| |
Conventional Cow |
Organic Cow
|
| Name |
An ID number |
Daisy, Peaches, etc.
|
| Average Life Span |
4 to 5 years |
10+ years
|
| Average Daily Milk Output |
54 pounds |
43+ pounds*
|
| Primary Diet |
Silage, hay, and commercial feed that can include corn, barley, fishmeal, potato waste |
Grass from pastureland and hay, with some organic feed
|
| Additives/Medicines |
Bioengineered growth hormones, antibiotics |
Occasional vitamins and herbs
|
| Living Quarters |
Dairy "feed lots" or barns, sometimes in stalls where they are machine milked |
Spacious barns or stalls, lots of outdoor time
|
| Breeding |
Artificial insemination |
Mating with bulls |
| *Organic output can be 20% less, in part because farmers often don't push the animals as hard |
| Source: U.S. Agriculture Dept., BusinessWeek |
Copyright 2006, Bloomberg L.P.
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