Milk Hormone Debate

The milk you put in your coffee and pour on your kids cereal is at the center of intense political debate. Diary farmers are asking Hoosier lawmakers for help protecting their right to use man made hormone to boost milk production. It doesnt matter what the weather is, or what time of day it is, when Gary Wernes cows need him, hes there. By modern standards, his 60 head of cattle make this farm a small operation. Now, Werne worries one of the tools he uses to help him compete is about to be taken away."It could be the end of me milking cows... It gives me 15-20 percent more milk." "It" is recombinant bovine somatotropin (soma-toe-tropin), or R.B.S.T. A man made hormone that mimics one produced naturally in cows that stimulates milk production. R.B.S.T. is legal, and approved by the F.D.A., but its use has come under fire in recent years by some who says its effects on humans are unknown. Gary Werne doesnt share that concern. "Im drinking it every day. Ive not grown a third arm or eyeball." You cant test milk for R.B.S.T.. It tastes the same, looks the same, and chemically, is the same. But a number of Indiana milk processors are going to ban R.B.S.T. produced milk starting this year. Now dairy farmers are asking state lawmakers to prevent those dairies from advertising their milk as R.B.S.T. free. The agriculture committee approved the measure. And it now moves to the full house for debate. That wont stop Hoosier milk processors from banning R.B.S.T. milk, but dairy farmers like Gary Werne see it as a first step in their fight for survival. He says the backlash against genetic engineering in agriculture is bound to lose traction, based simply on the worlds consumer demand. Gary Werne and other dairy farmers using R.B.S.T. say if consumers want milk made without exposure to modern farming techniques, they should choose organic labeled products, but they feel singling out one single hormone is misleading.