Darker Side of Dairy Farming

This country is becoming far to politicaly corect. Animals are the core of agriculture so they are on a whole taken care of. Bleeding heart do gooders keep wanting to pass more and more laws. Eventually the farmers will be legislated out of business and we will be forced to buy our milk, beef, ham cheese and vegetibles from china. Do you think the rest of the world will treat there animals as well as th U.S. and do you really trust the quality of the foods from foreign counties.
J Kilbourn

Diane and Brian,
I can’t believe that Lyndon Odell is so cruel and heartless to put the dairy cows that he “so prides himself on” through the torture of tail docking and horn burning without pain killers. I wonder how he would fare to be castrated without painkillers!! I will research where he sells his milk so that I will no longer buy his product!!!! I will call Hood, Garelick Farms, Crescent Ridge Dairy as well as the supermarkets in my area to find out who carries his product AND never buy there again!!! I am so upset and nauseated at Lyndon’s practices.
Sincerely,
Nancy McCarthy

Thank you ABC news for exposing Willet Dairy. I have always been a dairy-aholic, but will never, ever buy anything from Mr. Odell’s farm after your story. I know how dairy cattle should be raised because I have relatives who raise these type of cows. There is no need for this type of torture. It is obvious that Mr. Odell is all about the money. I went on the Willet website and saw the other troubles in which this company has been involved, including a very damaging article recently written in the Syracuse Times on January 20, 2010. When will humans learn that animals have feelings and emotions and are our friends? Shame on you Mr. Lyndon Odell for not understanding that. No wonder animal activist groups are attacking your practices.

I will say as a dairy farmer, I don’t agree with tail docking, but with horn dehorning, if farmers don’t do this practice, cows will gord each other to death and what will farmers be then in the sight of people? The same thing that we are because of this piece being one sided and narrow minded. When it comes to this industry, everyone needs to get ideas from everyone not just what is shown on tv. If you were in this business, you would understand why things are done, not sitting there in disgust. Go work on a well managed farm for a year and see how things are done. It is like Mike Rowe, The Dirty Jobs guy, said in an interview, let people in this industry do what they need to do, but in good practice because NO ONE ELSE OUT THERE WANTS TO. Also remember if this industry starts to go down, there will be close to 7 million people losing there jobs because there are that many jobs that relate to the dairy industry.

These animals are God’s creatures and should be treated with respect. It is totally sickening to think that these greedy and disgusting morons treat their cows that way! Try tying him up to cut off his arm or an ear and see if he thinks it hurts. They are completely heartless and obviously mindless. If they enjoy being that cruel to animals, they wouldn’t think anything of hurting people.

If we were in this business, we’d understand why things were done? How about treating the animals humanely and managing them so they don’t need their horns burned off or tails docked? Well run from your narrow-minded perspective! So get off your high horse and start seeing it from the animals’s perspective. I’ve been thinking about not eating dairy products and this may just be the turning point. Good bye Milk!

to those who feel that this news story is one sided,
i say, it’s about damn time. as children we are raised to believe that “milk does a body good”. commercials from the dairy industry show “happy cows” living on beautiful green pastures. surely, you must know that THAT is the minority. the majority IS cruel, disgusting, and hidden from the public. as a society, we have a right to know the truth about where are food originates and what goes on behind these closed doors. do i believe that all dairy farmers have cruel practices. absolutely not. that is why is important that the public is informed. then, we can make informed decisions and support ethical businesses.

Then go visit a dairy farm for yourself. Abc also visited a well maintained farm in Pennsylvania but they are not going to air it because this crap they would rather show to show we are bad caretakers. Well, that matter of the truth is the majority of the farmers out there are not this bad and that is why YOU, YOURSELF needs to go to a farm and see for your self

Thank you Anna, wonderfully stated

You’re welcome, Darrin. I encourage you all to visit a dairy farm sometime and see the truth. We allow hundreds of school children to see the truth on our farm every year and we’ve never had any one think we were cruel. Quite the opposite, people cannot believe how much thought and care goes into a dairy farm, and you won’t either till you all look into the reality of it all. I have held premature calves on the floor of my kitchen till the wee hours of the night… I just can’t get over my disgust of this segment, so pardon me for going on.

Keep going

I am appalled this story was even aired on the evening news! Don’t criticize the milk maid until after you have milked her cow!

And one last thing— why would you try to defend the dairy’s that allow animal torture such as what was in the video?
It seems you would want all dairy’s that torture animals to be exposed…
Instead you are blaming Nightline. That reminds me of how the Catholic Church tried to cover up abuses instead of admitting there were problems by shining a light of truth on the problems.
But they couldn’t do that because the problems were pervasive.
That is the same as factory farm abuse of animals.
It is pervasive.
And it is time for the ethical farmers to speak out against the problem farmers – if you have the guts that is.

We are trying to speak out but nothing is done. Melisa, ask ABC why they didn’t air the well managed farm they visited before this one and ask them why

Thank you Heather, looks to me like there are actually smart people out there that don’t farm for a living and understand what is happening

Except Heather, THERE ARE FARMERS THAT DO CARE ABOUT THERE ANIMALS AND when something like this is aired, people automatically think every farmer is like that and that is not the case

hey jen, ask abc why they didn’t air the well managed herd? and why they aired crap like that

Yes it is. But as producers we are striving for safety, quality, careness. How would you like to get gorded by a cow that charges you because you think it is wrong? There are other procedures than burning the horns, but you do know that because you are not informed because you don’t care to be. To some farmers it is a commodity, which is wrong, but TO THOSE THAT DO CARE, THEY ARE FAMILY

As others have mentioned, this is a one-sided display…This is true. But what do you call what we’ve been inundated with since childhood?
Over and over, it has been drilled into our heads that we need milk. After all, it does a body good and is a required part of our USDA food pyramid. And of course the dairy industry has no victims, has no association with the veal industry, and dairy cows are not only happy, but they need us to milk them.
Is that – which we’ve learned since day one – unbiased? Or is it too One Side of the story?
In fact, it’s so enmeshed in our thinking that people making comments here are saying yes, they burn the horns off of cows, and yes they (literally) drag babies away from their mothers, but someone has to do the ‘dirty work’…And throughout these replies, it never even dawns on them that No. No one NEEDS to do this because No one NEEDS to drink milk.
The level of cruelty associated with this industry is obscene and bravo to ABC for having the guts to show something about it on prime-time. And if you happen to be one of those rare places that really gives a crap about the creatures you raise – instead of getting mad at ABC for showing this, how about applauding them for bringing the ‘bad apples’ out? Or perhaps when making comparisons to ‘bad bankers’,'bad politicians’, etc…you’d rather there be no exposes on AIG, Enron, and Fannie & Freddie because all that should just be hidden? After all, there are some good small companies and good credit unions out there and we don’t want people thinking that all companies and banks are bad..
And @Anna – bad hairdressers? You go on and on about how much you care about cows and your cows have such a wonderful life…you care that much and yet you can compare the atrocities these people commit to a bad haircut?!?!?!

Darrin:
You ask “ask abc why they didn’t air the well managed herd?”
And yet you go on and on about how one-sided this is? Would you have such complaints if that was what they chose to air instead of this?
But what if people saw that ‘well managed herd’ and “just stereotype and assume everything is like that. “?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but if they had instead chosen to air that ‘well managed herd’, were you to post a comment here, would it not be congratulatory?

If you you can watch the video and it sits well with you, then you have no compassion. Period. Please Know this is only a tiny glimpse of what goes on inside these factory farms, a fraction of the senseless suffering the animals in the food and dairy industry endure in agony. Compassion does not end with just you and yours, your fellow man, or your dog, cat..etc. Thank You ABC for exposing the truth and this most important issue.

I am sending this onto those in Washington D.C. that I know in the political arena. This dairy farm and the alike that treat animals like this should be shut down.
There are guidelines already in place for humane treatment, they should not only be fined, but put in prison.

Thanks Melisa, Jen, Kathryn, Iola: I couldn’t better express it. May I add – along with animal flesh, parts and products, humans don’t require milk, cheese, dairy products for calcium – plenty of calcium is available from vegetables. More than enough tasty non-animal product food, with essential nutrients, is available, we’re so lucky. Farmers can try to get into another business, use the land to grow vegetables, fruits and grains, many of us have had to re-trench, re-learn another occupation or business. Isn’t viewing the suffering of one animal enough? Beyond their living conditions, have you seen the videos of cow, pig, chicken, horse slaughter? Thank you ABC, and please continue to educate humans about the suffering of all animals cruelly produced and discarded (veal calves, premarin foals, male chicks) in the name of human greed, vanity, gluttony and ignorance, oh, did I write greed. No, your meat, cheese, eggs and milk don’t grow in (supposedly clean) supermarket packages.

It’s always a sad thing to witness farm animals being mistreated, but as other commentators have pointed out, one must look at the bigger picture in order to make a better more fairer assessment of any particular situation that is recorded by a reporter.

Thank-you, Nightline. This is hard to watch, but extremely important to educate the public about the painful practices that so many animals endure in the process of providing much of the food consumed by modern day humans.

I was sick to my stomach when I saw the broadcast. If you are a dairy farmer and you are not abusing your cows then there is no reason to get upset about the piece. Everyone with any type of intelligence knows that this does not pertain to ALL dairy farmers. They are simply reporting on this particular idiot and I would like to see his butt sliced off or some other body part without the use of a pain killer. As a consumer it is good to know what is going on with products that my family consumes!! I understand that certain practices are performed by certain industries to increase production but must you be so inhumane to achieve that goal? Animals have feelings too, does anyone have a pet at home? Would you treat or allow someone else to treat your pet with such cruelty?

Farmer Odell is a money grubbing ignorant man who needs to apply his own standard of ethics to himself and go jump off a cliff for thinking that what he does is acceptable because that’s the “industry standard” in his mind. Who is he kidding that the cows are not in excruciating pain when their tails are docked or horns are burned off??? How can he sleep at night after watching these procedures and the visible pain the cows endure? Maybe he should go out to his barn and let the cow just stand there without it’s head tied up to a fence and see if the cow turns around and licks him and says “gee Farmer Odell, that felt just great!” Ohhhhh it is so infuriating to see people like Farmer Odell who just turns their ignorant face to such barbaric rituals because they think it’s a standard procedure. This jerk is giving the dairy farming industry such a bad name, and is disrespectful to all the wonderful dairy farmers in the US who actually DO care about the health and well being of their cows, including the cows physical and mental well being.

This piece of “journalism” shows just how much the average American does not know about the dairy industry. Most dairy farmers do care about their animals – this is their livelihood, if the cows suffer, their profit will suffer. When you see a report that a dog has been abused by its owner, do you automatically think, “well, no one should have dogs, all dog owners must be awful, horrible people” or do you think, “hey, that owner is a jerk and not a representative of all dog owners”? This is the same situation. Those one of two carefully chosen farmers, do not represent all farmers. Coming from a small, organic dairy farm, I can say that yes, many of those practices are common throughout the industry. We (organic producers) cannot ban tails, but prior to our certification, we would ban tails by using a small rubberband. I do not know any farmers who cut the tails like that. As for dehorning, this is necessary as others have mentioned. Horned animals are a danger to others, and the people working with them. If it is done at a young age, it is not nearly as painful as it appears. The blood vessels are cauterized by the iron to prevent the horn bud from growing. The calves show so much stress because they are frightened – by the smell and by being handled by humans. Many calves may not be used to that. It would have been nice if they had visited a couple more well-managed farms, but I suppose using PETA’s undercover video constitutes good, unbiased journalism now. Viewers should note that PETA has a history of setting up and encouraging acts of animal abuse in order to make their videos more shocking. I realize this is a long post, but I hope viewers will realize that the dairy industry as a whole cares for their animals, and in this environment, when dairies are losing thousands of dollars a day, are you willing to give up your corner office, 9-5 5 day a week with vacation job to produce one of the most nutritious products?

Hey everybody, I’m an 18 year old boy who has grown up on a dairy farm all my life. We have a 70 cow dairy farm in rural Wisconsin. We do not tail dock but we do take the horns off. The horn is cut off with a dehorning tool and then the area is heated cauterize it and stop bleeding. This is a practice that happens in farming everywhere. We don’t do it because we like to hurt our animals, we do it for safety. With horns a cow may attack another cow, or even myself or other people working on the farm. If people in this country that artificially inseminating an animal is cruel; you people need to step into the real world. When you breed the cow year round you are always increasing the number of cattle in your herd. This in turn will increase the amount of milk you can produce. This is actually similar to that of the Amish community. They have many children, so more work can be done. Following me? I am really upset that ABC aired this story. The dairy industry is already in tough times, why do this to make things worse? NOBODY makes a profit farming. We do it so the people in this world have food to eat. My family works extremely hard each month, hoping that we can make enough money to pay all of our bills, and sometimes there just isn’t enough. If the dairy industry gets even worse, we will have to sell the cows, and then what will my dad do. Farming is his LIFE. Oh, and if everybody else didn’t notice, all the videos were from PETA and similar organizations that have no idea what is going on in the agriculture industry. They just jump in and ASSUME that these common practices are super cruel and are hurting the animals greatly.

Kristina,
Where do you get your information?
“Also, because the cows are forced to be pregnant so often, their bones often become weak and they break and they become paralyzed.”
I have spent my entire life on a farm, and that has never happened.
Calves are removed from their mother to prevent disease transmission, and to ensure they are fed enough high quality milk to ensure they grow well. The cow needs to go into the milking string because she produces too much milk for the calf and will become uncomfortable. Cows and calves do not share the same emotions as people – what you are doing is called anthropomorphism. But if it makes you feel better, the calf will go with all the other baby calves (sound like day-care at all) while the mother goes with all the other mothers at her job – which is to be milked two or three times a day – like a working mother except with fewer hours.
There are too many incorrect arguments in your post to go through right now – but realize countries with higher osteoporosis rates probably also live a lot longer. Not many 40 yr olds in Sudan will have osteoporosis – but not many of them will make it to 70 or more either. Also, “acidic blood” does not leach calcium from bones. Blood pH is 7.35 – 7.45 actually making it a base, or pretty much the same as water. What will leach calcium is carbonated drinks (how about U.S. pop consumption?) and a high sugar diet. That’s why your dentist tells you to moderate them in your diet. They were down tooth enamel. Tooth enamel=calcium. Please try to do more research before you post about things in which you obviously have no experience or knowledge.

I am dissappointed in the negative comments towards the diary/cattle farmer. If those of you who believe such comments could only imagine what it would be like if we were to receive milk or produce or meat from another country, which we are headed in that direction, you would stop such comments and be greatfull for what you have and the means by which you have it. There are a few who abuse their responsibility and like always they put a bad name on everyone else. News stations such as abc thrive on these few cases because the general public has not a clue and gets all rilled up and hence ratings go up. Blasphemy or not it does not matter to the news, as long as they get the response they were looking for.

it is nice to see there ARE people out there with the right views … my families milking barn burnt down 2 years prior to my birth, however i grew up on that farm raising beef feeders and being taught the farming ropes, and by that, i mean the work ethic and pride of work… i have been a part of the dehorning process (took feeders to the fair, and i personally was responsible for my animals if i was going to show) … this narrow minded approach to an entire industry is disgusting and an outright disgrace to what we call ‘freedom of speech’ as a country … it is nice to see posts from people like you Anna and Eric, because I was absolutely fuming when I saw this tonight … to all you other people who see this and don’t know the truth about American agriculture and livestock, go find it … wherever you are, I bet you don’t have to go far to find it … one finishing statement before I finish my rant … I believe the “freedom of speech” does not give you the ‘right to speak’ … “freedom of speech” should be governed by an educational jurisdiction of the matter at hand, which ultimately gives you the right to speak!

@Kaylynn -
Yeah, PETA set this all up. The whole video. They made it up. Actually, they’re the ones torturing the animals, but they just want you to think it’s someone else. Oh, and they shot JFK too! Yep…and as you obviously already know, they set up Michael Vick! He wasn’t fighting dogs at all. Clorox doesn’t make rabbits eat bleach to see how many of them die as a result. There is no such thing as the LD-50 test. Elephants in circuses do headstands out of their own natural inclinations with no need for coercion (which is why we always see them upside down in the wild).
Yep. Totally.
Oh, and PETA shot JFK and framed Roger Rabbit too!
(Only one problem with this…PETA had nothing to do with this! It is a group called Mercy For Animals – which has NO relation to PETA (other than the fact that they both seem to have a pesky issue with torturing sentient beings…crazy, I know!)
@Brian -
In order to be able to recognize cruelty and suffering of another creature, one does not need to know the agriculture industry any more than they need to know how to fly a space shuttle.

“He explained that tail-docking and burning off horns are common in the industry and are not abusive of the animals.” Well people, you have your own eyes! And you can use your own judgement.
This removing of horns is “standard industry practice”. Docking tails? Standard as well. Cutting off a “5th teat”, also without pain killers? Standard practice. Removing calves from their mothers within a day of birth? Standard practice. Putting calves in isolation to make veal? Standard Practice. Sending day old “bobby calves” off to slaughter? Standard too.
Cows today are made to give 10 times more milk than nature ever had intended. This puts incredible strain on their bodies. It’s equated to a human running hard and fast 6 hours every day – for their entire lives.
Their udders remain so swollen that their legs become malformed. And the teats often have infections and mastitis. Most dairy cows are “spent”, sickly and “retired” by the time they bearly reach 4 years old… This is a fraction of their life span.
I realize the dairy industry has much to loose monetarily… But at what point do we say that any amount of money justifies this type of babaric treatment to these innocent and helpless beings? At some point we must ask ourselves – Is this who we want to become… Does this reflect the values that we’ve been taught to honor?
Are we brutal ogres that “must” steal a baby’s nourishment from his own mother? Must we send day old calves, still with their umbelical cords attached to the butcher, so we can have icecream??? This is what milk, cheese and dairy really cost…
With so many healthy alternatives – The shelves are adding new options all the time – Aren’t we ready to re-evaluate what we mean when we say “humane” treatment of animals? Compassion does not mean we minimize suffering… But instead it requires that we make sincere efforts to ELIMINATE it.
The dairy industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars lying to the public about their product. But no amount of false propaganda can sanitize it. The facts are absolutely clear: Dairy is bad for human health, catastrophic for the environment, and a living nightmare for animals.

Shaun wrote:
“…
it is nice to see posts from people like you Anna and Eric, because I was absolutely fuming when I saw this tonight … I believe the “freedom of speech” does not give you the ‘right to speak’ … “freedom of speech” should be governed by an educational jurisdiction of the matter at hand, which ultimately gives you the right to speak!
”
Wow. Well done.

With regards to the dairy farmers who felt that this was a one sided story. Factory dairy farms which were discussed in this story should be outlawed. Everything from the way the animals are kept, to what they are fed, to the unimaginable treatment they are given is both inexcusable and damaging to the animal, the consumer and the planet. It is the factory dairy farms that are destroying the small family dairies. In fact the “kill bill” which is rampant in this country, forcing small family dairies into selling their herd for pennies on the dollar leading to the slaughter of up to ninety thousand cows a month is merely a scam by the big dairies to drive dairy prices up and meat prices down. If you don’t believe me ask any one of the small third and fourth generation dairy farmers who have been strong armed out of business. Here is how the “kill bill” works. You are a family dairy…you’re having trouble paying your mortgage…you take good care of your cows but milk prices have fallen. The industry has been glutted. Why? Factory farmed dairy cows are injected, pumped up, fed corn and grain to produce ungodly amounts of milk which are not sold. Thousands of gallons of milk, pounds of butter etc. are thrown away across this country every day. What happens the little guy, the family dairy guy or girl cannot sell their product and cannot pay their bills. Enter the “kill bill” sponsered by the dairymen’s association…a bill which allows you to keep a roof over your head if you agree to give your herd to this government program…a program which has presold your cows to the ever expanding dollar menu. The last farmer I saw interviewd stood sobbing as his herd was loaded onto the slaughter truck. He was a fourth generation dairy farmer. If you are a dairy farmer and were upset by ABC’s depiction of your industry stand up, use your voice and your collective power to demand an end to factory dairy farms.

We have been told since birth that cows milk is natural for us to drink. But really it makes no sense.
Puppies need dog breast milk
Cats drink their mother’s cat milk
Human babies need human milk
Cows milk is for *drumroll* baby cows!
What idiot decided to drink cows milk? Guess you all are lucky he didn’t decide to milk a rat or that would be the norm.
Since its unnatural for us to drink milk we get bad cholestrol (which is only in animal products btw.your body produces good cholestrol on its own) we also get overweight, etc.
And wake up. This is the dairy industry. Not one farm. To them cows are products and they’ll do whatever to save the bottom line. Which means no room to move around and cows piled in tiny space covered in crap and pee.
Do yourself a favor. Try almond, soy or hemp milk.
No cholestrol, less sugar and fortified.
It’s way better than sucking animal teat. No matter how well it is packaged.

Watching this segment upset me so much. The images are stuck in my brain and are still disturbing me this morning. I think a stronger viewer discretion should have been mentioned, but on the other hand, if I didn’t watch this segment, I would not have known about this. It broke my heart.

I was in a battle of emails with a woman Vegan. Each day she’d send me dozens of examples of why her vegan ways were far better. Each email I sent back my arguments that were similar to most of the posts by dairy farmers on here. She would rant and rave about how cows were cow persons and chickens were chicken persons, blah blah blah, after about 50 e-mails, she finally quit. She thought it was just outrageous that I would milk my cows just to sell it and make money, I still haven’t figured that one out. It really doesn’t hurt a cow to get milked, lay in a free stall bedded with clean sand, or eat a total mixed ration with all the vitamnins and minerals they need. They like to stay in the barn when it is raining, or cold and windy. Milk does not have antibiotic in it from our farm because we very seldon use any.
Finally wrapping up 50 or so emails Every other word was telling me to like “own it” I am such a terrible person, but anyways after dealing with her, I realized that city people are so removed from the land that they totally don’t understand what needs to be done. You will notice most of the first posts were from vegans, guess who is behind this story . I am a dairy farmer that does take care of my cows and when we dehorn the calves they are put to sleep so when they wake up they don’t remember any of it, just like if a person were to have surgery we also dock the tails when they are sleeping, but we only take the very end so they won’t have long straggly tails that swish poop and pee all over.

This is horrible. If this is done for the animals safety and cleanliness, then I’m done with dairy. There is no excuse for abusing animals this way. If there is no other alternative, then the solution is to stop using them for food.

The comment that this is done in other dairy farms is an appeal to tradition, a fallacious argument. The slavemaster could–and often did–make the same argument when whipping his slaves. it is morally wrong to intentionally inflict (or allow the infliction of) gratuitous suffering or pain on another animal. It is that simple. The cows suffer so that humans, the only animals on earth who drink the milk of another species, the only animals on earth who drink milk after weaning, can drink their fatty, antibiotic-, hormone-, and pus-filled mammary secretions. There is no defense of that, but dairy farmers, like those who exploited children, women, people of other ethnicities and the poor, defend it because they have a vested financial interest in the industry, and, hence, in the further suffering of cattle. Drink soy milk – you’ll live longer and you’ll help stop the madness.

Watching this documentary really made me feel sick thinking of the pain that these cows must be feeling. I ask you now to go and report the same way on the process of HUMAN ABORTIONS. How MILLIONS of babies are being ripped out of their mother’s womb every day and our new leaders want to include the coverage of this process in the changed health-care bill.

That report was so full of holes. The dairy industy is the hardest working group I know. Year after year we produce more than the last year and keep getting paid less. The worst is reports like this. You say how many dollars are spent advertising milk it is nothig when you compair it to other drinks on the market. This industy works harder longer hours then most and here you are kicking use when we are down. thanks alot.

I agree with all sides of this story. I believe that the majority of farmers are good and treat their animals humanely. My father is one of them.On the other hand, thank you Nightline for exposing this so-called “farmer” if he were not exposed for his practices then he would never stop. I don’t want to give his farm my money when I could give it to a more deserving farmer.

Dehorning is a very necessary practice for the safety of both humans working with the cows and for the cows themselves. Horns are very dangerous! Short term discomfort at a young age is much better than a lifetime of being hit (or worse!) with a full-grown cow’s horn.

Farm animals make the ultimate sacrifice: they give their LIVES so that humans can live. For that, we owe them a decent life – not pure agony.
This issue is far worse than what was portrayed on the Nightline story. See this link for news on a farm in Vermont where there was evidence that veal calves were actually being skinned alive…

No legitimate, ethical dairy farmer would object to this story. Rather, you should WANT to see animal abusers exposed because these practices give your industry a bad name. Stop whining about how misunderstood you are and get behind the effort to change this.

this report was very disturbing as a consumer of 2 gallons of milk a day. But, i have learned that with every report of a bad apple there are good and well deserving dairy farmers who deserve equal time. In this world of media, we all see and accent on the negative, now lets see the possitive, but that we not cause a reaction such as this cruelty. What about horses for dog food, what about puppy mills, what about sharks and there fins used souly for soup. But mainly let us focus on humans, for instance Haiti. Yes, I hope this particular milk farmer will now straighten up his act. This has been going on for years and after the story dies down, will still probably go back to its old ways. Greed and time is the killer.

Christine – No offense intended, but you are kidding yourself if you think this is an isolated incident. Please educate yourself as to the realities of today’s factory farms (where 99% of our food comes from). Just google “factory farm” to start.
And if you drink that much milk per day, you should also be looking into all the pus, blood and hormones that you are ingesting.
Also, many people aren’t aware that dairy farms fuel the veal industry. Male calves born on dairy farms are considered useless and are auctioned off to notoriously cruel veal producers within days of birth.
Finally, compassion is not a limited resource. It is possible to care about people in Haiti AND care about how we are treating animals here at home.
When people say that “‘human problems come first,’ I cannot help wondering what exactly it is they are doing for human beings that compels them to continue to support the wasteful, ruthless exploitation of farm animals.”-Peter Singer
Try Rice Milk, Almond Milk (my favorite), or Soy Milk instead.

What an unfair and wrong misrepresentation of a dairy farm you gave. Shame on you. We have a dairy farm and our cows are like family. They are our living and livlihood and we do what is best for the cow and cow comfort is very high on the list. You treat them right, they will not let you down. The reason that calves have their horns cut off is for their protection or they can gouge each other as adults and kill each other. It is not to be mean. These people who are criticizing dairy farmers, who work 7 days a week, 365 days a year for you to have food on your table, are being unfairly attacked. Walk in a dairy farmers shoes once in awhile before you criticize. I am not sure where on earth you found that dairy farm you highlighted but it was not a fair representation of most dairy farms. We go through inspection regularly from the federal government and have to keep things clean and up to code or we cannot sell our milk. Be fair about your reporting and get both sides, not just Peta’s, who want everyone to be vegetarians and not drink milk.

I don’t know what dairy farmer can take great pride in their work. Even the best organic dairy farms have to force pregnancy on their cows every year (a very disturbing act when you think about it). And then in order to steal the cow’s milk for humans, they take the calves at birth from their moms and send them to slaughter. It’s an industry purposely forcing calves to be born and them tossing them out or killing them like their pests. It’s a sick business no matter how you paint it.

Whether your farm is relatively “humane” or not, God made cow’s milk for baby calves. Find a better livelihood than exploiting God’s creatures and creating illness and obesity among your country.

Yes, dehorning is performed to protect the animals and the farmers, there are ethical and humane ways to do it, which obviously were not in practice in the video, and for your own information – they do have bulls in AI that are “polled” meaning they have the genetics to prevent horn growth. Tail docking, not extremely necessary, but again, ways to do it humanely.

Whereas local dairy farmers that truly care about their farms are out there–and commenting on this piece–the vast majority of farms in the United States are not family farms. With the way our nation drinks milk and eats dairy products currently, family farms that treat their animals with care simply couldn’t supply everyone with the quantity they’re used to.
I really appreciate ABC showing us a different picture than the one most of grew up with. And dairy farmers–get real. Our whole culture is based on images of dairy farms that don’t exist anymore–it’s time we see what goes on at the majority of industrialized agriculture.

Thanks to Nightline for showing the truth about the dairy industry. Even if there were no cruelty involved, drinking milk is wrong. Humans are the only species who intentionally seek the milk from another species, and who continue drinking milk long after infancy. Lactose intolerance and high cholesterol are just 2 of the end products of consuming milk, and if BGH (bovine growth hormone) is added, the consequences can be much more severe. Milk is NOT a “natural” by any stretch of the imagination. And the truth is that it is a horribly cruel product. Cows only “give” milk for the same reason as any other animal – to feed their offspring. But the dairy industry removes their calves and steals their milk to sell for human consumption. Since many of the offspring are males and will never produce milk, they are slaughtered for their flesh as “veal”, which is notorious for cruelty. And how did those cows get pregnant in the first place? Artificial insemination is the rule. So the bulls are raped with electric prods, the cows are raped with injected semen, the calves are stolen from their mothers, the male calves are filled with chemicals and kept anemic for their flesh, and the female calves follow their mothers into a short life of captivity and exploitation. All of this happens even if their living conditions are clean and wholesome, and even if there were no tail docking or de-horning. As we see on ABthis report, the dairy industry’s factory farms are all too often not clean or wholesome. Milk is NOT a natural, and it is NOT humane.

So why don’t we take a camera and go into the houses of every news reporter and we will find one yelling at their kids or their spouse and we’ll only show the worst one and say that is the way news reporters treat their family. You people that believe everything on this show goes tho show how gullible you are and under educated you are. But us Dairy Farmers who take PRIDE in what we do EVERY DAY ten to fourteen hours a day, not your eight hour four or five day work week jobs. We have an unspeakable amount more DIGNITY than any news reported that had anything to do with this story. I am very disappointed with abcnews, and someone said the DAIRY FARMER was only in it for the MONEY. WHO are they Kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I encourage all Nightline viewers to also look at the full Willet Farm video on You Tube. I have seen enough of life to know that there is clearly a subculture in America. There are those who ethically live their lives peacefully, always trying to do the right things and never causing problems and pain for others. Then again, there are others like in the video who cannot manage their personal lives and have to take it out on innocent people and helpless animals. These are the specialists in animal cruelty, rape, murder, muggings, gun crimes, all of which seem so common today. Then, there are the people in government who are supposed to protect citizens, animals and properties, but who fail to do their jobs and prosecute such crimes such as the Cayuga County NY district attorney who failed to go after the people in the video for reasons one can only imagine. There may be brighter sides to this industry, but this video is very clear. The people in the video are major players in this cruel subculture of American society. And for anyone to fault Nightline for exposing such cruelty or trivializing the cruelty that was exposed in this video – well, you must have lost something on your way to adulthood and/or you are also part of America’s subculture. I am in favor of any person and any farm, company, bank or other business making as much money as they can. But, in the Name of God, do it ethically, honestly, and without cruelty to anyone or any living being.

As a dairy farmer I want to share our side of the story. ABC showed a one sided report that is supported by the animal rights activists. I can tell you with honesty that farmers do not treat their animals like the incident portrayed on ABC. The incident that was shown was rare and not the norm. I have visited countless farms and have never endured such experiences or know any farmer that would allow this from their employees.
In order for a dairy producer to produce and sell milk, they need well cared for and healthy cows. We care about our animals so much that we provide the proper medical care, nutritious diet and clean living conditions to them.
The practices of tail docking and dehorning were portrayed in a false fashion. Yes, some dairy farmers do crop the tails of their cattle to provide that the animal will remain clean (must I remind you that this practice is used on dogs and other animals). Dehorning is a practice that farmers must use and has been used for decades to reduce the risk of injury to the cow, surrounding cows or farmer. Despite most beliefs cows are born with horns and it a common practice to remove them. Farmers and Veterinarians use sedation or anesthesia to ensure the animal is not hurt through the process. It is also important to note that the calf that the tail docking and dehorning was practiced on is much older than any animal that a well cared for herd would use those practices on. Both of these practices if practiced occur at a young age and the process is quick and painless for the animal.
If you would like to learn the true story of dairy farming visit This website is brought to you by the countless number of farmers who produce the food that your body survives off of. Without farmers you would indeed be starving. Or better yet find a local dairy farm and ask the farmer if you can visit. Make sure to contact them ahead of time as many farmers have very tight schedules and need to make the time for you visit. I know that any farmer would be happy to let you visit and show you their passion!

Consumers have the right to make an educated decision when purchasing goods. I encourage people to seek out local dairy farms to visit and see for yourself how the majority of the business is done. Farms are making an effort to use pain killers when dehorning and dehorn calves of a younger age so the horns are smaller and easier to remove. The act of dehorning is not the tip of the iceberg, in reality it is actually the most inhumane practice cows are subjected to.
A farmers job is to provide a wholesome nutritious and inexpensive product for consumers. If the practice of dehorning were discontinued the cost of producing milk would greatly increase which would tempt people to opt for cheaper soft drinks instead of nutritious milk.
Throughout US history there has been a strong focus on safe working environments for people. Dehorning is a practice that ensures a safe environment for workers.

My family has been farming for over 100 years, and has defined itself as a dairy farm for the past 56 years. I have been involved with the cattle on the farm as long as I can remember, and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what good animal welfare is about. While I was in college I also had the benefit of serving an internship on a 4000 cow dairy before returning to our 100 cow dairy. I can honestly say that in both settings the animal’s welfare was well cared for. I don’t think that this is a factory vs. family farm issue. I think it is an issue of a disconnect between much of the consuming public and the producer. Many people do not have rural roots anymore, and it becomes really hard for a producer to explain why certain practices are important for the welfare of the animal, especially when the audience does not have any experience with cattle what so ever. I would love to see cattle out on pasture, until it gets hot and the whole herd is gathered under one tree panting, or it rains six inches and cattle are up to there udders in mud. Let’s get real! I have been a dairyman my WHOLE life. I know cattle. I know how to take care of them. If I was in another line of work I would be considered an expert at what I do, yet somehow an investigative reporter can step onto a farm, compile 5 minutes of the worst stuff he can find, and suddenly I don’t know what I am doing. I wish more people had access to visit or work on a dairy farm (or any farm), personally knew a producer, or even did as little as watch “Dirty Jobs” to get a more well rounded view of animal agriculture, instead of letting a 5 minute news spot tell them how they should feel.

tail docking is not cruel. that part of the tail is dead the cow cannot feel it. they need to burn off the horns every farm does it or else the cows will kill each other. haha way to know what your talking about.

how many of you people that are complaing about farmers eat? hmmmm, ALL OF YOU! so with that said, i take great care of my cows like they are a part of my family. and those reporters only have one part of the story, and they took the FAR EXTREME side of it. 99.9 percent of the farmers dont abuse there animals, why didnt they show that percentil as well? and de-horning the cattle is a SAFTEY issue!!

What is the deal? Nightline is ignorant and apparently doesn’t understand what would happen if farmers didn’t dehorn cattle. Its not like we enjoy it. Its a necessary evil in order to provide the country with a quality, healthy and adequate supply of produce. Ignorance. That is what Nightline has shown with this story. Get the facts.

The treatment of these animals is a total disgrace! I’m glad that I drink soy milk, and I hope more people do the same. The consumers can send a strong message to these farmers if they stop buying their products.

I don;t know how many of you sitting out there remember that God created animals to cycle. Your dog or cat comes in heat. What do you do you do to prevent mating with other animals you spay or neuter it. Dogs and cats don’t get milked or provide an income for people. Cows are not inhumanely bred back year after year. They cycle to be bred to give milk and follow in their natural pattern of life. And dragging a calf away from it’s mother? It is taken away so it can be healthy and avoid the transmission of diseases. It’s not like Americans who leave their kids on street corners homeless or put them up for adoption. It’s to benefit the calf. It’s just like selling puppies or kittens after a certain age. Some of these comments are so unrealistic.

This made me sick to my stomach to watch what was being done to these innocent creatures of God. Cows have provided us with nutritional value for years and this is the best we can do for them. I was ready to shoot out that man’s kneecaps (without pain killers of course) just to see how well he could endure the pain. I only wish ABC had also provided a list of companies that purchase from this “no good” dairy farmer. What a joke to call himself a dairy farmer and to say how proud he is, well, pride goeth before the fall.

we the American public are becoming more and more aware of just how cruel and debasing these factory farms are – some people will say it is not true but there are too many real time videos and photographs to deny the vast practice of cruelty within these animal to meat, and animal to dairy products operations -
I will no longer eat cheese or drink milk – i do not want to participate in cruelty.

No one has to eat the flesh of animals, drink their milk or eat their eggs. Choosing to do so is an endorsment of exploitation and killing. Farmed animals are considered to be money making commodities, with little or no protection under the law. I applaud Nightline for bringing this expose (and others in the past) to the public’s attention. We can easily make excuses, and rationalize supporting cruelty to excuse our addiction to animal products, but at some point we have to face the fact that (with the few exceptions where animals are allowed to roam free and die of natural causes) we’re supporting cruelty and abuse on a massive scale.

Very Very interesting that some people seem to think that organic milk comes from cows that are treated better than those in factory farms. I’ve owned cattle all my life and worked on farms of all types and sizes. Some of the most brutal treatment I’ve EVER witnessed occured on an Organic dairy. Didn’t EVER seem that the cattle were healthier or more well cared for. With the requirements for time on pasture I would say that many parts of the year leave confined dairy cattle FAR more comfortable.
All in all this episode is very very bad journalism. Unprofessionalism at it’s finest and entirely biased.

+1 Nancy. I’m sure there are humanly run dairy farms, but it appears the dairy industry doesn’t do anything about operators like Willet and therefore condone their inhumane operations. If the dairy industry were really concerned with proper treatment as some of the posters have indicated, they would be as horrified as they rest of us, instead they condone what is being done.

We are not condoning the few cases of mistreatment of cows that happen around the country. Our comments are simply trying to bring the truth to light about the majority of dairy farms. Rather than letting a biased media outlet (that obviously cropped their interviews) make the story sound the way they want it to. We are simply pointing out that this is not the norm in the dairy industry. You are exactly right in the fact that we as farmers do need to stand up and educate consumers more. But why must we have to battle a news organization that should be reporting a factual news story. Not the motives of the Humane Society of the United States. I know for a fact that many organizations in the dairy industry were in communication with ABC and the reporter for months prior to the airing of this special. They ignored what they had to say and only aired what they thought would arouse more viewer shock.

***Unfortunately, the cruelty in animal agriculture is inherent, not the acception to the rule. Within the dairy industry, females must be repeatedly impregnated (on a “rape rack”–the industry’s term, not mine)so they will continue to produce milk for their young. But when human consumers usurp that milk, the calf becomes a “veal” calf and has to live in horrible conditions (most often tethered for the length of their abbreviated lives). The dairy cows lives are also grossly shortened when they are “spent” from producing so much milk. They end up being ground up for hamburger. It’s so easy (and delicious!) to be Vegan nowadays, why not make the compassionate switch to a nonviolent diet? Check out http://www.TryVeg.com to find recipes, etc. to get started today! I decided to go Vegan 18 years ago and it was the best decision I have ever made. I hope you’ll find the same to be true for you!

My husband and I are young dairy farmers, and as stated by darrin in an earlier posting, we along with a lot of other dairy farmers we know and others across the nation, still got up every morning and did our chores and milk our cows. Even though many of us did not make enough money to take care of ourselves, our animals still came first. Ironically, being dairy farmers and producing food for everyone else, we had to decide between buying groceries or other ammenities. First and foremost, we took care of our animals. So being in this business is definitely not about the money, where I am from, in a lot of cases the dairy farm has been in the same family and under operation for 50+ years. This is our way of life, this is our passion, and to see this kind of footage on TV and listen to journalists bad mouth us because they’ve been on ONE dairy in their entire life is absurd…please find out “the rest of the story” and then make your judgements. I was our county dairy princess a few years ago and it appalled me to hear small children tell me that milk just came from the grocery store – I’d take them to a farm and show them around and explain to them how their milk got to their table. I don’t know a single one that quit drinking milk because they thought the animals were being treated badly, most thought it was really cool to pet the baby calves and watch the cows chew their cud in their comfy stalls (many times parents would be along too and also be amazed at how well the animals were taken care of, because some of them had seen footage like this and thought that was how all farms treated their animals). So, I challenge you all, no matter your walk of life, do your research, call around and find a couple dairies to go to and LEARN FOR YOURSELF. Many dairy farmers’ doors are open and are happy to have visitors and explain to you how a dairy operation works and show you their truly happy cows.
Also, as a sidenote I find it a bit ironic that ABC hasn’t stopped showing their Got Milk! ads as well as the links and advertisements on their website. “Got ethics??” How could a group of people that would air such a one-sided, irresponsible “story” know about ethics?

Drink HORIZON brand organic milk. Horizon’s farms are not factory farms. Cows are outside, in the fresh air, munching green grass, playing with their calves. It costs a little more, but the taste is worth it. Support your local organic HORIZON dairy store. Don’t be fooled, all organic milk is not HORIZON. Otherwise, you’ll be drinking poisoned milk from China. The chinks dont care what they dump in the milk.

I can’t believe how dense people are. I’ve read a lot of the negative comments towards dairy farmers, and I would like to know how many of your writing these comments have actually been on a dairy farm for an entire day. We treat our animals with great respect. I come from a small family farm, but have also worked on what you negative people would call the “factory farm”. Coming from both sides of the story there is nothing wrong with the way that most people treat there animals. It’s appauling that the only time people want to talk about the dairy industry is when there is something bad. Not every farmer in this country treats their animals this way. I would like to talk to someone who is going to stop drinking milk or has never drank milk or allowed your children to drink milk. When I’m 80 and still moving around good cause I don’t have osteoperosis, I’ll challenge you to a race. Plus you can explain to your kids why their bones are so brittle. I’m the very proud daughter of dairy farmers.

Thank you for running this story. Dairy farming is among the most cruel of all types of factory farming. This segment of the industry is where the undercover video of the “downer” cow was obtained; it is the source of endless misery of veal “production,” which not only tortures the baby but the mother who cries out for it for days. Among other tortures. I don’t understand why humans want to be the only mammal that drinks another mammal’s milk. It is sick.

The segment sickened my family, all big milk and dairy consumers. After reading the above comments, the point shouldn’t be about “one bad apple” spoiling the milk producers reputation that some of you jumped on. The story was about the absolute cruelty captured for the public to be made aware. This farm is not the only one that practices these barbaric measures. As horrible as it was to watch, families want to know so they can stop buying from that supplier or anyone like them. Try to remember the point of the story -CRUELTY – instead of worrying about your reputation. We’re not worried about farmers who are humane.

I am a 20 year old man and i work for my father on the dairy that he started the day I was born. What ABC has done is unforgivable. The dairy business is worse right now than it has ever been and stuff like this makes what we have to do to produce a safe wholsome product seem more like torture. PETA do’s not want people to see what well cared for animals are like because in thier own twisted minds they think they know every thing. My father myself and our employees work all day every day to take care of our cattle and their health and well being is put before anything else. I wish people would take time to get the real facts before they accuse an entire industry of being cruel. As for the factory farm part goes most dairy farms are family owned and have been for several generations, yes we take calves away from their mothers at birth not because of profit but for the calfs health, we can make sure that a newborn gets all of the things it needs to be healthy if we do it ourselves, and for those who think that cattle should be running around in open fields and never touched or being bred they are fools. If cattle were in the “wild” they still would calve every year its nature.

If dairy producers were only concerned about profit, then every single one of them in the United States would have sold their cows 13 months ago when the milk price DROPPED to approximately 60% of the COST to produce the milk itself. So let me translate that for you. Dairy farmers large and small, in all states were losing anywhere from thousands to millions of dollars every month. The milk price is just now starting to approach the break even point for most dairy farms. So if dairy farmers are only concerned about profit why would they continue to produce a product that COST THEM millions to do? Why wouldn’t they just sell their cows? So please know the facts before you make such statements as that.

One sided to say the least. Nice photo clips that to a person NOT involved in the dairy industry would think that the cows are being poorly treated. The one where the cows are all tightly standing, thats called a holding pen for before milking. Average time in the pen is usually one hour or less. Very out of context. The comment about them being constantly pregnant. DUH!! Where do you think milk comes from. Mother nature doesn’t just make milk appear. Breeding is a number one concern with dairy farmers. Cows DO get a rest period before calfing, usually about 6 weeks. Why didn’t you report on that?? We do dock our cows tails, however, we use bands. I have never seen it done that way so to each his own. Again I am sure that most people have never been whipped in the face with a frozen tail, so they really wouldn’t understand. Dehorning is absolutely necessary for safety reasons for both the cow and the handler. Obviously those who criticize have never been stabbed or cornered by a cow with horns, nor have they seen a smaller cow being gouged by a larger one because one of her horns grew back. Horn burners are standard and so are clippers. I wonder what the public would have thought had they seen one clipped? Quicker than burning, but very bloody. Our vet removed one with a razor wire a week ago. Is that inhumane? Standard practice. I love my cows and value them more than most people. Maybe I shouldn’t let this bother me so much, but it is very biased and strays from reality. If cows are not well cared for then they don’t produce. There is more to them then just feeding them and TAKING there milk. Having dairy cattle is truly a lifestyle that most people can not handle. It is a lot of work and commitment. I will say one thing, the employee who hit the heifer over the head with the wrench should be fired. That is unacceptable.

I believe the American people are ignorant. I have been a dairy farmer my whole life, I have traveled across the country visiting more Dairy farms than I can count, and this is the minority. Tail docking is a common practice in the US and I can say I do not agree with it, but most forms use anesthesia or some form of tranquilizer. Dehorning is a necessary practice, It protects the cows from each other and it protects the individuals working with the cows. I encourage everyone to go out and visit a dairy farm becuase this article is all wrong. Why should somebody who knows nothing about a topic be the one to show it to the whole country? And you guys believe it? I bet most of the people who have commented on this and said oh I won’t drink milk anymore are from the city and know absolutely nothing about dairying and the dairy industry. So before you make any judgements try living the life of a dairy farmer who treats his cows with respect. I have seen grown men be more affectionate to their cows than their wives. Seriously people farmers like myself and many others work their lives away to feed you and your families, and this is the thanks we get? We get scorned for the mistakes of few in our business? Thank you America

Not all cows have horns, some are called polled cattle. Bulls especially need horns taken off because they are dangerous animals. Cattle do not always want to go outside. When put out often, at least with my cows they escape from pasture during their dry period in order to go back to the freestall. As cows age they do sometimes become down cows, and people will do all they can to save them; though it isn’t always successful.

Most of the practices in this video or standard procedure! How would you like to be around a 2,000lb animal with horns? I get pushed aroung enough buy a trained show cow without horns and have been hurt quite a few times. Calves are allowed to be cleaned by their mothers and are taken away so their immune systems are not infected by any possible bacteria. The cow is immediately milked as well so she doesnt contract illnes’s like milk fever or mastitous, because she is making to much milk for the calf to drink. Tail docking isn’t always needed so I can agree with that. The man that hit the animal on the head with a wrench was fired as Mr. Odell said he would be. Sadly farmers have become a minority in this country and are taken advantage of all their hard work! Many people have probably never been on a dairy farm or have stood right next to a cow.I have experienced the ignorance of people when they ask “Does that cow make chocolate milk or strawberry milk”, or a friend not knowing that cows need to have calves to make milk and that they will have 3 or more months off from milking, and go outside! Dairy cattle do have a much better life now because farmers are placing better bedding in barns, health care for these animals is much more advanced, and the farmers are more informed on things. The best people I know are farmers! And if you get rid of us(which you wont because you have tried before), do you really think china and other countries wiil have enough to provide for you and their own people?!Try talking to a dariy farmer of a large animal vet and see what they have to say for you.

I have seen similar videos before but it never fails to shock me.I decided to go vegan when I realized the extent of the suffering of these sad animals. People should at least stop buying dairy products in protest to change the way cows are treated and stop these barbaric acts from happening again.

Darrin,
they are mor to us than just a comody. if we did not love our animals we would not farm. GOD! sometimes people are so frusterating i would love to see anyone who is bashing farmers and does not think we are doing our job correctly come to my farm and do my job for a few days and see just how well you can do it and what it is really like and maybe that will shut you mouths!!

Here’s a simple question for the dairy farmers indignant over their portrayal in this story: what do you do with your male calves and spent cows?
The dairy industry likes to cloak itself in these glowing, romantic images, but the reality is ugly and cruel. The facts about how animals are treated in this industry, and the many, many diseases (including asthma, food allergies, and cancer) that dairy is implicated in, are all out there for those who see the absurdity in getting your info about dairy from those financially invested in selling you dairy products.

I don’t know where you people all come from. But I have been born and raised on a dairy Farm. Docking tails is not just done in the dairy industry the horses, sheep and dogs have their tails docked and no one said anything thing about that. And the way that they are dehorning is not how all farms do it. There are many different ways to dehorn. Most farms do it when the calves are only a few weeks old. so there isn’t much horn or many nerve endings in it. SO it don’t hurt them too much. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE?? Have you ever been chased by a cow that weight anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000+ with horns. Well it more danger for the farmers and their employees if the cows are left with there horns.
Plus, you don’t know how much work farmer put into their animals everyday. Farming is not a 5 day a week job that 9-5. We are up at 3 every morning to milk and then after chores we eat then we go back to the barn and take care of our cows. They have very good care better then half of the people in this world.We don’t come in till 6 a night. That is a longer day then most people put in all week. And another this is ORANGIC is always orangic. for a while our conventional milk was being put in with oragnic and being sold as oragnic but do you know who was making that money it was the milk company they were not that farmer. So do what you and believe what you. But what i have to say is go to a local farm and ask them to teach you about what they do.

Anna – You seem like a kind-hearted person. What do you do with the male calves that are born at your dairy? What do you do with your cows when they are no longer good milk producers? Just currious…

This is a terrible article! I can’t believe a leading network can publish things so false about the agriculture community! People in this country need to see to real side of agriculture. Nightline, your hurting the already well damaged dairy industry! Wouldn’t you want to buy milk and dairy products produced in this country? So much of our dairy products are imported, articles like these are making that more and more a reality and shuting local dairy farmers down!
Nightline your unbelievable

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything else more biased and/or one sided…If that cow, having her horns “cauterized” to prevent infection, had been in severe pain one person & one rope wouldn’t even come close to holding her…The truly sickening thing, here, is what passes for a “documentary” at ABC News…

to the news media – what a manipulated story you told and so far from the truth.
Where were you this summer as farmers were struggling to survive? Where was the news media as farmers work diligently to survive? The stories then were only about bailing our banks, ect. You were contacted by farmers and chose to ignore our plight. We love our cows and take good care of them – I even have a tiny baby calf (which if left on it’s own would have died in the freezing temperatures from last week)living in my basement, being fed with a babies bottle. Is that mistreatment? Many practices on a farm are done for the safety of not only the cows but the farmers as well. I think it is sad that as a news media you need to sneak around someones farm and tell only half truths and lies. shame on you.

Ignorance Is Bliss.
Would you put your entire stock portfolio into something after watching one video? Would you decide where to send your children to school after talking to only one parent? I think that the answer to both questions is no…you would get more information before you passes judgment on something that serious. Likewise that is what must be done here. There are other videos to be made, more sides to hear, and I hope that I can offer one now. Rather than just assuming that all farmers are exactly like the ones found here in these videos, try to understand that we are not. Take into consideration that I sit in class every day at Virginia Tech with hundreds of students that love their animals so much that they are willing to invest $80,000 into their education to caring for their animals! We sit in classes every day, learning how to feed the animals, how to care for them when they are sick, how to make them comfortable, and how to keep them happy. In fact I encourage you to come and visit our on campus dairy! Come and look at the clean well kept facilities. Our cows live better than some people. Our animals are happy, healthy, and love attention! Often while we are in class in the barns you can feel hot breath on your arm and turn around to find one of our 1,200 pound critters looking for have their ears scratched. Come video our dairy, the students who work there, and the employees. Video the fact that we love our animals and go to great lengths to have them, support them, and care for them. From students who work their hearts out, to a fleet of on staff veterinarians and vet med students, we want you to see the actual truth. I will note that there are bad farmers out there; there are also bad doctors, bad teachers, and bad landscapers. Ask PETA for the truth, how many farms did they actually tape? How many hours of video did they get of good treatment of the animals? Why won’t they show the positive side? We are not all like what is shown. It would be interesting to see how many people would be willing to give up their jackets to wrap up a baby calf when it’s cold…have you? I have. I have also gone out in the freezing cold to make sure that all of my cattle were in where it was warm. I have watched my fiancé go out in the middle of the night to get a new born calf out of a field and wrap it blankets and feed it its first bottle of milk. I have cleaned, cared for, and loved so many animals on my farm, and have never harmed one in my life. Albert Schweitzer once said “A man is truly ethical only when he obeys the compulsion to help all life which he is able to assist, and shrinks from injuring anything that lives,” and I can honestly attest that the majority of us “cruel and ignorant” farmers live our lives to that quote. Please, take some time to find the rest of the story. Take a trip into the country, come visit us at Virginia Tech, and come let us show you how much we care.
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I’m a veterinarian who works with dairy cows on a regular basis in Canada. Of the herds I’ve been to in my area I’ve NEVER seen anything that I would call outright abuse, or signs of it, on farms. Horns are removed at birth, the calf is kept near the cow for it’s first few days (bottle fed), animals are vaccinated, fed carefully balanced rations, sick cows are treated and when the weather is good, many cows go outside. Only one farm docks, and it’s done at birth. Farmers, as a whole, care for their animals and treat them very well. For those who think dairy farming is cruel, I challenge each of you to go visit a few farms and ask for a tour. Maybe it’s different in the USA, but the dairy cows I’ve seen are looked after quite well.

It saddens me to think that what it takes for these stupid reporters to get good ratings is lies or one sided stories….I was raised on a farm, still live on/own a farm. Cattle are treated a lot better than most humans. The dehorning to me, is very important. It’s just too dangerous to not dehorn. Maybe one of you reporters would like to go out in the pasture with a 2000 pound bull with horns…I think you’d think twice about letting him keep his horns! As far as the one who posted previously about dairy products causing all kinds of health problems…let me tell you something…I come from a long line of farmers and my family (including myself) have been raised on whole, RAW MILK (now thats a scary phrase for you!) Yes, unpastuerized, non-homogenized, came right from the cow into the house and we drank it. Made fresh butter, buttermilk, etc…We are all healthy, disease free and rarely ever even have a common cold! Why don’t you people that have nothing better to do than to run down the hard working ones that keep this country fed , go out to a local farm and take a tour…see how it truely is. We are not 9-5′ers with a 40 hr work week…We work our butts off to supply the country…and what do we get in return?!?! BAD/FALSE advertisement from you lyin reporters. So, why don’t when you sit down tonight with your family to dinner, think about where your meal came from…not from the grocery store! It came from a farm, thats right. So why don’t you go out and thank a farmer for keeping you and your family fed.

I have lived on a farm all my life. I married into the dairy industry 30 years ago. I thought I knew the industry well but I have never heard the term “rape rack”. Could the poster who used this phrase please explain to me what this is.

I am the first to say we don’t need to throw the baby out with the bath water, but the time has come to separate out people who are raising animals in a FARM situation from slaughter houses and factory farms. Yes, this type of abuse DOES go on in many situations and the public needs to know about it or it never changes. However, there are also farms out there that are humane with their animals. So don’t condemn TV for showing BOTH sides – just as that they make sure they DO reports on the good and the bad.

The Nightline story was not only inaccurate but misleading. As a California dairy producer, I am upset to see the actions of one New York farmer portrayed as actions by all dairy farmers. Lets think about the grocery store of the future when PETA and ABC News are done destroying animal agriculture in the United States with their one-sided reporting and distorting of information. Only the rich will be able to afford meat, milk and dairy products in the organic stores in the city. The rest of society will go to their local grocery stores; no milk, no butter, no cheese, no meat, no ice cream, no yogurt, etc. There will be substitutes like margarine, fake cheese, fake yogurt, fake meat made from chemical concoctions, that will be unhealthy, or dairy products from China, but don’t worry, I’m sure they won’t keep adding melamine.

After reading some of the other posts, some of you just don’t have a clue. Mary, who posted on 1/28 and Amelia and John who both posted on 2/1, I must assume that you eat vegtables? What do you think farmers fertilize their fields with?
PROUD TO BE A FARMER!!!

Shame of you Nightline! I think it’s a little ironic that this story came out when the Dairy Farmers are suffering the most. What are you trying to do, make it look as though the farmers don’t deserve to get paid and that its “Bad business?” I think the whole thing is corrupt! All the politicians, media and especially the Milk companies – I can’t help but to think they are all in “cahoots.”
I am not saying that all large farms are bad, but in my opinion, they are harder to manage. Most do, however, do a wonderful job. I live on a small dairy farm and tail docking is NOT EVER done – we just keep the hair trimmed and the tails clean. The horns on the other hand, are done, ever since a mother impaled her calf (yes, we tried going natural and let the cows have their horns – never again). The horns are just too dangerous. Obviously professionals need to come to the farms and do this. I’m surprised that nobody throws a “fit” when show dogs, horses, cats, etc…have tails and ears docked for no specific reason other that “show.” Hey, let’s get that on tape and “dub” every animal owner cruel. After all, if one animal owner is doing something bad, all of them must be… don’t you think?
As for the animals going outside? Our cows go out everyday, except in the bitter cold. As the matter of fact, almost all small farms let their animals out everyday for some fresh air.
If you never set foot on a farm, you have no business to an opinion. Just stay home and enjoy your National Enquirer and Star. I’m wondering how many people writing negative comments eat meat, poultry or fish? Did you know that fish you ate died a horrific death gasping for oxygen from the dry air – I wouldn’t want to go out like that. You are all a bunch of Hippocrates and are outraged based on what you saw on TV. I understand that when we see something that looks so cruel, everyone wants to speak out. That’s exactly what the media wants. Use your brains people…

Everybody that has not been on a dairy farm needs to come not for an hour but for a week.get up early in the morning and work with us till we are done then you will see how dairy life is. we treat our animal with compassion. we love our animal. we work hard everyday to feed our animals and to feed america.we feed the world, all I can say is get educated what the dairybusiness is all about.Agriculture is a big part of the American people.As for TV they scan everthing that come on. Thank goodness for internet where we can read from other resources. They hide alot of the truth, which we saw with Nightline.As for ABC, very dissapointed.

I have recently switched to a vegan diet, after having eaten meat and dairy products for most of my life. Many things about the dairy industry troubled me, including calves taken from their mothers, constant pregnancy, cows being sold for meat after lower production and the most heinous practice, the raising of veal calves. What happens to male calves if they are not killed immediately, they live a short life in what I would call hell.
Go Vegan! Better for people, the planet and animals.
Paul

People need to know the facts before the make their judgements. Without farmers this world would have no food. Instead of being appreciated, farmers are increasingly being attacked. What ABC showed on Nightline was a truly one-sided story. Farmers make a living off of feeding and providing food for the people in this country. Farming is a way of life, and one has to love to do it as it is a 24/7 365 day job- including sundays, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc. What other professional out there has the dedication to work so long and on such holidays AND still love the job they do? People need to do themselves a favor and take a tour of a local dairy. Ask questions, listen to the explanations and get a little insight on how the majority of dairy farmers manage their dairy. Don’t just listen to the one-sided stories of the media or assume what some authors have to say. Get the facts first-hand by talking to a local dairy farmer- I’m sure they will be glad to talk to you!

Being that I’ve lived on a dairy farm my entire life. I have seen how dairies work firsthand. Yes, it’s a business, but my dad has specific rules on how our cows our to be treated. I have personally witnessed him firing an employee who had worked on our dairy for years because he mistreated a cow. You cannot take one example of mistreatment of cows and decided that that’s how all dairies run. Dairies have regulations that they must follow in order to not be forced to shut down production. I suggest that before making ignorant assumptions, one should check out the facts, instead of generalizing.

I drink Soya milk

It’s ridiculous for dairy farmers to be crying that Nightline showed ONE side of the story. We are constantly barraged with commercials showing “happy” cows, children are given milk in school, there are newspaper ads in every parenting magazine advertising milk. This is one infinitesimal look at the other side and people are screaming bias?
For the small dairy farmers who have responded on this site, where do your male calves go? Veal. I’m touched by the farmer who nurses calves on the floor of his kitchen but that is hardly the state of dairy in this country. Most milk comes from factory farms where cows live unnatural, short lives and are constantly kept nursing or pregnant, their calves separated from them immediately as both bellow in confusion, the males sold as veal (or in many large operations, left to die in the mud). The small dairy farm is a fading, if not mythological establishment. What Nightline showed is UNIVERSAL dairy practices. You should see the really horrible stuff. This doesn’t even come close.

all you dairy farmers who are scandalized by the coverage – - -
why are you mad at nightline?
why are you posting here “outraged” at nightline?
if you are so loving and awesome to your animals, you should be as horrified as the rest of us.
anyone who writes crap like – “i treat my animals better than i treat myself” and really believes it is probably not being honest. dairy=veal. the lady who refuses to admit that, who only sells her male calves to cute 4H kids – - who are you kidding?
all these sweet sweet family farmers posting like mad – - i’m with lawrence — they are probably just fronting for the dairy council. it’s obvious. don’t fall for it.

The best way to stop this from happening is not to support this industry by not buying dairy products. Let’s start with the fact nobody in their right mind could argue that cows’ milk should be consumed by humans in the first place. We have had our share of HUMAN milk as babies and our mothers have stopped producing milk because we no longer need it, so how can anyone think that drinking another mammal’s milk is normal or natural? Second, there’s absolutely no excuse anyone can come out with to argue that treating an animal this way is ok. Inflicting any kind of suffering on a living creature will always be wrong. How can we expect to grow as individuals or progress as a society if we fail to see the most basic moral wrongs? It’s extremely concerning to read some of the comments here from people that will try to excuse this behaviour and they completely fail to noticed that these animals are suffering unecessarily, their argument will focus on money and how to continue to exploit this animals for human gain, but not one single explanation to tell me why it is ok for this unatural and cruel practice of tail docking and horn burning to take place or why it is so necessary in their minds for these animals to suffer this way when there are other choices. Well done ABC for focusing on this very important issue, because if today’s society cannot deal with an issue like this which it’s as clear as water, then I don’t know how they expect to progress as human beings able t tackle other ”more important” issues.
To those that own farms and go on to explain how hard it has been for them recently trying to make a living by exploiting those that cannot defend theselves, think yourselves lucky that you were not born a cow in your farm, I’m sure you would like to be shown a little compassion when you are about to have your tail cut or horns burned off so they can drain you off your milk safely and eventually kill you.
I sincerily hope people will open their eyes and see the real moral wrong here and I hope reason, intelligence and compassion will eventually dictate the acctions of people in stead of greed and arrogance which seems to be the case. I hope farmers will eventually find support from the goverments to eventually be able to stop this unecessary cruelty and leave these poor animals in peace.

Hello, and my name is Elizabeth. I’m a proud dairy farmer. at 16 I milk, feed, and do feild work. yes we dehorn, but if we didn’t our cows could easily kill us. Have you ever take that into consideration? Probley not. I am a dairy Maid and we comment on story like this. I hate it when people will stop drinking milk because they believe that milk has crap in it. IT DOES NOT! gah/ people need to get the facts straight and do there own reashearch. don’t believe Night line they say crap thats not true!

As a veterinary student who did not grow up on a farm and has been learning more about animal agriculture during my undergraduate and now veterinary degree, I would have thought 10 years ago this video and story were horrible. Now though that I’ve learned more about the dairy industry and been involved first hand working for a milk cooperative and also as a farmhand on a dairy farm I agree with all the things Anna said above. A good website anyone not familiar with the dairy industry should visit is: http://www.dairyfarmingtoday.org
This website explains many of the practices such as dehorning or taildocking that do occur on dairy farms and some of the well though out, reasonable explanations behind them. For example dehorning is a common practice to help reduce the risk of injury to cows and animal handlers. When possible, dehorning is performed at an early age. This “disbudding” of non-developed horn buds is a fairly simple procedure that doesn’t require anesthesia general anesthesia but often a nerve block is performed of the cornual nerve which innervates the horn. For a cow with developed horns, dairy farmers and veterinarians using best industry practices will ensure the comfort and safety of an animal through sedation or anesthesia most often. Taildocking is a practice performed by some dairy farmers to promote cleanliness of the cow and corresponding cleanliness of the milk. Switch trimming, which is the removal of the hair at the end of the tail can also be performed. Often an epidural is performed before this procedure and the cow cannot fill the procedure being performed.
With a goal of becoming a mixed animal veterinarian in just a few months, I feel it is my responsibility to share with the general public the facts vs. fiction as this article demonstrates it is often easy to get confused.