Herd Health

We often get asked about differences between organic and conventional treatment of cows.

The summary:

"If you give a cow space and cleanliness, it will have less stress and better health."

In general, medical treatment guidelines on an organic dairy are as follows: vaccinations are allowed, antibiotics and hormones are not allowed. The organic rules are extremely detailed, but here is a brief overview of medical treatment on an organic vs. a conventional dairy with a window into the additional standards maintained at the Straus dairy.

Our veterinarian treats animals on both conventional dairies and our organic herds.  He is confident that without the use of antibiotics, preventative management of a dairy is more essential. "An important factor in herd health has to do with management. If you give a cow space and cleanliness, it will have less stress and better health. Most dairies are well managed. Occasionally, though, a dairy may use antibiotics as a crutch."

Here is what we do to minimize the stress on our cows: Clean bedding (we add clean rice hulls regularly), room to move (our cows graze from Spring through Fall when the fields are dry), a balanced diet, plenty of space wherever they are, a cooler climate (which is more comfortable for cows since they don't sweat) and individual bedded stalls for each cow.  It's a good life.

Aspirin is allowed for use on organic dairies and is given to cows to reduce fever and inflammation. In addition, we use homeopathy to treat our cows for various ailments like colds or sprains.

Albert Straus originally heard about homeopathic remedies on cows in 1992 when he met one of only two homeopathic large animal vets in North America. Albert then began administering homeopathic remedies on our family's own herd. Homeopathy is essentially super diluted herbs, which cause the body to mimic symptoms of an infection or disease. These mimicked symptoms stimulate the animal's natural immune system by producing antibodies which then work to fight infections. This process also boosts the animal's overall health and works as preventative medicine. The use of homeopathy replaces antibiotics.

According to state and federal regulations, if a milking cow on a conventional dairy is given antibiotics, the cow must be removed from the milking herd for a period of 72 hours. On an organic dairy, cows are not given antibiotics unless it is the only way to save a cow's life.  At Straus Family Creamery dairies, if a cow is given antibiotics to save its life, it will then be removed permanently from the organic milking herd. At that point an organic dairy is allowed to keep the cow, but withhold its milk from sale for a period of 90 days.

More than 12 antibiotics are available and approved for use on a conventional dairy. Each batch of milk that arrives at a processing plant must be tested for 5 antibiotics (Penicillin G, Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Cepharirin and Ceftiofur). As required by the State of California, organic milk is also tested for these same antibiotics. Currently the most common antibiotic in use on conventional dairies is Excenel (often called Naxcel) which is used to treat footrot and pneumonia.

Contrary to common thought, there are several different hormones given to cows on a conventional dairy: Lutalys (Prostaglandin F2d) is used to get a cow to come into heat (able to be impregnated), GNRH is given to treat cystic ovarian disease in higher producing cows and Oxytocin to stimulate milk let-down. Bovine growth hormone (also known as rBST and rBGH) is a genetically engineered hormone in use on 10-30% of the nation's cows and used to increase milk production. The State or the Federal government does not test for hormones, as they are legal for use on conventional dairies.

Hormones are illegal on certified organic dairies. Instead organic dairies rely mainly on the cow's natural cycles to stimulate their biological functions.