Why vegans and dairy farmers are not so different
It might seem like the lifestyles of vegans and dairy farmers couldn’t be more different, but they have more in common than you might think. Both are passionate about animal care, quality nutrition for the population and ensuring we leave the planet better than we found it.
At Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), we are a cooperative made up of 9,500 family dairy farmers across the United States caring for their cows, their land and their communities — using sustainable farming practices and high standards of animal care.
By focusing on common beliefs instead of differences, vegans and dairy farmers can fuse their shared philosophies to better the planet together.
Balancing beliefs and essential nutrients
From vegan and keto to kosher and halal, the way you eat is informed by your personal beliefs, health goals or sometimes, what is accessible to you.
Dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt and butter are staples in many diets, (and have been for centuries), providing a simple and delicious way to get important essential nutrients. But not every diet embraces the same nutrient sources and there can be some creativity required to meet daily needs.
If you were wondering: Is vegan dairy free? The answer is, yes. Veganism excludes all animal products, while emphasizing plant-based foods. Ethical, environmental and health concerns are usually at the heart of the choice to follow a vegan diet.
The benefits of dairy in your diet
When it comes to nutrition, dairy is a powerhouse with a nutritional profile that plant-based milk alternatives can’t match.
Plant-based milk alternatives are often fortified with calcium and vitamin D but can lack the full range of amino acids needed to form a complete protein. Ingredients in plant-based milk alternatives can also include added sugar, stabilizers, oils and gums that help them keep their liquid consistency or last longer on the shelf. Unlike real milk, the calcium in plant-based milks is synthetic. This is much harder for our bodies to process and benefit from.
Real milk naturally delivers 13 essential nutrients in a single serving, including calcium, potassium and vitamin D, which are three of the four nutrients of public health concern. This means that the general population does not consume enough of them, which can lead to potentially adverse health outcomes. The only ingredient on the label for real milk is milk (and vitamin D, if fortified with it).
Dairy critics often point to another misconception of antibiotics being present in your milk. Just like you and me, cows sometimes need antibiotics to kick a pesky infection. When that happens, farmers monitor that cow closely and ensure her milk is kept out of the supply that’s sent to the grocery store. For additional safety, tankers of milk are tested for commonly used antibiotics before processing. If it tests positive, the whole load of milk gets disposed of. No farmer wants to see all that milk go to waste, so they go to great lengths to keep their milk free from any antibiotics.
One more thing you won’t find in your milk? Artificial hormones. It’s a common misconception that cows are given artificial growth hormones to boost their milk production. While the Food and Drug Administration has found that there is no significant difference in milk from cows treated with synthetic bovine growth hormones like rBGH or rBST, DFA farmer-owners don’t use them.
Rest assured that any type of dairy you choose for nourishing yourself and your family is not only delicious but also safe and healthy.
Why dairy farmers make cow comfort a top priority
Many vegans believe that by refusing to pay for animal products, they can reduce the demand for them and help stop animal cruelty. When it comes to dairy, there can be a misconception among vegans that dairy cows are mistreated or confined.
Here are the facts. Dairy farmers take animal welfare seriously, prioritizing their cows’ health and well-being. Dairy farmers ensure their cows live healthy, stress-free lives.
While technological advances like milking robots and smart health tracking devices help take even better care of the herd, ethical dairy farming is nothing new for dairy farmers. For generations, farmers have focused on their dairy herds being treated with care and having easy access to clean water, proper nutrition and comfortable living conditions.
Is veganism better for the environment?
Another common misconception is that switching from dairy to plant-based foods would cut down on methane emissions, water use and other environmental impacts. Cows do produce methane, but dairy makes up only about 2% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Dairy farmers have always been focused on sustainability and effective ways to offset their emissions. If we got rid of dairy cows in the United States, it would only cut greenhouse gas emissions by about 0.7%, but it would drastically reduce the critical supply of essential nutrients for the global population, including the nearly 757 million people worldwide who are undernourished.
Dairy is an important source of nutrition for this population, especially for women, children and the elderly. Lack of animal-sourced foods like dairy products can cause serious deficiencies in these groups like stunted growth in children, increased risk of falls in elderly and thyroid and reproductive issues in women.
Ways dairy farmers work to protect and improve our environment
Animal well-being and comfort are a top priority for our farmers, but they also go to great lengths to care for the land. After all, they depend on it. The land is their legacy and their future. By using sustainable practices, they make sure their soil stays healthy and their water stays clean, to name just a few benefits. This way, they can keep their farms productive and thriving for generations to come. It's all about preserving their heritage and ensuring a bright future of dairying for their families and communities.
- Water recycling: Water is recycled up to four times on dairy farms
- Renewable energy: Solar panels and wind turbines generate energy for farms, homes and businesses
- Preserving soil health and biodiversity: Dairy farmers use traditional and new techniques to replenish nutrients, reduce runoff and store more carbon in the soil — and not in the atmosphere. These practices can include crop rotation and cover crops as well as refraining from using manure for fertilizer during freezes or heavy rain to prevent it from entering the water supply
- Recycling and upcycling: Farmers can also make the most of food waste by including byproducts such as nut shells and fruit peels in their herd’s feed. While these products aren’t digestible in humans, cows love the variety!
Returning to dairy
Following veganism restricts all types of animal products. This can be a challenging diet to maintain for long periods of time, which is why 84% of vegans eventually return to eating meat or other animal products.
Just as starting a new diet can be daunting, so can deciding to come off it. While many make the switch from veganism back to a balanced diet, there can be some hurdles.
About three-quarters of the world struggle to digest lactose because their gut doesn’t produce enough lactase — the enzyme that breaks down lactose. This is especially true when you cut dairy out of your diet completely. The more dairy you feed to your gut bacteria, the more lactase it produces. The less you feed it, the harder it becomes to digest. This can make it difficult to come back to dairy after experimenting with veganism.
The key is to slowly reintroduce dairy products into your diet. By gradually increasing your intake of lactose, your gut bacteria can begin to produce the enzymes you need to properly digest that delicious scoop of ice cream or spoonful of cottage cheese.
For those who still can't digest lactose, there are options! Lactose-free milk delivers all the same important nutrients as regular milk, like high-quality protein, calcium and vitamin D, but it's gentler on the stomach. So, you can still enjoy the benefits of milk.
Many DFA farmer-owned brands, like DairyPure®, Alta Dena® Dairy, Garelick Farms® and Kemps®, offer lactose-free milk.
So, can dairy and veganism coexist?
At first glance, it might seem like dairy farmers and vegans have nothing in common, but we hope the answer is clearer now. With a passion for animals and protecting the environment, these two groups do share principles.
Both dairy farmers and vegans share a deep commitment to ethical practices and sustainability. While their approaches may differ, their ultimate goal of ensuring the well-being of animals and the planet aligns closely.
By recognizing these common values, we can foster greater understanding and collaboration between these communities, working together toward a more sustainable future.