Why is A2 milk better for you?

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posted on

August 3, 2017

In 2016, after reading the book Devil in the Milk by Keith Woodford, the farmer became interested in A2/A2 cow’s milk. This interest arose from two experiences: (1) The farmer noticed that the calves fed A2/A2 cow’s milk grew faster and did not get diarrhea; and (2) The farmer’s baby Hannah was quite unhappy and did not want her homemade formula until the family starting using A2/A2 cow’s milk. After switching to A2/A2 cow’s milk, she immediately took the bottle and was very content and happy!

Thousands of years ago, there was a genetic mutation in cows in Europe. This mutation made them produce a new type of beta-casein protein – A1. Before this point, cows (just like humans and most mammals) produced milk strictly with A2 beta-casein protein. Over time, those European cows have been selectively bred (and now, in some cases, genetically engineered) into the white and black spotted Holstein cow. They made their way to the US, Australia, and New Zealand and now dominate the dairy industry. Basically, all milk found in American grocery stores is A1/A2.

Modern research shows that humans cannot fully digest the A1 beta-casein protein and that it has an opiate effect on the body. In some cases, humans have developed chronic digestive problems from drinking A1/A2 milk, particularly those from countries like India, where cows were not affected by genetic mutation so long ago.

It’s pretty easy for us to tell what kind of milk a cow produces. First, we know that the Jersey and Guernsey varieties of cows produce milk with a higher concentration of A2 beta-casein protein (not 100% but higher). Our farm has 80% Jersey and 20% Jersey crosses. Second, we do a simple genetic test on every one of our cows using a hair sample. This test tells us exactly which proteins the cow produces.

Years ago, the farmer successfully converted his herd to 100% A2 cows. He sold some A1/A2 cows and bought some new A2/A2 cows. And now, 100% of our cow dairy products are 100% A2. We are so thrilled about this. We have heard so many success stories from our members. People who were suffering from chronic digestive issues are now able to drink milk again and eat their native diet.

Thank you so much for your business. And, thanks to many of you for spreading the word about our A2 milk. <3

Health and Nutrition

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Not a fan of the confusing, greenwashed labels in store? Yea, me too! And it's especially real for me, because I'm responsible for getting our labels approved with the "powers that be". Here's a little story with a big inside scoop... I made new labels for our bone broth a little while ago. It didn't go as smoothly as planned. Why? I put the little icons about our farming practices on them. They look like this: Yup, despite being 100% accurate and true, they were denied!! We're not allowed to put those statements on our food labels. So, I asked the USDA guy, "What would it take to get those claims on the labels, anyway?" The answer was kinda shocking. First off, there's some guidance on wording. Silly technicalities in my opinion. For example, you can't use the term "No Spray" but you can say "Produced without the use of synthetic pesticides." Or another example is that you can't say "No Routine Antibiotics or Vaccines" but you can say "Raised without routine use of antibiotics or vaccines." Second, the processor needs to update their documents to provide traceability. In other words, they need to document how they make sure the bones for our bone broth don't get mixed up with bones from other farms. I mean, this is pretty simple, especially with small batch foods like ours. But the documentation needs to be meticulous. Drafting it in government-approved language can be time consuming and/or costly. And lastly, once you get the wording and process right, you need proof. This was the real shocker for me: Want to know what proof would suffice for all the claims above? A 2-3 sentence affidavit (AKA a super short letter) signed by all farmers that supply us. That's it!? This lead me to a bunch of questions: What if a company submits a letter from one farmer but actually has other farmers that supply them, too? What if a company changes farmers? Will they submit new letters?What if a company's farmers change their practices in the future? Will they immediately update their labels?Are the "powers that be" checking on this? Is anyone checking on this?Is this why most farms and food facilities don't allow outside people coming in? It seems to me that, if a business isn't doing what the label says, the only way to find out is via a whistleblower. And the only way to make them stop is to take them to court. You know, like what's happening with Vital Farms and their pasture raised egg claim right now. It seems to me that, all that good natural stuff on labels - grass fed, pasture raised, antibiotic free, etc - doesn't mean it's true. Certifications are a little better, but the same kinda thing can be said about those, too. This is why, at Miller's, we choose to NOT sell in stores. No wholesale for us. In fact, we don't even have an on farm store. We only sell directly to our customers via our website. And, we choose to only get certified for what's required. This way, we can make our own natural standards. And, we can provide you will all the info and proof you need. Descriptions, photos, blog posts, test results, and more. So, what do you think? Should we do the affidavit thing to get claims on our bone broth labels? What proof do you need to feel confident in your food choices? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us 😊

Should I choose animal rennet or vegetable rennet in my natural cheese?

Let’s take a look at what rennet is and why it’s used in cheesemaking, compare the different types of animal and vegetable rennets, check out the labeling requirements for rennet, and consider the potential health consequences. Keeping all this in mind, Miller’s Bio Farm aims to produce the most nutrient-dense, natural, A2/A2 cheese we can and gives you all the info you need to make the choice that’s best for your body!

Is yolk color is no longer a great indicator of the egg's nutrition?

It used to be true that, if your egg yolks were darker in color, then the better the egg's nutrition. Conscious consumers of the past would look for that deep orange yolk and stray away from lighter yellow yolks. It's sad, but this simply isn't the case anymore. Here's why you can't trust cheap store-bought eggs with orange yolks and need to know your farmer instead.

Why is A2 milk better for you?

More from the blog

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Should I choose animal rennet or vegetable rennet in my natural cheese?

Is yolk color is no longer a great indicator of the egg's nutrition?

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566