Artificial Hormone Free

Hartzler’s dairy cows are certified artificial hormone-free.

We never use drugs to increase milk production in our animals. Our cows are naturally happy, grazing freely in grass pastures during warm months, and enjoying pesticide-free grasses, hay, and silage - grown on Hartzler’s own farms - during winters. Because our cows are artificial hormone-free, so is our milk.

Unfortunately, it is common practice among commercial dairies to inject their cows with bovine growth hormone (BGH). BGH is used to stimulate organ growth in cows, particularly growth of the mammary glands, which thus increases milk production, often by 10-15%. The use of BGH  was approved by the Food & Drug Administration in late 1993. However, both the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) and Consumer’s Union have issued warnings about the potential dangers of drinking milk that originates from cows treated with BGH. Both dairy industry and medical experts have incriminated bovine growth hormones as a potential cause of breast, colon and prostate cancers.

Not only are Hartzler’s Dairy cows artificial hormone-free, but they generally require little-to-no medical treatment. Conversely, cows treated with BGH have high occurrences of udder infections (mastitis), reproductive problems, digestive disorders, foot and leg ailments, and bodily sores. To treat these conditions, cows given BGH are often fed steroids and antibiotics, which ultimately compounds the problem. Worse yet, both of these drugs, along with pus from mastitis, can make their way into milk meant for human consumption.

Whether you choose Hartzler Dairy milk or another brand, we encourage you to find out if the milk you’re drinking is from cows that receive artificial hormones, and if it is, to consider a healthy switch.

Read more on rBGH and rBST on The Center for Food Safety website.

Find out whether your dairy is using rBGH here. Research was completed by Sustainable Table. If you have further questions Hartzler's would reccommend to call the dairy provider and ask about their farming practices.