Cows by Tyler Larson

New research shows that cows eating an organic diet produce milk that contains more omega-3 and linoleic fatty acids that have been proven to improve human health. Plus, their milk tastes better.

Milk from organic cattle that eat a fresh grass diet is likely to be better for your health, according to a new study by the University of Newcastle

This organic milk contained more good fatty acids such as omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid known as CLA9 than milk produced at intensive commercial dairy farms. The difference was even more marked during the summer with levels of CLA9 about 60 per cent higher in milk from cattle that graze in fields.

Gillian Butler, livestock project manager for the university’s Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, who led the research, said: “Our work has not looked at the impact on human health, but I would say organic milk should be better for health from what we know of the benefits of these good fatty acids. She added: “They are effective in combating cancer, coronary heart disease and type II diabetes.”

The study was a joint effort between scientists at Newcastle University and the Danish Institute for Agricultural Science and funded by the European Commission, a governmental body of the European Union.

The European Commission has funded other research into organic foods such as the Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) project which was initiated in March of 2004. But in the business-friendly United States, organic standards were degraded in 2006 to placate large corporate food producers nullifying a ban from the previous year on synthetic ingredients in food labeled organic.

You can’t tell me organic food doesn’t taste better than mass produced food – I can barely eat the stuff sold in the local major supermarket. Our locally produced food sold at the farmer’s market or local co-ops makes your mouth water, and the organic chicken hand-raised in small farms in our county has a delicate and delicious taste that has spoiled me for anything else.

Pluto is in Capricorn now, where it will be breaking down the power (Pluto) of large corporations (Capricorn) and transforming the power structure. Saturn is in Virgo, where it is applying pressure (Saturn) in the areas of health and ecology (Virgo). Perhaps this is one area where we will see some real change.