Plus more good news from this week.
Key Points
- Chobani’s “cow whisperer” ensures milk quality by monitoring animal welfare on over 450 farms.
- Higher vitamin D levels in midlife may lower Alzheimer’s risk, per new study.
- Musician loses 100 pounds through strength training and practical, healthy eating habits.
This is Good Food Newsyour weekly installment of positive food and health news from around the world. These feel-good stories are hand-picked by EatingWell editors to help make your week just a little bit brighter.
Featured Story: Meet Roberta Osborne, AKA Chobani’s Cow Whisperer
Roberta Osborne, M.S., PAS, grew up on a dairy farm in Indiana, where she developed a love for all animals early in her life. But her love for cows specifically may be genetic.
“I was the youngest of five children, and my father was one of those dairymen that would never let anyone but family touch the cows,” Osborne tells EatingWell. “That’s how strongly he felt about the cows, so I always was very hands-on from when I was very little.”
From life on the farm to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science, she went on to become an extension dairy agent (a job that helps utilize university research and applies new discoveries on farms) for 23 years. When searching for a new role, it was only fitting that she’d continue a closeness with farms, and in 2016, she hopped on board for a then-small, 11-year-old yogurt company: Chobani.
She’s worked at Chobani for over a decade, and in 2020 was appointed the brand’s director of farms and sustainability, which is also known as the director of farms and milk quality—also known as Chobani’s honorary “cow whisperer.”
“When I was hired, they were like, ‘We think we need somebody who knows about milk and cows,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, you probably do,’” Osborne laughed. “In those 10 years, it’s grown from just kind of a small operation—there was just the one plant in New York when I started—and now we’re going to buy over 4 billion pounds of milk this year between Idaho and New York.”
Osborne is still based in Indiana, but travels across the country to inspect milk quality and cows’ happiness on the farms.
“You can tell about the welfare of the animal body by the quality of the milk, because mistreated animals can’t make quality milk,” she says. “We buy from over 450 farms, and I look at the milk quality of every single herd, every single month. And I’m keeping tabs on what’s going on.”
These farms range in size, from a tiny Amish farm with 25 cows and 15 kids, to a family-farmstead in Idaho that has 120 calves born every day.
“It’s not the size of the farm or how much money you have, it’s how well you manage,” Osborne emphasizes.
And Osborne is described as the “cow whisper” for good reason: she can tell how a cow is feeling based on their moo, just like you can with your dog or cat’s mannerisms.
“With dogs, you can tell the whiny ‘I’m hungry’ versus the ‘Let’s go for a walk,’ and cows are very similar,” she shares. “It’s important to be in tune with the animals like that. That’s why, as part of our welfare program, we require that every farm employee has to go through stockmanship training every single year—you can always learn something new. You need to learn to tune in when their ears droop or their eyes look a little bit sunken; when they’re not feeling well.”
The most rewarding part of her job? Helping family farms feel proud of their product as the unsung heroes of quality yogurt.
“Just getting to know these folks, they’re just wonderful families,” Osborne says.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, her favorite Chobani product is 20-gram protein yogurt drinks: “I’ll grab one for breakfast every single day.”
More Good News This Week
Vitamin D Supplements Could Help Lower Dementia Risk
If you’re taking vitamin D every day, we have some good news for your brain. A new study published in Neurology Open Access shows that higher vitamin D levels in midlife may help lower tau protein levels, which is a marker of Alzheimer’s risk. You can also up your vitamin D intake through regular outdoor exercise or eating nutritious foods like eggs, salmon and fortified milks to reap the benefits.
Concert Pianist Lost 100 Pounds and Reclaimed His Life
Musician Ludovic Zamor says his weight-loss journey started with a 30-second workout on a StairMaster. Since then, he started treating strength training like practicing the keys, and has lost 100 pounds through exercise and practical, healthy eating habits.
Dietitians Reveal the Healthiest Fast-Food Salad
There are some healthy options if you need a quick, on-the-go meal at a fast food restaurant. Four dietitians agreed that Chick-fil-A’s Grilled Market Salad is a nutrient-packed choice. With 28 grams of protein and five grams of fiber, it’s bound to leave you feeling satisfied—just be mindful of the sodium content.
Video of the Week
@mr_cool_icecream She’s actually employee of the month, every month! #fyp #icecream #edinburgh #dog #funny
♬ Western Music: Arizona Dreaming – Piero Piccioni
It’s ice cream season, so this is your reminder to be nice to the workers; as you can see, this little rookie is trying her best! For an at-home scoop, try one of these highly-rated desserts:
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