OPINION
The Milk Kick
Milk may be America’s health kick, but many people are in the
dark when it comes to what’s in it. According to a new Penn State
study, a surprising number of consumers continue to be confused
about how much fat is in the milk they drink.
In two phone surveys, 1,900 people were asked questions about
changes in the foods they consume, including milk. In one part of the
survey, respondents were asked to give the amount of fat in whole,
low-fat and skim milk. The results showed that people really did not
know the fat content of these different types of milk.
When respondents throughout the United Slates were asked to give
the fat content of whole milk, two-thirds of the people answered that
they did not know the amount, and 20 percent overestimated. Whole
milk actually has a fat content of 3.25 percent. People in the surveys
did better with low-fat milk, which is usually labeled as containing 1
or 2 percent milk fat. I;orty percent of the survey respondents said
they didn’t know and 9 percent over-estimated. Skim milk - with less
than .1 percent milk fat- is virtually fat free, but 60 percent of the
respondents said they didn’t know while 10 percent overestimated the
amount of fat When people in a separate Pennsylvania sample were
questioned, their responses were similar.
The results seem to indicate that many people are making decisions
about their milk consumption without specific information. This is
especially surprising in the case of low-fat milk, which often has the
amount of milk fat printed on the container.
The study was conducted to learn why people do or do not drink
milk. Robert Herrmann, Blair Smith and Rex Warland, researchers in
Penn State’s Department of Rural Sociology and Agricultural Eco
nomics, coordinated the two phone surveys, one for the United States
and one for Pennsylvania. Their primary purpose was to determine
some of the attitudes and reasons why people have increased or
decreased their milk consumption. The researchers’ interest in the fat
question was related. “Since concern about fat is believed to be one of
the culprits in the decrease in milk consumption, we wanted to see if
the public was aware of the facts,” says Warland.
In both the United Slates and the Pennsylvania samples, many peo
ple said they have adjusted their diets because of health reasons. A
large number of people reported they were cutting back on eggs, pork
and beef while eating more fish, chicken, fruits and vegetables. But
less than one-fourth of the respondents reported that they have
changed the amount of milk they drink. For those who have changed,
somewhat more have increased milk consumption than decreased it.
Nationwide, 14 percent have increased the amount of milk they drink
while 10 percent have decreased. The results for Pennsylvania were
nearly identical.
Other responses also indicated that people are changing their diets
for health reasons. Nearly half of those who had increased the amount
of milk they drink cited calcium and other health reasons for drinking
more milk. Health played a role in the decreases’ profile as well - the
most frequent reasons given for drinking less milk included reducing
calorie, fat and cholesterol intake. Taste figured in the amounts both
increased and decreased, though taste was less significant than health
concerns.
In the same study, many people who responded indicated they had
decreased or increased certain types of food because of health rea
sons; yet few claimed they had changed the amount of mjlk they
drink.
It’s good to know that most people think of milk as healthful and
not fat. Alot of credit for this positive public attitude toward milk
must go to the dairy farmers who have spent hard-earned money on
promotional efforts.
Farm Calendar
Saturday, February 11
Cumberland County Holstein
Meeting, Penn Township Fire
Hall, Huntsdale, 10:45 a.m.
Butler County Annual Meeting,
Meridian United Presbyterian
Church, Butler, noon.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A St9inrmn Entorprlg*
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Managing Editor
C<nrt(M IMS w I«M>
r ,
Monday, February 13
Lebanon/Dauphin Crops Days,
Palmyra Fire Hall, 9:00 a.m. to
3:00 p.m.
Adams County Dairy Nutrition
School, Cross Keys Diner, New
Oxford, 9:45 a.m. Repeats Feb.
NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County Agriculture Agent
To Be Aware
Of Milker's Knee
Everyone knows about tennis
elbow, but who has ever heard of
“milker’s knee”? Dairy producers
may have this form of degenera
tive arthritis without being aware
of it. The condition occurs from
the squatting, bending and lifting
that dairy farmers must do when
attaching milkers to cows standing
at floor level.
This wearing away of cartilage
in the joints is most common
among dairy farmers. The first
sign is usually pain in the knees.
Family and friends may notice
that the person is becoming
bowlegged. Other signs include
frequent loss of balance; swelling,
locking, stiffening, or giving out
of the knees; and a grinding or
snapping noice when bending.
A knee injury can develop into
milker’s knee but people who
have never had a knee injury can
be affected. Some farmers simply
may have inherited the problem,
especially if the family has a his
tory of arthritis.
Dr. Dennis Murphy, Safety
Specialist at Penn State, tells us
that the most important preventive
is to avoid squatting. Instead,
knopl on one knee and wear knee
pads. If you consult a physician at
the first sign of trouble, you can
probably keep the condition from
becoming worse.
To Recognize Lime
For Weed Control
You have never heard us
recommend lime for weed control;
however, indirectly lime is impor
tant to obtain good herbicide weed
control. Both research and farm
20 and 27.
Penn State Forage Analysis Van,
Delmont Agway, Westmore
land County, 11:00 a.m. to 3:30
p.m,
Columbia County Private Appli
cators Training, Bloomsburg
Fairgrounds office, 1:30 to 3:30
p.m. Repeats at 7:00 to 9:00
p.m. at the Columbia Montour
Vo-Tech School.
Atlantic Breeders Annual Meet-
ing, Cumberland County,
Huntsdale Fireball, 7:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania Nurserymen &
Allied Industry Conference,
Hershey Conference Center,
runs through Feb. 16.
Game Bird Production, PSU Kell
er Building, University Park;
runs through Feb. 14.
Washington County, Md., Ag
(Turn to Pago A3l)
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experience has indicated that her
bicides are not as effective in sour
soil. So, for best control with
chemicals, the soil-test require
ment must be satisfied.
Many poor weed control exper
iences have been reported on sour
soils. A complete soil test will
indicate the amount of lime
needed. There are many other
advantages to crop production in
addition to better herbicide action.
.To Be Aware
That Cow’s Nutrition
Affects CalTs
Survival
The nutritional status of a cow
during her last three months of
pregnancy can affect the vigor of
her newborn calf and its ability to
survive exposure to the cold con
ditions and calfhood diseases,
according to Glenn Shirk, Exten
sion Dairy Agent.
Researchers at the Colorado
Agriculture Experiment Station
showed that calves, bom of dams
that were deficient in protein dur
ing the last three months of preg
nancy, produced less body heat
during die first 12-24 hours fol
lowing their birth. This affected
their ability to withstand cold, wet
conditions. To reduce this risk,
feed calves additional energy and
provide them with a clean, dry,
draft-free place to rest during cold
UNCLEAN!
UNCLEAN!
February 12,1989
Background Scripture:
Leviticus 13: 9-17, 45-46; Luke
17:11-19.
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 105: 1-5.
That’s what a leper was com
manded by Mosaic law to call
whenever he or she was in the
proximity of other people.
“Unclean! Unclean! Be careful
not to come near to me so that you
will be contaminated!” Although
this might appear as an appropri
ate health measure to prevent the
spread of the disease, that was not
the purpose of the Mosaic law. A
person with leprosy and people
with other physical conditions
including childbirth was
thought to be spiritually unclean
and anyone who associated with
people such as this were likely to
become spiritually contaminated
themselves.
The Mosaic law also proscribed
that the leper “shall wear tom
clothes and let the hair of his head
hang loose, and he shall cover his
upper 1ip...” (Leviticus 13:45).
Furthermore, “he shall dwell
alone in a habitation outside the
camp” (13:46). No law-abiding
Jew was to have any contact or
relationship with these'people.
HEALED
AS THEY WENT
So, you can better appreciate
weather.
Equally important is the cow’s
condition, or state of flesh, at time
of calving. Cows that are either
over-conditioned or under
conditioned generally have more
problems at calving time. This
stresses both the cow and her calf.
Needless to say, proper nutrition
for the pregnant cow is very
important
To Keep Small Children
Away From Machinery
The spring cropping season will
be starting in another month. That
means that a lot of farm machines
will be put into operation and
things will really be moving.
Small children like to become a
part of this action and ask to ride
on machinery, or even operate
some of the smaller tractors. It
might take nerve to refuse them at
times; however, for their own pro
tection they should not become
involved. Many serious accidents
have happened because “Dad” or
“Grandad” took them along.
Where there are small children,
all machinery operators should be
especially careful of their exact
location. Farm machinery and
small children do not mix.
The Penn State Cooperative
Extension is an affirmative action,
equal opportunity educational
institution.
the importance of Jesus’ encount
er with the ten lepers on his way to
Jerusalem via Samaria. On the one
hand, these ten lepers went stricdy
by the law, for as Luke tells us,
they “stood at a distance and lifted
up their voices...” (Luke 17:11).
On the other hand, however, they
dared to challenge the system in
asking Jesus to heal them. They
knew that in doing so, he himself
would be likely regarded as
“unclean” by the religious authori
ties. It is interesting that Luke
doesn’t say Jesus touched them or
even spoke of healing. He simply
told them to present themselves to
the priests in the temple and “as
they went they were cleansed”
(17:14).
This incident with the ten lepers
may seem to have little relevance
to us, in as much as leprosy is not
much of a factor in our daily lives.
But the story is relevant, because
we all know our share of people
who are “lepers” in the figurative
sense. “Untouchables” are no less
a problem to us than they were to
the people in Jesus’ day. There are
people whom we may regard as
“unclean,” if for other reasons.
THIS FOREIGNER
Who arc these people? They are
the people we regard and treat as
outcasts. Because they are old,
because they arc handicapped in
some way, because they are
strange to us, we pass by on the
other side, if we can. Yet, in the
story, Jesus showed that the per
sons most respondent to God’s
grace are not those who arc seem
ingly beyond reproach, but the
social lepers and religious Samari
tans who demonstrate in some
way that they are closer to Christ
than we are.
(Based on copyrighted Outlines produced by
the Committee on the Uniform Senes and used
by permission Released by Community & Sub
urban Press)