Mars Inc. has a number of very distinct businesses under its sizable umbrella, covering everything from its well-known candy brands to pet food to veterinary clinics. But that doesn’t explain why a load of Skittles spilled all over a Wisconsin highway were on their way to become cattle feed. [More]
cows
Yes You Can Milk A Reindeer: 9 Dairy Animals That Don’t Say “Moo”
By 10.25.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
We’re all familiar with cow’s milk in its many possible forms: in your coffee, on your cheese sandwich, in a sundae, and of course as the butter sculptor’s medium of choice. And most of us have dabbled at various times in goat’s or sheep’s milk and cheese while out to eat or strolling down the “fancy” aisle of the supermarket, but these few farm animals are just some of many mammals whose milk can be enjoyed, or at least tolerated. [More]
That Sounds Offal! How Much Do You Know About Your Organ & “Variety” Meats?
October 5, 2016
Offal — the edible organs and other trimmings from a livestock animal — gets a bad rap, mostly because of the initial ick-factor associated with the idea of chowing down on a brain, testicle, ear, or tail. The “offal” name certainly hasn’t helped. Yet for folks around the world, these “variety meats” are everyday fare. [More]
Chick-Fil-A Owner Offering Year Of Free Sandwiches For Safe Return Of Giant Inflatable Cow
By 9.12.16
If you’ve seen a 24-foot inflatable cow somewhere it shouldn’t be, the owner of an Arizona Chick-fil-A would like to make you an offer. [More]
Big Dairy Settles Claim It Killed Cows To Keep Milk Prices Up; Are You Due A Piece Of $52M?
By 9.8.16
What’s one way to keep milk prices from going down? Cut down on the number of cows producing that milk. An dairy industry group representing around 70% of the milk we buy has agreed to pay $52 million to settle an antitrust complaint alleging that industry illegally inflated milk prices by paying farmers to slaughter cows prematurely. [More]
Want Those Dairy Cows To Produce More Milk? Turn On Some Slow Jams To Set The Mood
By 2.20.14
First of all, I hope you all read that word in the headline as “mooed,” because, get it? Wordplay! Anyway, if you’re a dairy farmer this probably isn’t news to you, but for the rest of us out there with no cows to milk, it’s interesting to hear that a good way to get the cows producing is to play some soft, smooth, slow jams. [More]
Organic Milk Is Better For Humans Because Of Delicious Grass
By 12.11.13
Cows’ stomachs are optimized to graze on grass. As ruminants, it’s just what they do, but modern milk production doesn’t give them opportunities to wander outside and eat grass. It turns out, though, that when cows get to eat grass, the milk they produce is better for humans. [More]
Chipotle Considers Using Beef Treated With Antibiotics
By 8.14.13
Chipotle prides itself on its meat policy of responsibly raised, antibiotic-free beef, chicken and pork. But that could be changing soon, as the burrito chain says it’s considering the idea of allowing cows that have been treated with antibiotics to remain in the supply chain. It’s only thinking about it so far — until now, only sick animals were allowed to be treated and then they had to be removed from the rest of the herd, and not end up in stores. [More]
Does It Matter If Your Steak Burrito Isn’t Locally Sourced If The Cow Was Raised Ethically?
By 6.24.13
For many discerning customers, a burrito is not just a burrito — it’s a thing of culinary beauty that tastes even better when the ingredients are organic, come from a farm nearby and were raised happily. But what if not all of those things can come together, what’s a business owner to do in a quest to please customers? [More]
McDonald's & USDA Stop Buying Beef From Controversial California Meat Company
By 8.23.12
The fallout from undercover video footage that reportedly shows inhumane treatment of cattle at a California meat company continues. Yesterday we reported that popular California chain In-N-Out had stopped buying beef from the company, and now McDonald’s and the USDA are also temporarily suspending business with the plant. The government says it hasn’t seen any evidence yet that meat from potentially sick cows has made it into our food supply [More]
Escaped Cow Visits McDonald's Drive-Thru, Ponders Circle Of Life
By 5.7.12
If you’re an attentive reader of this site, you know that people are always bringing inappropriate things to fast-food drive-thrus, hoping to get served. Mobility scooters. Snakes. Even pedestrians have tried and failed to acquire food. But when Darcy wandered up to the drive-thru window at a Colorado McDonald’s on foot, employees didn’t just wearily tell her to go inside the restaurant to order like all of the other pedestrians. That’s because Darcy is a dairy cow. [More]
FDA Bans "Extra-Label" Uses Of Popular Class Of Antibiotics On Farm Animals
By 1.4.12
For those of you who are concerned about the amount of antibiotics being given to the cows, chickens, pigs and turkeys that provide (or end up as) the food on your plate, here’s some good news. The Food and Drug Administration has announced a new regulation that prohibits “extra-label” uses of a popular class of antibiotics. [More]
200 Wisconsin Cows Die In Incident Not Related To Slaughterhouse
By 1.19.11
Another day, another mass animal death. Following the instant departures of — among other groups of animals — North Carolinan pelicans, Italian doves, Oceanic fish and Tucsonan bats, 200 cows in Wisconsin have died, most likely due to an infection. The hamburgers in training never saw it coming. [More]
Now In Farmed Fish: Mad Cow Disease?!
By 7.5.09
Three scientists worry that feeding cow parts to farmed fish could expose seafood consumers to mad cow disease. The scientists published their findings in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and called on the government to ban cow meat and bone meal from appearing in fish feed.
How, Exactly, Did E. coli Get In Nestle’s Cookie Dough?
By 6.30.09 — Updated: 5.31.16
The recent discovery of E. coli O157 bacteria in NestlÈ refrigerated cookie dough and subsequent recall of 30,000 tubs of said dough raises an urgent scientific question: Uh, how did that much cow poop end up in cookie dough?
How Did E. Coli Get Into Nestle's Cookie Dough?
By 6.24.09
USA Today is reporting that the FDA is “stumped” by the presence of E. coli 0157:H7 in Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough, which was recalled last week. How does bacteria normally associated with raw ground beef find its way into our buckets of delicious cookie dough? Some speculation, inside.
Farmers Slaughtering Dairy Cows Rather Than Lose Money Producing Milk
By 6.22.09
It’s so expensive to produce milk right now — due to low demand and high feed costs — that farmers are being paid to slaughter dairy cows in order to “shift the pain to consumers,” says Bloomberg.
Kansas Governor Vetoes Hormone-Free Milk Labeling Bill
By 4.24.09
Kansas Governor (and soon-to-be Health and Human Services Director) Kathleen Sebelius vetoed a Kansas bill that would have required a weaselly label on hormone-free dairy products.
