Yes, I know small farms are much better. You just have to make sure you visit before you buy, because there’s nothing on a store package that will tell you how the animals were treated. Perhaps you can trust farmer’s markets and co-ops. I only meant to condemn industrialized farm practices (”factory-farm-raised animals”). I don’t think I’m ready to pass judgement on all omnivores quite yet!

That said, unless I am mistaken (and I hope I am), a milk cow’s calf has to go somewhere once it’s weaned, correct? At one calf a year, the population would easily overrun a small farm, so I understand the utility of selling or raising at least the male calves for slaughter.

But since I don’t feel comfortable having other animals killed for my sake, the only conscionable thing for me to do is avoid dairy at the same time as meat. A similar logic goes for eggs: one always needs more hens than roosters, so the excess males are disposed of (though I suppose they could be kept as pets).

Not everyone has a problem with this knowledge, but I think it is important to face up to what you consume and eat with a clear conscious (not blissful ignorance). Please let me know if I have erroneous information: can you milk a cow — or a goat or a sheep — without extraneous killing?

Visit a smaller farm before you condemn the entire industry. From my experience, there are farms where the animals eat the food grown on the farms. My grandfather had a dairy farm on which I worked when I was in high school. The animals where treated with great care because those animals where a big investment for my grandfather.

As far as the milking went… When a calf was born, the milk produced by the mother in the beginning was fed to the calf. Just like in humans, the first milk has a lot of extra nutrients the calf needs plus I don’t think people would drink it. The farmer weans the calf but keeps milking the cow.

I know not all farms are the same and you are correct that there are big farms owned by big corporations that treat the animals poorly. But, generalizations are dangerous.