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Organic Dairy Benefits

If you are looking to make the transition into eating organic, you know that organic food is not just limited to fruits and vegetables. Dairy products can also be purchased in organic form, and there are plenty of health and environmental benefits that come with purchasing products like milk, cheese and yogurt that are free of pesticides or synthetic hormones.

  1. No Antibiotics

    • In order for dairy products to be considered organic, the animal that the product is coming from should not be given antibiotics. The antibiotics help to form strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, which means that if a human becomes sick by consuming a dairy product, it is less likely that the human's body will respond to antibiotic treatment. So, organic dairy products will provide the body with the vitamins and minerals that are abundant in dairy, such as vitamin D and calcium, without the potentially harmful side effects of antibiotics.

    More Grazing Room

    • When cows produce organic milk for dairy products, it means they have been given more space outdoors to move around and find food. Organic dairy farmers avoid feeding animal byproducts to the cows, and give the animals room to graze, which decreases the likelihood of mad cow disease. The farmers keep the cows in an environment that is conducive to the cow's normal behavior, and feeds the animals organic grasses and grains, so that the cow's body will not be contaminated with pesticides. When the cow's system is functioning naturally, without the help of synthetic medications, the products that are created by the cow's milk may be more ideal for human consumption.

    Less Use of Resources

    • Dairy that is produced on an organic farm does not require the use of non-renewable fossil fuel. This depletes the natural resources in the area. Organic farming expert Fred Kirschenmann states that without the use of fossil fuels, large non-organic farms could not afford to function. Factory farms that produce large amounts of milk and cheese every year also rely on the use of pesticides in order to manufacture large amounts of food, and these pesticides contaminate the soil and groundwater. So, organic dairy farming is also better for the environment overall. Kirschenmann also states that industrial or factory farms account for more than 50 percent of the topsoil that is lost in the U.S.

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