Milk brand touts kind hand

16.04.2008 02:24 Home - Source: JS Online

A new line of milk debuting in three Milwaukee-area stores next week banks on the willingness of consumers to pay twice as much for milk labeled and marketed as "humanely produced."

Sold under the Red Barn Family Farms label, the milk in plastic bottles with idyllic farm images comes from a group of Fox Valley family farms inspected and certified by the American Humane Association, a national animal-welfare organization.

The new brand is receiving a cool welcome from some conventional dairy producers who say they are equally committed to compassionate animal care. Yet it is coming out at a time when large-scale dairy operations are replacing small family farms, and consumers are increasingly concerned about where food comes from and how it's produced.

Terry Homan, an Appleton-area veterinarian who founded the Red Barn line, said he believes milk from well-cared-for cows on bucolic family farms deserves a premium niche to help keep the farms from becoming "a thing of the past."

"It's simple," said Homan of Valley Vet Clinic. "Cows that receive the best care produce the best milk."

Such animal care practices are routine in the dairy industry, a University of Wisconsin-Madison dairy foods processing specialist said Friday.

"That link is so clearly understood by everyone that to label milk as humanely produced, you might as well state, 'We're not feeding them toxic waste,' " said Scott Rankin, an associate professor of food science.

"For every dairy producer, it's in their absolute best interest to have the healthiest cows so their milk will be the highest quality and get the best price."

No growth hormones

The farms that make up the Red Barn Family Farms brand were selected by Homan, whose clinic cares for their cows. Family members do a majority of the milking and animal care, and the milk is not produced with growth hormones, he said.

"Humane" labeling may actually confuse consumers if they believe it calls into question the care of other cows that produce milk for the dairy case, said Shelly Mayer, a Slinger dairy farmer and executive director of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin. The 1,600-member organization focuses on teaching dairying and business skills.

"Cow care is what built Wisconsin's dairy industry," said Mayer. "I applaud anyone who can capitalize on a niche of consumers who have the extra dollars and are willing to pay for that information on a label. But I don't want consumers to misinterpret that those cows are any more happy or better cared for than other cows."

Homan figures shoppers already are willing to pay more for eggs from chickens not confined in cages; vegetables grown without chemicals; and milk sold in glass bottles. Why not milk, he asked, from cows certified as healthy and comfortable?

The milk is bottled by Lamers Dairy in Appleton, a family-owned business that has been around for years.

Mayer said consumers can decide for themselves whether the "humanely produced" label is worth the money, adding, "milk is the most regulated food we consume."

"All milk is tested on the farm, before it comes off the truck, at the plant and before it leaves the plant," she said. "The first lady on every dairy farm has to be the cow if you're going to survive. If you take care of your cows, they take care of you."

Brand availability

Homan grew up on a dairy farm near Waupun and is a 1996 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. He and his wife own 95% of the new company formed to market the milk line.

The farms Homan initially chose for the Red Barn label "keep cows clean, dry and comfortable," generally exhibit "excellent animal husbandry" and milk fewer than 50 cows, though specific herd size is not a requirement of the label, he said.

One farm specializes in registered Holsteins; one follows organic practices; and a third relies heavily on summer grazing to produce its milk.

The new milk line concept is "cutting edge" and provides "yet another choice for consumers seeking high-quality dairy products from America's Dairyland," said Dan Carter, founder and chairman of the Dairy Business Innovation Center in Madison, in a news release announcing the venture. The statement congratulated Homan as "Wisconsin's newest dairy entrepreneur."

The nonprofit group helps launch and market value-added dairy products.

The Red Barn brand will be available starting Thursday at Sendik's Food Markets in Grafton, Mequon and Franklin. A half-gallon is expected to cost $3.39, roughly 40 to 60 cents less than organic milk but about twice as much as standard milk.

Homan said a two-for-one promotional sale will launch the line. Farmers whose cows produce the milk also will make appearances in the Mequon store on Friday and Saturday after they finish their morning milkings, he said.

Each of the farms went through a fee-based certification process by American Humane Certified, which inspects farms for the American Humane Association, Homan said. Typically, the inspection alone will cost a farm a couple thousand dollars, according to an association spokeswoman.

The association spokeswoman said consumers are especially sensitive to farm animal treatment in the wake of a beef recall in February. That recall occurred after another animal welfare organization released undercover video of workers at a California slaughterhouse trying to get so-called downer cows - sick or crippled animals - to stand by shoving and dragging them with forklifts.

The dairy industry has not been the subject of that type of controversy.

But the certification is intended to reassure consumers about proper animal care, according to the association.

Each farm in the Red Barn group will be required to be recertified annually as well as follow "Red Barn Rules" that Homan developed as everyday standards. The goal, Homan said, is to "provide better transparency in how milk on store shelves is produced."

Homan said he hopes to add more farms and retail outlets if there is enough demand. He also plans to expand into cheese, ice cream and other products, according to the brand's Web site, www.red barnfamilyfarms.com.

Don Zuleger, one of the farmers selling milk through the Red Barn Family Farms label, said he's thrilled that his third-generation dairy farm near Black Creek has the humane certification for its 35 milking cows managed with organic practices.

"I didn't have to change anything," said Zuleger, 48. "This is the way we've always farmed here. But I'm happy to get paid more for what I do well. Our cows relax on green pastures, chewing their cuds in the summer. And if consumers want to see my cows, they're more than welcome to come out to the farm."

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