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RSS FeedGot an addiction? Milk and oil prices rise, but demand remains strong
by Danielle Nierenberg on August 22, 2007
They're items nearly every American can't live without, and they've been in the news a lot this summer. As prices for gasoline and milk rise, consumers have balked at—but still paid for—gas that hovers at around $3 a gallon and milk that costs anywhere from $3 to $5 a carton. But the question isn't whether these prices are too high—it's whether we're paying enough for our penchant for cheap dairy and fossil fuels.
Americans are some of the biggest consumers of both gas and milk in the world. We use more than 140 billion gallons of gasoline each year—or roughly 474 gallons per person. And only India, with the second-largest population on the planet, drinks more milk than Americans do. Both items support ecologically bankrupt industries that provide cheap commodities in mass quantities, and collectively contribute to the majority of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
Agricultural economists blame the higher-than-average milk prices on higher prices for corn, which are related to the explosion in ethanol production for biofuels. Cows raised in factory farms eat a lot of corn, and when prices for it rise, so do prices for milk. Monsanto execs claim that activist groups are also slowing down milk production by criticizing producers' use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH). (rBGH is a hormone that forces cows to produce more milk, but it can lead to a variety of health problems in the animals, including painful mastitis.)
Oil experts, on the other hand, blame high gas prices on the war in Iraq. Or on any of the numerous conflicts in other oil-rich countries, such as Nigeria.
What's interesting about these two liquids, at least to me, is that no matter how high prices go, we're still willing to pay whatever they charge at the pump or in the grocery store, even if there are more environmentally friendly and healthier alternatives.
For example, people with access to good public transportation, especially in places like New York City, Curitiba, Brazil, and Washington D.C., could get out of their cars and use buses and subways or bike more than they do now. And milk drinkers could stop swilling the factory-farmed stuff and drink milk from cows raised on pasture in humane conditions. Or, they could listen to health groups that claim humans shouldn't drink milk at all (some even call it "cow pus") and should instead choose soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, and other alternatives.
Maybe the way to break what President Bush calls our national "addiction" to oil is to make prices for it even higher, so that communities and governments will be forced to come up with better, less gas-guzzling solutions to get their citizens from place to place. And there are millions of cows living in dairy factory farms in the U.S. that would probably be happy if the price of milk went so high that producers were forced to develop alternative methods of production that didn't depend on grain, or its price fluctuations. Higher prices may sound crazy, but they might just work to our advantage.
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I find this quite curios, I
I find this quite curios, I had no idea that American people was that addicted to milk, this is good for the health, but still I find it surprising. As far as I know Americans have very bad eating habits, that explains the statistics over the large number of ill people. Perhaps people should be aware of the risks they are facing and start doing something about this.
Chondroitin sulfate
Rethinking Milk Production
Hi, Mac,
Thanks for the comment...it's nice to hear from folks who are on the ground doing the things we here at Worldwatch write about.
First, let me answer your first question. My husband and I, at the moment, grown only our own tomatoes and herbs (we live in a small Washington,DC apartment), but the rest our food comes from two local farmers markets where I volunteer and a CSA subscription (Community Supported Agriculture)--so we're are doing our best to support local agriculture.
Second, I'm not suggesting that everyone start drinking soy and almond milk--for people who want those products (or who are lactose intolerant), I think they can be healthy, affordable options. The problem I see, and the one I tried to point out in my earlier blog, is that conventional, factory farmed milk production is not good agriculture--on a large-scale, it hurts the environment by concentrating large numbers of dairy cows in one place, it drives small dairy farmers out of business, and it compromises the welfare of cows by crowding them and forcing them to produce more milk than they would naturally. And when prices go up for grain (the "fuel" that powers factory farms) and then raise the price for milk, I think there's an opportunity for consumers to explore different options. Pastured cows--when raised in optimal environments, as you pointed out--typically produced better tasting, healthier milk that is more environmentally sustainable than factory farming.
Taking more responsibility for what we eat (as you said so eloquently) and educating ourselves where our food comes from hasn't come naturally to Americans lately--I hope farmers like you can help change that attitude.
Thanks again,
Danielle
milk and sustitutes
Hi Danielle,
I wonder how much of your own food you are growing at the moment?
I'm not a big consumer of milk or gasoline. My comments don't come from a need to defend myself. I'm commenting simply because I'm concerned that the issue is not as straight forward as you are suggesting. What do you think are the costs of sustituting cows milk with soy, rice or almond milk?
I haven't done the figures but I tend to believe that the alternatives would hardly offer a better bottom line.
As for cows "raised on pasture". My cows are raised on pasture. I could not compete with the prices most consumers are willing to pay. Cows should not be on pasture if it is to dry ( they will turn the paddock to dust) or to wet ( a big mess and damage to the soil).
I'm an orgainc grower. I know what the real cost of producing food is. My suggestion is that all of us take on more responsibility for what we want to eat.
Living in an Ecovillage sounds like a pretty good idea.
my best wishes
mac