"Organic Milk" news and stories

Fans of organic milk now have a compelling argument for their choice: New evidence says it's better for you.

There are more unsaturated fats in organic milk than in conventional milk, according to a research team at Newcastle University in Northern England. In addition to containing omega-3 acids, organic milk's conjugated linoleic acid (also called CLA) has anti-cancer properties and is believed to have many health benefits for the heart. The results of this study were published in the January 2011 issue of The Journal of Dairy Science.

The lead author on the study, Gillian Butler, urges Americans to stand up and pay attention because our most of us don't get nearly enough essential fatty acids. Switching over to organic milk -- which is now available at most supermarkets around the country, whether it's from a local creamery or a larger dairy like Horizon Organic or Organic Valley -- could increase your average CLA intake by as much as 40 percent.

Got organic milk? Maybe not for long.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced its approval of "unrestricted planting" of genetically modified alfalfa sold by Monsanto, according to The Atlantic. So what does that have to do with organic milk?

Cows eat more alfalfa hay than anything else, and as a crop, alfalfa is what The Atlantic calls "notoriously promiscuous." Bees and other insects can spread alfalfa pollen for up to five miles, meaning it's only a matter of time before the unrestricted GMO alfalfa cross-pollinates with non-GMO varieties.

It's long been exasperating to the organic food industry -- the oft-stated belief that organic food is most notable for what it doesn't give you – all those yummy pesticides and chemicals. Nutritionally, common wisdom goes, organic food is no better for you than the conventional stuff.

Maybe not.

A study by researchers at Newcastle University,in England, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, has poked a hole in that thinking, showing that organic milk does have some nutritional advantages over conventional -- less saturated fat and more "good" fatty acids -- specifically omega-3s.

Testing 10 organic and 12 conventional milks sold in British grocery stores (not raw at the farm), seasonally over two years, lead researcher Gillian Butler found the organic milk more consistently showed healthier fat levels, which she believes is a result of the cows' greater reliance on grazing and their ingestion of larger amounts of clover -- typically planted in organic operations for the nitrogen that conventional fertilizers would otherwise provide.

• From pig to prosciutto -- how dry-cured hams can offer the most rich and rewarding flavor.
• New York is awash in speakeasies. They might not look like the bars of Prohibition, but the same hidden doors and password rigmarole applies.
• A look at Zach Brooks and his Midtown Lunch Web site, which is dedicated to finding decent and reasonably priced lunches in, of course, Midtown Manhattan.
• Stop! That white wine in your fridge should never be served super-cold.
• Per Se, Thomas Keller's famous Manhattan eatery, has one heck of a saucy kitchen.
• Organic dairy farmers are in dire straits thanks to the recession's harsh impact.
• Ballparks might not be going gourmet, but the fast food has been given a haute twist at hotspots like Yankee Stadium and Citi Field.

More news after the jump.

Farmers that were about to see their business go under have found a little salvation, thanks to organic milk.

Several farmers, like the ones profiled in this Boston Globe story about Vermont farmers, have switched to organic, and many are able to pay their bills or make a profit for the first time in decades. One man, Peter Decker, actually sold his auto body shop in Florida and, with half a mil, started his own organic dairy farm in Barton, Vermont.

I've never tried organic milk. I don't drink whole milk anymore, and any milk that I have is either 1% or skim. How does it taste?