We like to imagine dairy cows living on wide open green pastures.

The kind with a charming red barn and windmill in the background.

We picture them happy. How could they not be? This is where cows belong!

Unfortunately, it’s not where most of them actually are.

The majority of dairy cows in the United States now live on factory farms.

Which are often a lot more ‘factory’ than ‘farm.

Factory farms make dairy products cheap and plentiful.

They also create a lot of problems, and not just for cows.

Factory farming is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.

It’s also a major driver of deforestation.

Not to mention water pollution.

The good news? We don’t need factory farms to make dairy.

In fact, we don’t even need cows.

Instead, we can teach microflora to make whey protein.

We can combine that milk protein with plant-based ingredients.

And supercharge it with vitamins and minerals.

So it looks, feels, and tastes just like the real thing.

If we can do that, we can change how dairy is made forever.

And leave dairy cows to do dairy cow things.

Or recording their debut album.

Or going where no cow has gone before.