Decentralized milk
I think some things are better than others. For example, here's how I rate the dairies that are available to me (on a scale of 1 to 10):
Dean Foods is one of the leading food and beverage companies in the country. We are the largest processor and distributor of milk and other dairy products. Through our WhiteWave Foods division, we are also the nation's leading manufacturer of soymilk [Silk], organic milk [Horizon] and other organic foods. We operate more than 100 plants in the United States and employ more than 26,000 people.
Over 5,000 cows are milked twice a day on approximately 90 farms. Their milk is then shipped to Marburger Dairy. [...] Even though we started by bottling only three cases of quarts, production has grown so much that a 14,000 square foot addition was needed to meet the customer's needs. The new processing came into full operation in the fall of 2003.
Brunton Dairy is a family farm located in Independence Township, Beaver County, PA. [...] The barn has stalls for 104 cows. Growing larger is not our main goal. Working successfully together to provide a high quality product and a comfortable standard of living for every family member involved is our mission.
I love Brunton's. I love everything about it. But I get so overwhelmed by the difference in scale. Using number of employees as a rough measure, Marburger is about 7 times the size of Brunton's. Dean's is 260 times the size of Marburger and 1750 times larger than Brunton's.
So why is Brunton's better than Dean's? Easy: human scale. In my mental realm, centralization should happen as little as possible above the human scale. Centralization means loss of detail and other problems (eggs, baskets), which are not worth the benefits of centralization (homogeneity). Detail is good for humans. Taking my kids into the cow barn when I buy my milk is good. Pouring my milk from glass jars is good. The depressing thing is that centralization feeds itself. Centralized Bureaus of Agriculture like centralized dairy industries. So once you start down that road it's hard to go back. The division of labor is what makes us rich, but that doesn't necessarily require centralization. Maybe the Internet (biggest decentralized thing ever) will save us after all.
So what am I supposed to do with this? Campaign for small dairies? Ack. Start a social network for small dairies? Ugh. Or just buy milk at Brunton's except when I don't? Shrug. And blog about it, I guess.
11 comments:
Schneider's: 2
"Schneider's Dairy, Inc., founded in 1935, is a family-owned and operated dairy that has experienced significant growth in an industry facing increasing competition and capital investment, the consolidation of many family-owned dairies, and ever-changing consumer preferences. [...] Today, Schneider's Dairy has over 350 employees and processes more than 450,000 gallons of milk per week company wide. The company is ranked among the top 100 dairies in the United States."
Actually, it was the carton of Schneider's Super Skim milk in the office fridge that initially got me going on this post. Super Skim is "the first non-fat milk product in the region with the appearance and taste of 2% milk." Non-fat milk?! Ack!
Why are people ridiculous not to like Brunton as much as you do, and give Dean, who offer soy and organic milk, a mark too low to quote?
I think the error in your assumption, as gauged by your proposed methods of action, is that people buy Brunton's instead of Dean's when they would do otherwise, given the chance. But, as the scenario itself indicates, anyone who cares will pay that $1 deposit for Brunton, or its equivalent in their area -- and everyone else, which includes a lot of rural residents and Whole Foods clientele, doesn't and probably won't.
Sure, the internet is the biggest de-centralized thing ever. But, to begin your metaphor, most people spend most of their de-centralized attention on Dean, because it's cheaper and has more to offer than Brunton. Mostly, though, it calculatedly appeals to their impulses, ones which you never seem to address.
This blog frustrates me because it alternates graduate-level philosophy/CS with the confused, self-absorbed pose of a ninth-grader.
"anyone who cares will pay"
"it calculatedly appeals to their impulses"
People have bad impulses. People should care about the difference between an information-overloaded carton on the breakfast table and a glass jar, to take one detail. The former absorbs your interest, drawing you into a shared mental realm of marketing hype and trivia that make you less of a human than the alternatives: the other people at the table, the morning sunshine, the act of eating. The printed carton is selfish. The glass jar makes you more human by not drawing attention to itself. It's a cultural detail. You make culture and culture makes you.
"This blog frustrates me because it alternates graduate-level philosophy/CS with the confused, self-absorbed pose of a ninth-grader."
Deep down we are all self-absorbed ninth graders. So I have no problem with this post. I am not up to date on my graduate-level philosophy/CS, but reading this blog in front of other people makes it look like I am. That makes my inner ninth grader feel smart and as we all know now as adults "smart" is the new "cool."
After checking my fridge
Dean's Vitamin D Milk
Dean's Vitamin D Milk (back)
I fully realized the threat to family and nature this packaging represents.
I doubt the cultural critic who cannot fathom why someone in 2008 would not have the time, inclination or even passion for a Disney-World-like experience with the cow bearing their milk -- someone who is disgusted that his suburban (or urban) compatriots do not share his cup of agrarian nostalgia.
Brunton's glass bottles are filled with just as much pus as my hypnotically garish carton is. What country is this, again?
"Dean's Vitamin D Milk"
"Dean's Vitamin D Milk (back)"
Silk Soymilk
Silk Soymilk (back)
Horizon is similar (both are Dean brands). I bet they load up the cartons with info for their organic brands as a way to make people who "care about their milk" feel like they are informed consumers.
Incidentally, when I took this photo, Leah suggested enthusiastically that I turn the "Test Your Soy-Q" side the whole way to the front. Why? Because "people will love to see that."
And for the record:
Brunton's Whole Milk
Brunton's Whole Milk (back)
"Brunton's glass bottles are filled with just as much pus as my hypnotically garish carton is."
We asked, and the Brunton's keep milk from sick cows separate. Should we trust them?
Frank at the Ambridge farmer's market lies to his customers about whether he sprays his cabbage. We know cause he winked at us as an annoying woman walked away after a purchase. But this proves the point: if you're friends with the people who grow your food, then you 're much better able to know how it's grown. If you're just a consumer, then who knows?
"not have the time, inclination or even passion for a Disney-World-like experience with the cow bearing their milk"
Yeah, you're right. Our time is much better spent keeping track of Internet memes and Ryan Skyy parties.
"disgusted"
You're projecting. I'm not disgusted.
Re-read your post.
Two ideas from Theodor Adorno's Minima moralia:
Genuine things are those to which commodities and other means of exchange can be reduced, particularly gold. But like gold, genuineness, abstracted as the proportion of fine metal, becomes a fetish.
He who stands aloof runs the risk of believing himself better than others and misusing his critique of society as an ideology for his private interest.
I'll check out Adorno, thanks.
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