FAREWELL TO CHEESE?

Ethics, ethics, ethics. They were easy when I worked for NPR, the lines irrefutable, black bold lines. Cross this one or that one and you're screwed. Period. Sure, it was frustrating not being able to speak out, sign petitions or march for a cause, but what mattered to me most was playing by the rules and keeping my job.

And my, my, didn't that work out well. I was laid-off 1/09, though for non-ethical reasons. Ahem.

In contrast, the ethics of being vegan are a whole lot murkier; seeking them out is like stumbling through a mythic labyrinth. Every step I take leads me further into the unknown. Hell, at least Theseus had a string to get him back out. I've got bupkes.

So here's what happened today. I just hung up with a truly ethical farmer, a Vermont cheese maker named John Putnam. He and his wife Janine are the proprietors of Thistle Hill Farm. We met several years ago when I visited them for an NPR story. I called John to find out some truths about raising dairy cows, his girls in particular, splendid animals I saw grazing in splendor on grass and seasonal wildflowers.
Guaranteed, not Photoshopped. This is how these ladies live. John tells me he's had cows as old as 15 at Thistle Hill, so you know he and Janine get attached. I couldn't wish a cow a better life than the one she could have here.

Truly, the reason I called him was because I was casting around for a way to have my cheese and eat it. I reasoned that if I knew the farmer and the farm I could rest easy that no animals were injured in the making of this delicious Tarentaise. After all, for most of us veges/vegans, at least for this one, it's all about suffering. Having already vetted John and Janine's operation, I figured I'd found a dairy-loving loop hole big enough for a cow.

And I did. And I didn't. First question, is it true mothers and their calves are always separated right after birth? "Yes", says John. "Here it's within a day or two." But in all his years, he says he's never seen any evidence of a mother in distress over this separation, unlike the kind of emotional upheaval and wrenching violence reported on factory farms (I ain't gonna link you to the evidence. No way. That's up to you).

"Calves have to be separated from other cows because of their lack of immunities," he continues, "but they're bottle fed their mother's milk immediately because it's full of colostrum. After that,the ideal milk for bottle-feeding is actually from one of his oldest cows."

Great news! Next question. So now that I know how you treat female calves, can I ask what do you do with males? "We sell them right off to an auction house in East Middlebury."

Hmm. Loop hole may be closing. Gotta run, stay tuned for next installment.