Fall 1993 (v5n5)
	New Book Takes a Hard Look at Controversial Dairy Technology by Lyra Halprin, SAREP A new book published by UC SAREP critically examines bovine growth hormone (bGH), a controversial technology proposed for use in the nation's dairy industry, and compares it to an alternative technology for milk production called rotational grazing, a flexible system of pasture management. THE DAIRY DEBATE: Consequences of Bovine Growth Hormone and Rotational Grazing Technologies examines the issues from the perspectives of veterinary, soil, agronomy, forage and nutrition scientists, as well as economists and public policy analysts. The 372-page book is edited by Bill Liebhardt, SAREP director. Individual chapters were written by two SAREP analysts, two UC agricultural economists, an independent writer, and four scientists from universities in Virginia, West Virginia and Vermont. BGH is a synthetically produced version of a naturally occurring cow hormone also called bovine somatotropin (bST). Injecting it into lactating dairy cows increases milk production. It was developed by four major pharmaceutical companies to help dairy farmers increase milk output. Three of the four formulations of the synthetically produced bGH are different from the structure of the naturally occurring bovine growth hormone. The Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing bGH for eight years and is expected to make a ruling soon. The Clinton administration recently agreed to a 90-day moratorium on the hormone if the FDA approves it. "The FDA is only looking at whether cows injected with the hormone are healthy and whether bGH affects human safety," Liebhardt said. "I believe bGH would hurt smaller and mid-sized dairy farms and, as a result, the economic vitality of rural communities. Our study of the issue also shows clearly that a majority of consumers will not accept milk from bGH-treated dairy cows." In 1990 Liebhardt organized the multidisciplinary team of researchers to compare how bGH and rotational grazing affect a range of factors - individual cows, farms, farmers, farm families, rural communities and consumers. "Traditionally, scientists take a narrowly focused approach to research," Liebhardt added. "But the consequences of this new technology are so far-reaching that I felt compelled to take a broader look at bGH and compare it to rotational grazing, which in my view offers dairy farmers a profitable alternative, rural communities the assurance that more small and mid-sized farms will stay in business, and consumers the assurance that their milk is a safe, wholesome, untainted product." Rotational grazing decreases or eliminates confinement feeding and shifts the work of harvesting and maintaining soil fertility back to the animal, Liebhardt said. He noted that rotational grazing improves herd health in comparison to confinement feeding systems. Properly managed pasture feeding minimizes mastitis-caused bacterial infections that contaminate milk and results in economic losses for dairies, he added. According to the numerous case studies used in Liebhardt's research, pasture-grazed cows also tend to have higher reproductive performance, reduced lameness from leg or hoof problems and few metabolic and digestive orders. Gail Feenstra, SAREP nutritionist and food system analyst, wrote a chapter on consumer and food safety concerns about bGH. She found that numerous studies from throughout the country indicate that many consumers are concerned with both short-term milk safety, and the unknown, long-term health effects bGH may cause for both humans and animals. Furthermore, surveys cited in the book show that if farmers use bGH, many consumers will buy less of that milk and seek alternatives. In all the studies consumers overwhelmingly indicated that they want bGH milk labeled. Feenstra also discusses concerns that bGH may increase dairy cows' susceptibility to mastitis, an udder infection that results in increased treatment with antibiotics. Although milk is tested for antibiotics, some residues enter the milk supply, she says. Antibiotic residues in milk can affect humans who are allergic to even trace amounts of residues. Excessive use of antibiotics can promote the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The book also addresses the economics of dairy management under both bGH and rotational grazing management systems. BGH would increase dairy farmers' profits by increasing the cows' milk production. Rotational grazing's system of pasture grazing, on the other hand, increases dairy profits by cutting feed costs, and shifts much of the work of harvesting and maintaining soil fertility back to the animal, according to Leslie "Bees" Butler, a contributing author and a marketing economist in the UC Davis Department of Agricultural Economics. Butler identifies a key problem associated with adopting any new technology: "If one dairy farmer adopts the bGH technology and increases milk production, he or she will benefit," he said. "If, however, a significant number of other producers adopt the technology, then milk production will increase at the national level. If milk production increases nationwide, it is likely that milk prices will eventually adjust to a point where producers are not better off financially than they were prior to the availability of the bGH technology. This is called the technology 'treadmill effect,' and is common in agriculture." David Campbell, SAREP economic and public policy analyst and author of a chapter on the social and economic consequences of bGH on rural communities, said that the major issues about bGH are "not new and technical, but old and essentially political. They have less to do with determining whether milk is safe and cows are healthy than with deciding the proper role of government in regulating economic affairs or the amount of control ordinary citizens can have in government research and economic policies." Seven studies Campbell reviewed show that bGH would accelerate the trend toward a concentration of larger farms and hasten the demise of smaller and mid-size dairy operations. "Today 5 percent of the nation's farms produce half the total agricultural output," he said. "If this trend continues, in 10 years one percent of all U.S. farms will produce most of our food." As a result, Campbell adds, the collapse of the small and midsize dairies is likely to have a harmful effect on the communities and regions they support. Co-author William M. Murphy, professor of agronomy at the University of Vermont, noted that case studies show rotational grazing improves the quality of life for farmers. "The flexibility of a rotational grazing system allows farmers to accommodate personal goals and spend more time with family and in community activities," he said. "It also supports the continued existence of a thriving, diversified rural landscape, a less tangible but equally significant benefit of rural living." Edward Rayburn, an Extension forage agronomist at West Virginia Extension Service, said that rotational grazing would increase pasture acreage and decrease grain crop acreage. He noted that pastures have about double the organic matter content of land devoted to grain crops. Soil organic matter is a reservoir for carbon (carbon dioxide) and nitrogen (nitrates). He concluded that land devoted to pastures indirectly contributes to improved soil, air and water quality. "Rotational grazing would reduce farm-related environmental problems, resulting in 24 to 31 percent less soil erosion and 23 to 26 percent less fuel use in crop production," he said. Other authors include David Kronfeld, the Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and professor of veterinary medicine at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA; John Kunkel, a veterinarian at West Virginia University; Gerry Cohn, a graduate student in the UC Davis Department of Agricultural Economics, and Kathleen Byrnes, a Davis-based writer specializing in rural/urban issues and sustainable systems. The book, which includes an executive summary of the chapters, may be purchased through ANR Publications, University of California, 6701 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, CA 94608-1239 for $31.50 (includes postage, handling and applicable sales tax). Checks should be made payable to UC Regents. For VISA or MasterCard orders call (510)642-2431 or FAX (510) 643-5470. [ Back | Search | Feedback ]