Do you use artificial growth hormones to produce Oberweis Dairy milk?
No. All Oberweis farmers pledge not to treat their cows with artificial hormones, and Oberweis Dairy opposes their use. Our producers submit signed statements annually confirming that they do not treat their cows with artificial hormones. Generally, when consumers ask about artificial hormones in milk they are asking about bovine somatotropin (BST). BST is a hormone naturally occurring in cows, but in the early 1990s, many farmers began injecting their cows with recombinant BST (rbST) which is an artificial version of the hormone. By increasing the levels of this hormone in cows, the production of milk per cow increased (without increasing feed or other costs). rbST therefore is a way for farmers to produce more milk per cow thereby lowering their costs and improving their profits. While the FDA has stated that no significant difference has been shown and no test can distinguish between milk from rbST-treated and untreated cows, many of our customers share our opposition to its use.
