Clarence Knapp	David Coon	David Hammond
Jim Davenport	Jim Kiernan	Sam Simon
Stephen Van Tassell	Tim Marshall	Verne Jackon
	John Conklin

Why are Hudson Valley Fresh cows happy?

• Less cow density - we don’t believe in cramming cows together. For instance, the stalls at Plankenhorn Farm have been increased in length and width, reducing the number of cows per barn from 62 to 44. Other cooperative members provide similar cow comfort. Many of the cows are allowed to graze throughout the summer and fall and get lots of exercise in the winter too.

• Room to lie down - cows are provided rubber mats made from recycled tires rather than concrete floors to lie on, which is more comfortable for the cows. Cows need to lie down to make milk.

• Access to fresh water – Cows need 60-80 gallons of fresh water each day for milk production, and HVF farms make it available to each cow in her stall to drink as she pleases.

• Longer lives and longer milk production - Because they have less stress and natural gestational cycles, HVF cows produce milk for an average of 7-8 years and have longer life spans (conventional dairy cows in the USA typically produce milk for only 2 years and are usually slaughtered at four years of age.)

What type of cow makes Hudson Valley Fresh milk?

• We use Holsteins, which are known for outstanding milk production.

• The Holstein cow comes from The Netherlands, and was brought to America in the 1800s. Winthrop Chenery, a Massachusetts breeder, bought his first Holstein in Boston in 1852 and was the first to begin breeding. In 1885, the Holstein-Friesian Association of America, the Holstein Association, was born.

• All of our herds participate in the National Dairy Herd Improvement Program [Uniform Operating Procedures] and can be found on their national registry for production and quality of milk.

Does HVF use artificial hormones like rBST or rBGH?

• 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 Food and Drug Administration has approved its use since 1993[8]. [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.]

• Health risks - Cows that have been injected with rBST and rBGH have been known to develop many reproductive problems like infertility, birth defects and fetal loss. 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.