This Hormone, and These Farmers, Produced by Monsanto

Monsanto makes Posilac, recombinant bovine somatotropin known as rBST or rBGH. It's an artificial hormone that encourages your average milk cow to produce an extra gallon a day. Monsanto also pays for a group called American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology, a group of dairy farmers who are out to defend their right to use artificial hormones.The New York Times tells us that this group of dairy farmers was organized last year by a consultant hired by Monsanto. The purpose — of both Afact and Monsanto — is to pass laws that would restrict a dairy's ability to advertise that its milk is hormone free.More consumers are buying hormone-less milk. Clear labeling is a selling point for milk that wasn't produced with Posilac. So there have been proposals floated recently that would disallow labels saying the milk came from untreated cows. Those proposals are backed by Afact…er, Monsanto.