this temperature breaks down
lipase and protease, undesirable enzymes which
rise proportionally with the somatic cell count.
This process unnaturally extends the milk’s
shelf life, rendering it flavorless.
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We meet the strictest
standards of Kosher law and are certified kosher
by KOF-K Kosher Supervision, one of
the foremost Kosher
certification agencies in the United States.
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