Blogs

Whatever happened to open discussion?

The 2020 election marked an astounding point in history with the president of the U.S. censored for his political speech, but few people realize that tech companies have been actively censoring speech in a variety of other forums – including animal agriculture.

Grandpa Tommy’s dad used to say, “A cowful is a substantial quantity.” According to my research, the rumen of a mature cow can hold up to 300 pounds. And, by anybody’s standards, that is quite a bit.

My grandfather, George A. Elbert, was born in 1888 on a small farm in Wisconsin. Growing up and then even as an adult, he farmed most of his life using horses.

In 2011, Pope John Paul II was beatified, Fidel Castro resigned, and Charlie Sheen was fired from Two and a Half Men. More importantly, The Milk House first appeared in Progressive Dairy.

It was one of those rowdy conversations parents have with teenagers. You explain the perils of life in graphic detail, and they just don’t get the picture.

As my parents work on retiring from the daily demands of dairying, I like to invite them south (by about 40 minutes) to my hobby farm where things naturally operate at a slower pace.