Woodstock dairy farmer works to educate, separate facts from myths about the industry

Whether in cereal, in ice cream or with a large chocolate chip cookie, milk is a complement to many things, including your health.

Promoted to be chock-full of daily needed vitamins and minerals in a society that increasingly strives to go green, eat natural and live fit, the processing done to raw dairy to make it shelf-ready can put a bad taste in some people’s mouths.

A lot of that skepticism comes from people being further removed from farms than ever before and their uncertainty about the process that gets milk from farms to the breakfast table, Woodstock resident Linnea Kooistra said.

Kooistra and her husband, Joel, are third-generation dairy farmers in McHenry County and proud producers of area residents’ daily glasses of milk. They have opened their farm over the years so people can better understand how their food is produced.

“Educating the public is a real passion for me,” Linnea Kooistra said. “We know what we do here every day, and we want to share that.”

Linnea Kooistra recently participated in The Udder Truth, a three-part docuseries presented by DairyGood.org that put farmers in front of the camera to teach others how cows are treated on dairy farms, the truth about antibiotics in milk and that bigger doesn’t mean better or worse when it comes to farm size.

She speaks about her herd of 500 dairy cows as if they were members of her own family.

“It’s our way of life, caring for the animals,” she said. “Sometimes they come before your family. Stewardship is a very strong value for farmers, especially for livestock farmers. You develop a connection. While they’re on my farm, we want to make sure they have the best life possible.”

Kooistra Farms uses a nutritionist, who developed eight different diets for her cows to ensure they receive the utmost in nutrients. A vet comes twice a month to examine her herd for any signs of illness. If a cow is sick and it is determined necessary by the veterinarian, it is administered antibiotics. Cows that are given antibiotics receive a red leg band that says "treated," and all milk from that cow is immediately discarded, Linnea Kooistra says in the video, available at www.uddertruth.org. After the cow is once again healthy, its milk continues to be discarded until antibiotics are cleared from its system and the milk tests clean.

Linnea Kooistra said farmers take the testing very seriously and only want to put out the best product possible. Milk is tested for antibiotics about nine times from the farm to the retail level, Linnea Kooistra says in the video, making it the most tested food supply on the market.

“We test vigilantly,” Linnea Kooistra said. “There are so many people in the system. We’re testing at a farm level, veterinarians are attentive about the antibiotics they use to treat sick animals and the processors are testing at their level. Farmers have a commitment to caring for the animals and the consumers to provide a quality, safe product. We’re doing a good job. The system is working.”

In 2011, FDA testing found antibiotic residue levels in hundreds of older dairy cows bound for slaughter. There was a growing number of dairy cow carcasses that, when examined at slaughter plants, were testing positive in their meat or organ tissues for drug residues.

Christopher Galen, Spokesmen for the National Milk Producers Federation, said that led the FDA in 2011 to construct a sampling survey, designed to compare a small population of about 950 farms with previous tissue-residue violations, to a random sample of 950 dairy farms to determine whether there was a correlation in the results. There was no significant difference in the milk quality between each group, Galen said, with each group reporting below a 1 percent residue level. However, even that fraction of a percentage with antibiotic residue levels would not have made it to the retail level due to milk industry testing, he said.

“The 2011 survey was not meant to assess the quality or safety of milk at the retail level, as the samples were taken before the milk went to be further processed,” Galen said. “The FDA already has a separate, ongoing process for verifying that processed dairy products are free from antibiotic residues, and its latest report found no residues. This ongoing testing is extensive and is not finding any violations that would present a public health concern.”

2014 FDA findings show that of the 3.14 million milk samples taken directly from farms, only 0.014 percent tested positive for traces of antibiotics. If a tanker does test positive for traces of antibiotics, the milk from that tanker is not used for human consumption, and the farmer must pay a large fine and, if it happens again, could lose his license to sell milk. The “wasted milk” can be used to feed calves or most often is thrown away.

Fabio Lima, assistant professor of Veterinary Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois, said the small percentage of milk that does test positive for traces antibiotics if due to human error, which is why so many layers of testing are in place to catch the mistake.

“The testing in place is working. People make mistakes, and some people do not take the proper precautions. That’s why these tests are in place and are tested in parts per billion, to identify those that make these errors,” Lima said. “All antibiotics used by dairy farmers are labeled, and they should be following the instructions on the label regarding dose and length of time it should be used. The use of antibiotics is in check.

“Vets and dairy farmers should respect the labeling and adhere to it. Depending on the specific antibiotic used and the cow’s response to the disease, the antibiotic can remain in that cow longer than clinical signs of the disease. This should be taken into account based on the label instructions of the antibiotics to ensure safe re-establishment of the cow back into the herd designated for milking for distribution after proper withdrawal time. Dairy farmers need to respect the labeling,” Lima said.

Linnea Kooistra said farmers take every precaution to produce a great product and avoid the penalties associated with traces of antibiotics in milk. She said they are proud of their product and proud of their track record.

“Dairy farming is one of our truly great loves,” Linnea Kooistra said. “We want to carry on those values that have been instilled in us by our families. Agriculture has seen a lot of changes, and we are seeing less dairy farms in McHenry County. We really love farming, and we appreciate what’s at the heart of it – being outside, doing the day-to-day, working hard and bringing a valuable nutrient to society.”

Dairy Sushi

Is the raw milk safe for human consumption?

Fabio Lima, University of Illinois assistant professor of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, said the answer is no.

“I would not buy raw milk. It’s not pasteurized, and there is no control over the microbial levels in the milk. There is no way of knowing if it was tested for antibiotics,” Lima said.

Consumers in Illinois would be hard-pressed to test those odds. The sale of raw milk is illegal in the state of Illinois.

Going Organic

Is organic milk better or healthier than regular milk?

Cows on the organic farms do not receive antibiotics. The cows on standard farms are tested for these antibiotics and these cannot be present. There is no health advantage. It is just a label.

What’s in a label?

From gluten to GMO-free, Kooistra said labels can cause consumer confusion. While browsing the shelves of your dairy aisle, keep in mind that some of these so-called eliminated elements were never present to begin with.

“People are really confused by a lot of the labels in the grocery store. All milk is tested. Just because a label on one brand calls out that it’s free of something, doesn’t mean the other brand contains it if it’s not on the label,” said Kooistra. “All milk is tested the same way to ensure its safety.”