Do your acquaintances - who sound as if they'd get the PETA seal of approvaltrainbrainmommy said:I have acquaintances who have a large dairy farm. I asked my friend some questions that were raised in this thread. She didn't have all the answers, but she did describe the area in which the cows are kept. The cows are kept in football field-size areas. They can walk around. They have constant access to clean water, they are fed food that does not contain antibiotics. They have clean sand and bedding every day. They are treated well. "Sick" cows are kept separate and treated kindly. It sounds like they treat their cows about the same way we kept our chickens on our small farm growing up.
I don't know anything about the issues with being lactose intollerant, so I'm not commenting on that. I only know that my friends' farm is not unsanitary, they do not sell milk from sick cows and they treat their employees better than I've ever been treated by an employer. (They supply housing, beef, transportation, etc.)
(just in case - I'm not being sarcastic, I really like decency)