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Drought-Stricken California is Nation's Leading Producer of Water-Intensive Dairy

California, a drought-stricken state with a near-desert climate, is the country’s leading producer of perhaps the most water-instensive substance in existence: dairy.

This is a blatant and embarassing case of profits before planet, but most of the public still hasn't caught on. They are being told to conserve water by doing things like taking shorter showers and only watering their lawns on certain days, but rarely is diet ever mentioned. Meanwhile, the state's massive dairy industry guzzles water unchecked right under our noses.

The average dairy farm uses 3.4 million gallons of water EVERY DAY. There are 1.77 million dairy cows in CA (making up 1/5th of the nation's dairy cows) and each individual cow needs around 40 gallons of drinking water a day plus 150 gallons of feed PER DAY. This doesn't even include the millions of beef cows in CA.

If we are being told to take shorter showers, how is the CA dairy industry being advised? Cows needs astronomical amounts of water regardless of the drought.

Let's let the dairy industry speak for itself regarding its own gross misuse of water. This is from DeLaval (producer of "The Ultimate Milking Robot"):

"Cows need at least three litres of water to produce one litre of milk. This means that high-yielding cows need more than 150 litres [40 gallons] of fresh water every day! And depending on hot and dry climates, this amount can even be higher. Cows like to drink fast – up to 20 litres of water per minute. If they can’t, their water intake may fall and their milk yield will suffer. A 40 percent reduction in water intake can cut milk production by 25 percent. It is essential that you meet all your cows’ drinking needs. Cows like to drink when they eat and just after milking. They prefer a large, calm drinking surface from which they can drink quickly and without stress. Such natural drinking behaviour promotes further eating, even more drinking and thus greater milk yields."

And thus, greater profits for the dairy industry. They actually encourage cows to drink as much water as possible, all while we are encouraged to take shorter showers.

Read full article here (One Green Planet's "California Needs 11 Trillions Gallons of Water … Here’s the Easy Solution").

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