Price of Milk
- Thread starter DADoES
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I'm glad Laundress bought up the whole thing about cows not designed to eat corn. I remember "back on the farm" when the cows grazed, and corn was only used as a backup. The big industrial growers feed the cows corn to get them fatter quicker, and then actually market the beef as corn-fed.
As far as corn sweeteners go, I sincerely believe that High Fructose Corn Syrup is the root cause of so many of our health problems and obesity in this country. Personally, I've given up soda, and check labels on everything to make sure I'm not ingesting any more of that than absolutely necessary. It shows up everywhere though - even in salad dressings and condiments.
And don't get me started on farm subsidies. I'm all for supporting the independent farmer - but a lot of times the money is going straight into the hands of the agra corps, who can survive fine without it. Or, in the case of my aunt and uncle, who inherited a farm, they split the money with their tenant farmer, and see nothing wrong with that, even though they never turn a shovel towards production.
As far as corn sweeteners go, I sincerely believe that High Fructose Corn Syrup is the root cause of so many of our health problems and obesity in this country. Personally, I've given up soda, and check labels on everything to make sure I'm not ingesting any more of that than absolutely necessary. It shows up everywhere though - even in salad dressings and condiments.
And don't get me started on farm subsidies. I'm all for supporting the independent farmer - but a lot of times the money is going straight into the hands of the agra corps, who can survive fine without it. Or, in the case of my aunt and uncle, who inherited a farm, they split the money with their tenant farmer, and see nothing wrong with that, even though they never turn a shovel towards production.
Dairy prices increase du to supply issues
This was on the local 6 o'clock news
You may have noticed you're paying more for cheese and milk at the grocery store.
The price of milk has gone up about 67 cents since last July. The price of corn feed has also gone up because there's more demand for it to make ethanol.
While some believe that's part of the reason for the dairy price hike, McLennan County Dairy Farmer Steve Denton said it's more of a supply issue.
"We’re not able to keep up with the supply that the national needs as well as the export market," Denton said.
Since countries such as Australia aren't producing as much right now because of drought the United States is having to produce even more.
This was on the local 6 o'clock news
You may have noticed you're paying more for cheese and milk at the grocery store.
The price of milk has gone up about 67 cents since last July. The price of corn feed has also gone up because there's more demand for it to make ethanol.
While some believe that's part of the reason for the dairy price hike, McLennan County Dairy Farmer Steve Denton said it's more of a supply issue.
"We’re not able to keep up with the supply that the national needs as well as the export market," Denton said.
Since countries such as Australia aren't producing as much right now because of drought the United States is having to produce even more.
I'm glad I could help for a change.
sudsmaster
Well-known member
Too much of a good thing
I doubt that high fructose corn syrup in and of itself is the cause of any health problem. After all, fructose is a naturally occuring sugar, it's the main component of the sugars in various fruits.
The real problem is that the human body evolved over the millenia as a hunter-gatherer. This meant a diet that was high in fiber, low in fat, low in carbs, low in sugars, low in salt, relatively low in protein. As a result, the human appetite has a natural affinity for these scarce dietary components - we crave them. As humans developed agriculture, they started focusing on crops that they could store for at least a year - cereals and grains, and extracted oils, foods preserved with salt, etc. So the diet shifted to high carb, higher fat, higher salt. The domestication of animals meant that protein was more readily available. The human body had adapted to low amounts of these things because they were generally scarce. Nowadays, most people can eat high fat, high protein, high carb, high salt diets, and many do, because they let their natural dietary instincts direct their food selection and amounts. If there is a problem with high fructose corn syrup, is that it simply makes vast overdoses of sugars available for consumption at very low cost and without making one feel satiated.
We are the victims of our own success. Our abundance can kill us.
I doubt that high fructose corn syrup in and of itself is the cause of any health problem. After all, fructose is a naturally occuring sugar, it's the main component of the sugars in various fruits.
The real problem is that the human body evolved over the millenia as a hunter-gatherer. This meant a diet that was high in fiber, low in fat, low in carbs, low in sugars, low in salt, relatively low in protein. As a result, the human appetite has a natural affinity for these scarce dietary components - we crave them. As humans developed agriculture, they started focusing on crops that they could store for at least a year - cereals and grains, and extracted oils, foods preserved with salt, etc. So the diet shifted to high carb, higher fat, higher salt. The domestication of animals meant that protein was more readily available. The human body had adapted to low amounts of these things because they were generally scarce. Nowadays, most people can eat high fat, high protein, high carb, high salt diets, and many do, because they let their natural dietary instincts direct their food selection and amounts. If there is a problem with high fructose corn syrup, is that it simply makes vast overdoses of sugars available for consumption at very low cost and without making one feel satiated.
We are the victims of our own success. Our abundance can kill us.
sudsmaster
Well-known member
Speaking of sweet corn
Bought a packed of husked/cut yellow Brentwood corn the other day. Wow, that stuff is really sweet. Ate one cob raw, very sweet. Cooked some others about 8 minutes (steamed), and the sweetness was much diminished. Next time will try cooking for just a couple three minutes. I have close set teeth as well, so flossing is a must after a corn-on-the-cob eating session.
I understand most Europeans regard fresh corn as food suitable only for animals. They don't know what they are missing!
Bought a packed of husked/cut yellow Brentwood corn the other day. Wow, that stuff is really sweet. Ate one cob raw, very sweet. Cooked some others about 8 minutes (steamed), and the sweetness was much diminished. Next time will try cooking for just a couple three minutes. I have close set teeth as well, so flossing is a must after a corn-on-the-cob eating session.
I understand most Europeans regard fresh corn as food suitable only for animals. They don't know what they are missing!
Rich, as I understand it (and I'm about as far from a chemist as you can get, so you'll have to bear with me) the reason why High Fructose Corn Syrup is bad is that it takes a natural sweetner (fructose) and grafts it onto another natural sweetener (corn syrup) so that when the body consumes it, it doesn't know how to deal with the extra part, and that gets stored in your system, which contributes to obesity and diabetes.
For sure, the final verdict is not in yet, but there seems to be a lot of evidence about the impact of it - especially on kids. Other things come into play - our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, for instance - but this supercharged sweetner is definitely a part of the problem.
The trouble is, the large corporations like it because it's cheap, has a long shelf life, and can be used as a preservative in certain foods (breads and the like)
All I know is, when I dropped soda and made an effort to minimize High Fructose in my diet, I dropped 15 pounds, with no increased physical effort - and I was never big on sweets to start with.
For sure, the final verdict is not in yet, but there seems to be a lot of evidence about the impact of it - especially on kids. Other things come into play - our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, for instance - but this supercharged sweetner is definitely a part of the problem.
The trouble is, the large corporations like it because it's cheap, has a long shelf life, and can be used as a preservative in certain foods (breads and the like)
All I know is, when I dropped soda and made an effort to minimize High Fructose in my diet, I dropped 15 pounds, with no increased physical effort - and I was never big on sweets to start with.
sudsmaster
Well-known member
Dan,
The biggest problem with non-diet sodas is that one can consume a lot of calories in a day by drinking them, and never actually feel that one has eaten much. So by cutting out sodas you are effectively significantly reducing your calorie intake without your body feeling deprived.
HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup is not exactly a "grafted" product. Instead, it contains both fructose and glucose, and somewhat more fructose than glucose. Because these are separate sugars, the body tends to metabolize them a lot faster than sucrose (which is a molecule made up of glucose and fructose), which can be bad for diabetics (the glucose rushes right to the blood to raise its sugar level quickly). Almost as bad are refined starches like white flour, white rice. These are actually worse than sucrose because when digested they yield glucose molecules very quickly as well.
I'm not sure the business in the link about the liver getting overtaxed by processing fructose is true or not, and it's apparent that rats with copper deficiency should not drink sodas, but it's interesting anyway.
HFCS is a highly processed product, that's true. Turning 60% of the glucose into fructose takes an expensive enzyme but like all enzymes you don't need much of it to do its work. As I recall, fructose tastes sweeter than glucose, so you can use less total sugar for the same amount of sweetness. It also probably tastes very similar to sucrose which is the sweet taste we've gotten used to. Plus despite the expensive enzyme, HFCS is cheaper than sucrose.
http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/cornsyrup.html
The biggest problem with non-diet sodas is that one can consume a lot of calories in a day by drinking them, and never actually feel that one has eaten much. So by cutting out sodas you are effectively significantly reducing your calorie intake without your body feeling deprived.
HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup is not exactly a "grafted" product. Instead, it contains both fructose and glucose, and somewhat more fructose than glucose. Because these are separate sugars, the body tends to metabolize them a lot faster than sucrose (which is a molecule made up of glucose and fructose), which can be bad for diabetics (the glucose rushes right to the blood to raise its sugar level quickly). Almost as bad are refined starches like white flour, white rice. These are actually worse than sucrose because when digested they yield glucose molecules very quickly as well.
I'm not sure the business in the link about the liver getting overtaxed by processing fructose is true or not, and it's apparent that rats with copper deficiency should not drink sodas, but it's interesting anyway.
HFCS is a highly processed product, that's true. Turning 60% of the glucose into fructose takes an expensive enzyme but like all enzymes you don't need much of it to do its work. As I recall, fructose tastes sweeter than glucose, so you can use less total sugar for the same amount of sweetness. It also probably tastes very similar to sucrose which is the sweet taste we've gotten used to. Plus despite the expensive enzyme, HFCS is cheaper than sucrose.
http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/cornsyrup.html
mrsalvo
Well-known member
A coworker told me it was over $6.00 a gallon at Walmart. She asked someone there and was told it went up because minimum wage went up. Egg over $2.00 a carton. Whoever knew??!!
hmm.....
At our local heavily unionized Kroeger (they're called QFC's here) you can get three half-gallon containers of milk for $5.00, or a gallon of milk for $3.75 (and that's the non-"advantage card" price).
Our equally unionized Safeway has milk (not on sale) for $3.69 a gallon. Heck, even the gas station up on the corner (which is most definitely NOT unionized) has milk for $3.80 a gallon.
It doesn't sound like the minimum wage hike has affected them much. Or they're not using it as an excuse to gouge the people who shop there.
At our local heavily unionized Kroeger (they're called QFC's here) you can get three half-gallon containers of milk for $5.00, or a gallon of milk for $3.75 (and that's the non-"advantage card" price).
Our equally unionized Safeway has milk (not on sale) for $3.69 a gallon. Heck, even the gas station up on the corner (which is most definitely NOT unionized) has milk for $3.80 a gallon.
It doesn't sound like the minimum wage hike has affected them much. Or they're not using it as an excuse to gouge the people who shop there.
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