Yet another report of a milk cooperative considering supplying bST-free milk to their buyers. This is an interesting cooperative/producer release.

First, the cooperative:

Illinois-based Prairie Farms may designate some of its milk supply as “rbST-free.” According to a plan under review, producers who don’t treat their cows with rbST would sign affidavits to that effect, and their milk would be diverted to two specially designated “rbST-free” processing plants. Other plants in the system would handle milk from rbST-treated cows. “Prairie Farms has not banned the use of BST,” Ed Mullins, CEO of the cooperative, told a group of dairy producers Monday. (Please see item below.)

Now, the dairy producers:

Dairy producers in Illinois met Monday to discuss the use of bovine somatotropin — in hopes of retaining some control before the issue is decided for them by outside forces. “We wanted to get good reliable information to the dairymen, so a good decision could be made,” said event organizer Boyd Schaufelberger, of Greenville, Ill. One of the speakers, Terry Etherton, head of the dairy science department at Penn State University, said “milk from cows supplemented with rbST is the same as milk from non-supplemented cows.” In other words, all milk is equally safe for consumers.