# PETA and Human Milk????????????



## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

So I heard this on the news a couple days ago...is PETA serious??? i would NEVER consider consuming human milk. I have been in 1000+ dairy operations before. The cows are brought in to the parlor for milking and then set back outside to be rotated back up in 12 hours. The sick animals are segragated and treated... i dont find this process cruel by any means. But that is JMO....



*Mama's milk ice cream cone, anyone?*By JOHN CURRAN – 14 hours ago 
Associated Press


WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) — Mooove over, Holsteins. PETA wants world-famous Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream to tap nursing moms, rather than cows, for the milk used in its ice cream.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is asking the ice cream maker to begin using breast milk in its products instead of cow's milk, saying it would reduce the suffering of cows and calves and give ice cream lovers a healthier product.

The idea got a cool reception Thursday from Ben & Jerry's officials, the company's customers and even La Leche League International, the world's oldest breast-feeding support organization, which promotes the practice — for babies, anyway.

PETA wrote a letter to company founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on Tuesday, telling them cow's milk is hazardous and that milking them is cruel.

"If Ben and Jerry's replaced the cow's milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers — and cows — would reap the benefits," wrote Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of the animal rights advocacy group. She said dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies and obesity.

Ashley Byrne, a campaign coordinator for PETA, acknowledged the implausibility of substituting breast milk for cow's milk, but said it's no stranger than humans consuming the milk of another species.

"We're aware this idea is somewhat absurd, and that putting it into practice is a stretch. At the time same, it's pretty absurd for us to be drinking the milk of cows," she said.

It takes about 12 pounds — or 1 1/2 gallons of milk — to make a gallon of ice cream. Ben & Jerry's, which gets its milk exclusively from Vermont cows, won't say how much milk it uses or how much ice cream it sells.

As a standardized product under federal regulations, ice cream must be made with milk from healthy cows. Ice cream made from goat's milk, for example, would have to be labeled as such.

Presumably, so would mother's milk ice cream.

To Ben & Jerry's, the idea is udderly ridiculous.

"We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child," spokesman Sean Greenwood said in an e-mail. He didn't respond to requests for an interview.

Leon Berthiaume, general manager of the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery, which provides milk products to Ben & Jerry's, called the dairy products "among the safest in the world."

"Milk from cows has long-term health benefits and has been proven to be safe and healthy and an important part of the American diet for generations," he said. "I'm not ready to make that change."

Cow's milk and mother's milk aren't interchangeable, according to La Leche spokeswoman Jane Crouse, who says breast milk is a dynamic substance that's different with each woman and each child and might have difficulty being processed into ice cream.

Then there's the question of who would provide the milk, and whether they'd be paid.

"Some women feel compelled to donate milk to a milk bank for adopted babies, or for someone who's ill or unable to breast feed. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence about sisters who nurse each others' babies. There's a population of women very willing to share their milk. Whether there's enough to do it for a commercial entity, who can say?" she said.

At the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury, consumers gave a collective "Ehttp://www" to the idea Thursday.

"It's kind of creepy," said Jeff Waugh, 42, of Dayton, Ohio.

"I think it's a little nutty," said the Rev. Roger Wooton, 83, of Malden, Mass., finishing up a cup of Heath Bar Crunch.

"How would they get all that milk?" said his wife, Jane Wooton, 77.

Jen Wahlbrink, 34, of Phoenix, who breast-fed her 11-month-old son, Cameron, said she wouldn't touch ice cream made from mother's milk. She remembers her nursing days — and not that fondly.

"The (breast) pumps just weren't that much fun. You really do feel like a cow," she said, cradling her son in her hands.


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## Pinto Pony (Jul 28, 2008)

That is so gross! I would never buy B & J's again if they did use human milk, gag!!!


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## Moxie (May 28, 2008)

PETA is SERIOUSLY out of control!

I'm all for animal rights, to an extent. In my mind, cows are bred and essentially here for our own purposes. If they don't provide us with milk, or meat or hide, what other use is there, other than adding to the global warming?


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## 3neighs (Jul 15, 2008)




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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

3neighs said:


>


Pffffffttttttt! Buahahahaha... that is the best smiley!!!!


Just think about all the diseases that humans carry that are transferrible through bodily fluids.....AAAAAACKKKK!!!

I have to believe that it is a publicity stunt. Can you imagine women getting run through a dairy opperation?!?! :lol: Imagine the breeding program!!! 

You have to understand that my imagination is very cartoon-like and I see women with ear tags standing around with big silver suction pumps on their breasts chatting and complaining....It's quite funny in my mind!!!!

****.... I just thought of that song.... Milkshake!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CIUkmERKA4


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

Ugh, PETA. I'm all for animal rights. I think animal rights organizations can be great. But when you look into Peta's campaigns they're usually so far fetched and ridiculous they're incredibly ineffective! And aren't they all for living with NO pets and allowing all animals to live naturally? 

Anyways, ew, human milk ice cream? that sounds gross.... No thanks!


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

Dumas'_Grrrl said:


> 3neighs said:
> 
> 
> >
> ...


I saw this and laughed mt big behind off.

You see, PETA had long ago decided that milking cows is cruel. Because you are taking the milk from the calf - NOT TRUE. WTH do they think the calf eats? Chocolate chip cookies? Duh. Dairy cows make waaaaay more milk than the calf needs. That's the whole point. You can't get milk without a calf being born .... I mean, look at beef cows. They make just enough for their baby. Their food energy goes into bulk. With dairy cows, that food goes into milk.

Remember folks, these PETA people are the ones who no longer want you to have pets or ride horses!!

I have no patience whatsoever for the fruit loops at PETA. Everything I have seen them put out in the last fifteen years or so is either misinformation, or a flat out lie.

Pretty soon they'll claim we shouldn't have house plants, or raise a garden because it's cruel and inhuman to ferns and broccoli. :roll: :roll:


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

Ya Ive dealt with PETA at shows before... Once i was told that my horse was 'sad" because she was laying down in her stall. Umm no she had a long day and is feeling comfortable and not scared therefore she is resting...

Also when I was in 4-H I used to show beef. At nights we would take them out of the barns and tie them outside. They were fully beded, had hay, and water overnight... just a chance for fresh air. Anyhows when i was the older one in the group I along with other kids from different counties would have to night watch because PETA people would untie the animals... Yes mine did one year (I wasnt on watch that night) and when you have hundreds of cattle tied up outside it was hard to find my herford heifer...they ALL look the same...lol. basically the PETA would simply unhalter or unhook the lead and the cattle start running, you catch the animal at tie it where ever. I mean it makes total sense to let farm animals go in city...they know how to use cross walks and everything...lol. We also had to walk the other barns to check for people.


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

But there won't be enough milk for OUR babies..... and then .... good babies gone bad! Oh no!


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## TaMMa89 (Apr 12, 2008)

If someone wants to produce breast milk and someone else wants to buy it I think they're free to do it (if it doesn't hobble a feeding of a baby).

But personally I couldn't ever drink/eat anything which would contain human milk.


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## Snapple122 (Aug 8, 2008)

> PETA is SERIOUSLY out of control


 I agree 10000000% 

Please. Don't get me started on peta. 
I can't stand them.. 
but I won't get into it, because honestly, I could write a book.


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

DashAwayAll said:


> But there won't be enough milk for OUR babies..... and then .... good babies gone bad! Oh no!


Love it!!!!!!


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

So i'm guessing, according to PETA that calves are MORE important that HUMAN babies?

..


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Dear PETA,

I have a problem with purchasing ice cream made from human milk, you see, human babies need that milk and I would hate to starve them. I understand that you don't want to take the milk from healthy well taken care of cows becuase it seems cruel and harsh, however... I do not feel comfortable eating ice cream from a women that sold her breast milk in order to get enough money to run to the local corner and buy drugs... The cows have been monitored and have been given proper medical care and nutritions, these women that might sell their milk, have been doing gosh knows what with their bodies...

Love always,

The voice of reason.....

PS - please don't throw pigs blood on me, which by the way, a pig had to die in order for you to get that blood to throw on the jacket that am wearing that is made of faux leather...


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## Gingerrrrr (Feb 12, 2008)

PETA needs help...


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## Snapple122 (Aug 8, 2008)

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/09/breast_is_best.php

O.M.G 
I'm not going to comment. 
But whoever thought this up really should get a life


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## hotreddun (Jun 27, 2008)

strange


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

farmpony84 said:


> Dear PETA,
> 
> ver... I do not feel comfortable eating ice cream from a women that sold her breast milk in order to get enough money to run to the local corner and buy drugs... The cows have been monitored and have been given proper medical care and nutritions, these women that might sell their milk, have been doing gosh knows what with their bodies...
> 
> ...


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

****! TASTY MURDER! OMIGOSH!


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

Ewww...
I'm all for babies drinking breast milk cuz it's really good for them but I could never eat a breast milk ice cream cone or anything. *shivers*

It even creeps me out a little with those people that let their 8 year old and even older kids breastfeed still..Yikes..let them grow up!


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

:shock: Eight years old and still breast feeding???? :shock: :shock: 

That's nasty......


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

Yeah..theres a video on youtube somewhere with a family that does it talking about it...They show an older child crawling under her shirt to feed and stuff in the middle of the interview and whatnot and the dad is like "Hey, when's my turn?" Yeah..I'm not going to post the link on here though haha. I don't know how appropriate it would be but you can search for it if you'd like. I believe it's called Extreme Breastfeeding or something like that.


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## geewillikers (May 4, 2008)

Extreme Breastfeeding??? Is that like a new game show?? Gross.

Healthy cows? :lol: I have to say though, the dairy industry is pretty grotesque. Local dairies for me all the way.

This in no way means I would prefer breast milk.


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

geewillikers said:


> Extreme Breastfeeding???
> Healthy cows? :lol: I have to say though, the dairy industry is pretty grotesque. Local dairies for me all the way.



Could you explain this? How are dairies grotesque? And all dairies are local to someone. "Local daries" _are_ the dairy industry. Some are justlarger than others.


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## geewillikers (May 4, 2008)

^^^^ Sure! Check out "dairy factory farming" in a Google search (not PETA, please!)

Here is just one result:

http://www.downbound.com/Dairy_Farming_s/460.htm

Berkley Farms, Safeway brand, Lucerne, and many others are examples of factory farms. An example of a local dairy, would be Humboldt Creamery. I'm sorry, but the majority of milk is not produced at local dairies.


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

Crap! I just spent the last hour writing a novel! where did it go? crap crap crap

Well, that sums it up. that article is crap - fulls of lies, half truths, and misconceptions. Quick example - how can a cow eat 50 lbs of food a day, yet poop out 120 lbs? Unless it's water weight ( which is possible... but then after the poop dries, it would only be 50 lbs again)

And female calves are NOT slaughtered. That's incredibly stupid! That's the farmers future herd. Even if he has doesn't need the replacement heifer, they sell them as springers. they are $$ to the farmer. See how articles like that twist things?

The number one thing - the SCC ( Somatic cell Count) is monitored daily. It is very important!! The lower the scc, the more BONUS MONEY the farmer gets for the same milk. 

One cow over 200,000-250,00 would push my herd of 200 cows right out of the bonus money range. Sick cow milk goes down the drain. Not in our tank.

Gotta rank it with PETA crap.


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

have never heard of a "factory farm."

Most farmers under 2,000 head are part of a co-op so that they can share milk hauling and such.

Can you describe a factory farm? Is it just a dairy farm, but much larger?


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## Small_Town_Girl (Feb 15, 2008)

RusticWildFire said:


> Yeah..theres a video on youtube somewhere with a family that does it talking about it...They show an older child crawling under her shirt to feed and stuff in the middle of the interview and whatnot and the dad is like "Hey, when's my turn?" Yeah..I'm not going to post the link on here though haha. I don't know how appropriate it would be but you can search for it if you'd like. I believe it's called Extreme Breastfeeding or something like that.


OH GOD, ...I watched that...I was repulsed! :shock:


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## geewillikers (May 4, 2008)

Dash- thanks for bringing up the fact about the female calves. I'm sorry for supplying some false information, however that article gives accurate statistics regarding environmental impacts- which is what I was looking for. I simply wanted to let you (and anyone else) know that the information regarding large scale factory farms is available on the net, at your library, magazines, etc. Of course some information we receive isn't completely true. I am not an expert by any means, however the reality of corrupt meat/dairy farming has never been hidden from the public. You can research it as you like.
Here, I've put together some history of factory farming. This is not to say ALL farms are like this! Of course, some farming is fantastic, and ethical. But it can't be denied that there is inhumane, and unhealthy atrostities going on in farming meat and dairy.

Factory farming is a way to raise, and slaughter as many animals as possible without regard for the animals' welfare or the nutrition they are supposed to supply. Pasteurization is directly linked to the filthy factory facilities where many dairy cows are kept. In many countries pasteurization is not necessary because the farms are not overcrowded and the animals are given a nutritious life in order to produce quality products. The milk does not all need to be "detoxified". The antibiotics given to many animals is hypothesized to be one of the causes of human resistance to antibiotics.

Factory farming began in the 1920s soon after the discovery of vitamins A and D; when these vitamins are added to feed, animals no longer require exercise and sunlight for growth. This allowed large numbers of animals to be raised indoors year-round. The greatest problem that was faced in raising these animals indoors was the spread of disease, which was combated in the 1940s with the development of antibiotics. Farmers found they could increase productivity and reduce the operating costs by using mechanization and assembly-line techniques.

Unfortunately, this trend of mass production has resulted in incredible pain and suffering for the animals. Animals today raised on factory farms have had their genes manipulated and pumped full of antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals to encourage high productivity. In the food industry, animals are not considered animals at all; they are food producing machines. This is much of the mentality of US corporate meat/dairy industries. They are confined to small cages with metal bars, ammonia-filled air and artificial lighting or no lighting at all. They are subjected to horrible mutilations, all without anesthesia: beak searing, tail docking, ear cutting and castration. Even the most minimum humane standards proposed are thwarted by the powerful food conglomerates.

Animals raised in confinement create an ideal setting for bacteria and disease to spread rapidly. Antibiotics were developed around the time of World War II and were soon adapted into the farming system. In the U.S., almost 50% of all antibiotics are administered to farm animals. These drugs form a toxic residue in animal tissue. It is much of this same tissue that is sold to consumers as food products. Each year, we see an increase in the number of salmonella poisoning cases from contaminated eggs, meat and milk. These strains of salmonella are difficult to treat because they are antibiotic resistant. Antibiotics are not the only chemicals administered to factory farm animals; many animals are fed growth-promoting hormones, appetite stimulants and pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides that collect in the animals' tissues and milk.

Finally, IMO these animals are not in existence for simply our manipulations and use. In many cultures cows, chickens, pigs, etc are honored for what they provide, treated very well, and in some cultures are held as god-like (example:India/cows). I eat dairy products. I buy locally- within my own county. You can see dairy and beef cows grazing on hundreds of acres of organic grass, veal calves are kept outside and can see each other (although veal just totally disturbs me). Chickens are free range (meaning OUTSIDE, eating grubs, and compost, producing eggs with ORANGE yolks, not anemic yellow ones). My community has a local slaughterhouse with a handful of local workers who use humane slaughtering methods. The house is not overpopulated, and each animal can be given the attention to end its life instantly, and surely. I chose to live here partly because of the sustainable farming practices. This is something this country has lost, and needs to push to bring back.

.


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

ROTFLMAO ... so much of that is not true!

Yes, I will be the first to say that large groups of animals produce large amounts of manure. But by law we have to account for every manure spreader load - where it goes, what day, what the weather was that day. weird.The eastern Shore of Maryland had troubles with all the chicken plants and the nitrates. They are still working on things to sell pre-packaged chicken manure for gardeners.
However, all the farmers I have worked on spread their manure on their fields ,,, any guess how many acres of corn it takes to feed a couple hundred cows for a calendar year? Not to mention straw and hay. Farmers are the orgibal recyclers - what they take out they put back.
I can't speak for chicken farmers, or hog farmers, or even beef farmers. But in the dairy biz.... sunlight and movement for young animals is a must. No artificial light or vitamin enriched food could replace sunlight! Plus, no farmer would want to pay for it, LOL. maybe the difference is that beef cattle are gone so quickly .... we want our milkers to stay... and stay fat, and contented, for a long, long time. Thought their milk production declines after the 6th year of life.

I do have a question - what is so wrong with removing the beak tip( beak hook) of chickens? It's so they don't hurt each other, right? that makes more sense to me that docking a cocker spaniels tail, or cutting a dobies ears.

A couple of thoughts.....pasteurization does not "detoxify' milk of chemicals. It is basically a procedure that cooks the milk to kill the natural bacteria. A fresh gallon of milk from the store may be good for ten days to two weeks. Unpasteurized milk goes bad by day three.
There is no way to remove antibiotics from milk. All milk is tested multiple times by the farm, by the milk truck driver/company, and by the plant. God help the farm that "blew" the truck load of milk.... it'll go right down the drain at the processing plant.

Other steps in processing are to remove butter fats and other solids ( thus making 1%, 2%, and fat free milk.). Some milks are enriched with Vitamin - as noted in the label.

I have never worked on a farm that has used BST, or growth hormones. Between the bad press ( and rightly so) and the high cost, it is pretty much a thing of the past.

Also, hormones would mean an injection daily, if not too. Well, when that cow goes to slaughter, the meat will be bruised and damaged. The inspector's see right away that animal had been injected. the animal ids labeled "suspect" and is tested for residual drugs. There is also a meat loss of that quarter. See, it ain't worth it for the farmer.

Are there farmers out there who treat their animals badly? I'm sure. There are butt heads everywhere. But it's **** hard work to do day after day ( no holidays, no over time) if you had no love in your heart for the animals.

I also agree that I would like to see and end to the huge slaughter houses .... all my meat for the last 12 years or so has been from the local butcher, or a neighbor. I also would be the first to cheer if every dang mall in America burst into flames and disappeared... and we went back to stores. Real stores.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Thank you for the wonderful information, Dash... for me (having grown up and lived in the city all my life) I know a lot about horses, horse care, and the horse industry, but as far as my milk comes from, I'm frighteningly naive. It's easy for a person with my lack of knowledge (I'm not going to say me per se, because I tend to take all these PETA-esque articles with a large dose of salt) to believe these misconceptions because we don't know any better, and it's easy to believe ugly things are going on in the food industry.
I'm going to quote a book here, but bear with me, because it's strikingly true:


> "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or _because they are afraid it might be true_. People’s heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool."


(quote from my favorite book series, but I find it true. I italicised the part that I think refers to this discussion.


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## geewillikers (May 4, 2008)

Dash- Hey, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on some of this. It's a matter of opinion if someone thinks debeaking is okay, or if any of these practices are okay. We just differ in our tolerance levels. But just as I said, and you've agreed, not all farms are like the ones I've stated. The ones I targeted were factory farms. If you support grass fed (no corn) dairy cows who are free range, milked regularly, not given any hormones or antibiotics, then we've agreed on something.


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

Then we agree on nothing. Those cows you see on grass _also_ eat corn in some form. Whether it is corn silage( and not just straight corn, there are other things mixed in. Grains and stuff.) or even gluten pellets. The grass is just filler. many farmers have feeders in the milking parlor, and they cows eat when they come in to milk. Cows eat quickly - they gobble it down and they laz about re-chewing it at their leisure.

The two months that a cow is "dried off" or not lactating - they are turned loose on pasture. They are still fed a corn mixture. The rations are very carefully balanced for different cycles of the cows lactation. Your doctor wishes YOU ate so well and so carefully.

Personally, I would love a job where I only had to work five minutes twice a day, got free room and board, and two months vacation a year!

Now, when it comes to" factory farming" of poultry or swine .... send the PC police, because the Gods honest truth is i just don't care.

*JustDressageIt* - was that quote from Tery Goodkind's series? Wizards First Rule? Excellent series! Also, call your local Ag office and find your local dairy. Most allow visits - in fact, they encorgae it. Go visit the cows - pet the calves. See how cows are milked, fed, and whatnot. farmers _encourage_ "the public" to see the process. This is also a good "connection" for horse people. Some years farmers have an abundance of hay and straw - just depends on the crop rotation they are cycling that year. When you buy in bulk you'll get an excellent price.


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## ilovemyhorsies (Mar 9, 2008)

HAMBURG, N.Y. (AP) A national animal rights group has offered Hamburg officials $15,000 to change the town's name to Veggieburg.

''The town's name conjures up visions of unhealthy patties of ground-up dead cows,'' said Joe Haptas, spokesman of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), in a letter faxed Monday to Hamburg Supervisor Patrick Hoak.

PETA offered to supply area schools with $15,000 worth of non-meat patties for the name change.

''Our offer is serious as a heart attack,'' Haptas said.

Hoak immediately declined.

''With all due respect, I think it's a delicacy in our community,'' he said about hamburgers. ''We're proud of our name and proud of our heritage.''

The Buffalo suburb, named Hamburg since 1812, claims to be the birth place of the American culinary staple. Hamburg commemorates the birth of hamburgers at the annual Burgerfest.

In 1996, PETA proposed that the Hudson Valley town of Fishkill change its centuries-old name to Fishsave, since the group believed the name conjured up violent imagery of dead fish.

The town was named by Dutch settlers in the early 1600s. ''Kill'' is the Dutch word for ''stream.''


They are not even giving the town real money. Just a bunch of tofu burgers. Morons.


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## geewillikers (May 4, 2008)

> Now, when it comes to" factory farming" of poultry or swine .... send the PC police, because the Gods honest truth is i just don't care.


Thank you for your discussion and your honesty. I understand.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

DashAwayAll said:


> *JustDressageIt* - was that quote from Tery Goodkind's series? Wizards First Rule? Excellent series! Also, call your local Ag office and find your local dairy. Most allow visits - in fact, they encorgae it. Go visit the cows - pet the calves. See how cows are milked, fed, and whatnot. farmers _encourage_ "the public" to see the process. This is also a good "connection" for horse people. Some years farmers have an abundance of hay and straw - just depends on the crop rotation they are cycling that year. When you buy in bulk you'll get an excellent price.


Yes - I don't know how many times I've read and re-read all his books, I LOVE them!!
Thanks for the tip... maybe when I'm not working a 6 or 7 day week, I'll get the energy and time to make a trip, I think it would be really neat!


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## ilovemyhorsies (Mar 9, 2008)

oops...copied the wrong thing....


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