Well, there’s plenty of debate over this question. There are oodles of research and sites with opinions and discussions and disagreements over what is real, what is embellished and what is pure fiction. It’s mind boggling, to say the least.
I will first say ‘yes’, I do buy only organic milk. It costs a lot more and that is a price I am, personally, willing to pay because I have children that drink it daily (although I have debated, in my own mind, whether cow’s milk is necessary at all). Organic milk does give me a greater peace of mind for many reasons. These are the things I have learned that have helped me reach this decision:
Naturally-fed cows, with a better quality of life, produce a higher quality of milk – it is shown to contain more antioxidants, vitamin E, omega-3 and beta carotene.
Organic milk cows cannot have bovine growth hormone (BGH) administered, which is used to increase milk production. By forcing cows to produce an abnormally high volume of milk, they are prone to painful udder infections. Bacteria from the infection flows right along with the milk and pasteurization does NOT remove it (this nauseates me)… and then isn’t the hormone still present too?…
Some research also shows that consumption of non-organic milk, that may contain hormones, can cause early puberty in children (this scares me to no end… again, I have children drinking it. I was most effected by studies of Hispanic homes, where the consumption of milk is not nearly as prevalent, and this evidence of early puberty does not exist).
Organic milk cows do not have high residues of pesticides and fertilizers transferred to the milk from genetically modified feed, as does milk from non-organic cows.
Organic diary farming requires a higher standard for the well-being of the cows and they must receive time “at pasture” instead of a lifetime of confinement (the animal-loving part of me has a hard time overlooking this as well… look at that face!).
Let’s presume that all of the facts are false… what have I lost? Some extra money, that’s it. But then… what if some or ALL of them are true? The consequences for that seem a lot more costly than money to me.
If the price were the same, wouldn’t you choose organic? You decide.