Starbucks, are you contributing to farmer suicides?

Starbucks, I’ve been a long-time fan. I have enjoyed your ambiance during conference calls and even pounded out books on my keyboard while consuming your $5 grande lattes. My caffeine needs are high as a working mom, small business owner, business traveler, and Holstein breeder. You used to be my go-to when I could afford a treat.

Those days are over. You see, I’ve watched thousands in dairy farming suffer – and your announcement this week added to that, in my opinion. The families milking cows in the U.S. have lost money for over five years – and our country saw 3,000 dairy farms go out of business in 2018.  My friends, Willis and Carla with their twin children, were one of the 800 farms in Wisconsin that were forced to sell their cows last year because they couldn’t make a living.

Dairy farmers suffer from false environmental claims

Willis and Carla – and many other friends who have suffered through losing their family business – came to mind when I heard your CEO’s announcement, “We will expand plant-based options, migrating toward a more environmentally friendly menu.” It sounds nice – after all, who doesn’t want to be environmentally friendly?

We should all be doing more, which includes looking at the big picture and taking responsibility for electricity production that’s 28%  of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Did you know that transportation accounts for more than 7x greenhouse gas emission than methane from livestock? It’s O.K. if this cars vs. cow number surprises you – I’m guessing most people don’t know their personal contribution.

Your “new strategies” may not be a direct attack on dairy. However, it insinuates that animal agriculture is not environmentally friendly. In short, your statement – and those from other brands – lay environmental guilt on those who choose milk and meat. I refer to this as food bullying because it leverages fear and guilt to sell product. Those claims have direct consequences on the families producing food.

In case you’re not aware, farmer suicide rates are double the national average, and jumped 34% in six years. Have you seen the news about farmers taking their lives when they can no longer farm? There are many factors contributing to rural mental health, including weather, trade, and a deep recession in agriculture. You say you support farmers, but perhaps you’re not aware how the continued barrage of questions and references about farmers hurting the environment and their animals  add to the mental health problem? Farmers are glad to answer questions, but the attacks from all fronts, including your new shareholders PETA, are taken personally. Because that’s what farming is to us.

My teenaged daughter wants to continue owning cows when she is grown, but I don’t know if she’ll be able to pursue that dream if we can’t find a solution. Interestingly, the cow “Disney” she is training in this photo is seven years old – and in the time of this cow’s life, dairy farmers have reduced water usage nearly 31%, land use 21% and fuel 20%. Disney gives 4,500 pounds more milk annually than her average predecessors and uses less resources to do so. It’s a cool story, one that deserves to be told as much as campaigns like this or #stopsucking.

What’s the solution? First, please consider the unintended consequences of preaching about “a more environmentally friendly menu” because it does hurt family businesses – and the small communities they help support.  Secondly, take a look at nutrition as part of the sustainability equation. As scientists who developed the first Nutrient Density to Climate Impact (NDCI) index said “A sustainable diet cannot be formulated based only on one or a few aspects, but requires taking the complexity of many nutrients into consideration.” Their study clearly shows that milk offers more nutritional bang for the hypothetical buck (or $5 latte) – when both nutrition and  greenhouse gas emissions are considered.

Just as it takes more than one formula to create a grande latte, sustainability includes multiple ingredients. Sustainability in food production, done well, takes a big picture look at the environment, the ability of family businesses to succeed long-term and contribute to their local communities – AND the nutrition value food brings to society. Expanding plant-based beverages does not necessarily mitigate climate change, but it does have health consequences, in both physical and mental well-being

Won’t you please
consider the nutritional value of your beverages and the unintended consequences
you have handed to family business who are suffering, but believe in a
sustainable future? I support choice, understand some people are lactose
intolerant, have friends who are vegan, and my family eat almonds nearly every
day.

We support choice without insinuating any of those is more superior . Isn’t it possible to sell coffee the same way, and not state that plant-based is more environmentally friendly? Let’s take a look at social good for all, including family farmers. Isn’t that what “inspiring and nurturing the human spirit every day” should include?