Kentucky State Drink

Milk

Adopted in 1985.

Milk was adopted in 1985 as the Kentucky State Drink.

Milk production and the manufacture of dairy products are major contributors to the economic well-being of Kentucky agriculture there were 1614 dairy farms in Kentucky in 2002-2003, with a milk production value of $213 million; and the 2005 Dietary Advisory Committee has increased the recommendation for dairy foods from 2-3 servings in the 2000 Guidelines, to 3 servings of lowfat and fat-free dairy foods every day; and milk is an invaluable source of calcium, B vitamins, protein, and other nutrients such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamins A and D; and milk and milk products promote and maintain strong bones and good health.

Did you know that: Milk has been proclaimed the official state beverage or drink in each of the following states:

State Symbol: Milk

Arkansas | Delaware | Louisiana | Minnesota | Mississippi | Nebraska
New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Oregon | Oklahoma | Pennsylvania South Carolina | South Dakota | Vermont | Virginia | Wisconsin

Kentucky State Drink: Milk

Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many diseases in the baby. It also contains many other nutrients

Pertinent Facts

• All cows are females (males are called bulls).
• A cow makes milk after she has a calf. The mother cow makes a very special milk for her calf; it is called colostrum. Colostrum has extra vitamins and protein and is very good for the calf.
• Cows drink 30 to 40 gallons of water each day.
• Cows provide 90% of the world's milk supply.
• A cow's udder can hold 25-50 pounds of milk at a time - no wonder she's so eager to be milked - and a cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.

Can You Say, "I'm Full?"
Cows are BIG eaters. Did you know that cows have four stomachs and eat 90 pounds of food a day? That's probably more than you weigh! A cow that chows on only grass can make 50 glasses of milk a day. But one that eats grass, corn and hay can make 100 glasses of milk a day!

Milk has a long and rich history. For example, did you know?

1. Sanskrit records mentioned milk 6,000 years ago.
2. The Bible describes the Promised Land as Aa land flowing with milk and honey."
3. The Greek physician Hippocrates recommended milk as a medicine some 2,300 years ago.
4. Christopher Columbus brought cattle to the New World on his second voyage.
5. It has been said that one reason for the high death rate among those who traveled to the New World on the Mayflower was that they had no fresh milk to drink.
6. Cows were brought from Europe to the Jamestown colony in 1611 and to the Plymouth colony in 1624.
7. Cheese was an important item in the diet of the Vikings, who from about the 8th to the 10th century sailed the seas on long voyages.
8. Cheese was an article of commerce in ancient Rome. Monks developed the art of cheese making in Europe in the Middle Ages.

Capitol agog over milk

The Kentucky Post

FRANKFORT - She wasn't wearing a milk moustache, but Senate President Pro Tem Katie Stine was utterly milking it.

At a news conference earlier this week promoting a bill to make milk Kentucky's official state drink, the Fort Thomas Republican tugged on the teats of Cassie, an award-winning cow from Salvisa in Mercer County.

It wasn't the first time Stine milked a cow, but the event was significant for its location. "It was a new experience milking a cow in front of the capitol," Stine said. Her past milking experience occurred on field trips with her children to Sunrock Farm in the Campbell County city of Wilder.

Sen. Joey Pendleton, D-Hopkinsville, also took part in the lactose love fest on the capitol's lawn. A former dairy farmer, Pendleton has sponsored Senate Bill 93, which would make milk the official drink of Kentucky. The measure passed out of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources committee on Thursday.

Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer, who as a University of Kentucky basketball player promoted dairy products in ad campaigns that featured him wearing a milk mustache, joined Pendleton.

"Milk is nature's most perfect food," Pendleton said during Wednesday's news conference.

Making milk the state drink theoretically would also encourage young children to drink it rather than sugary sodas. Both the House and Senate have advanced bills this session that would require schools to offer healthier snacks and meals for students.

"At the time that we talk about our school programs and what's in the vending machines it's time we step up to the plate and have milk in our schools and our vending machines," Pendleton said.

Through highlighting dairy products as a state emblem, Pendleton and Farmer said they hoped to provide some necessary uplift to the region's dairy farmers, who through the years have dried up.

But not everyone agrees milk is the state's most perfect drink. Kentucky's pretty famous for bourbon, too.

"Kentucky is known for two things - horses and bourbon," said Ed O'Daniel, president of the Kentucky Distillers' Association. "I have never in my travels heard milk mentioned as a native Kentucky product."

O'Daniel did acknowledge, however, that Kentuckians in terms of volume probably drink more milk than bourbon.

But should the bill become law, Kentucky would not be the only state to declare milk as its favorite beverage. Other states to make milk their official state drink are Arkansas, Delaware and Louisiana.

Kentucky Senate Bill 93

AN ACT relating to state emblems.

WHEREAS, milk production and the manufacture of dairy products are major contributors to the economic well-being of Kentucky agriculture; and

WHEREAS, there were 1614 dairy farms in Kentucky in 2002-2003, with a milk production value of $213 million; and

WHEREAS, the 2005 Dietary Advisory Committee has increased the recommendation for dairy foods from 2-3 servings in the 2000 Guidelines, to 3 servings of lowfat and fat-free dairy foods every day; and

WHEREAS, milk is an invaluable source of calcium, B vitamins, protein, and other nutrients such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamins A and D; and

WHEREAS, milk and milk products promote and maintain strong bones and good health;

NOW, THEREFORE,
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:

SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 2 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS:
Milk is named and designated as the official state drink of Kentucky.

Kentucky Law

The law designating milk as the official Kentucky state drink is found in the Kentucky Revised Statutes, Title 1, Chapter 2, Section 2.084.

TITLE I - SOVEREIGNTY AND JURISDICTION OF THE COMMONWEALTH.
CHAPTER 2 - CITIZENSHIP, EMBLEMS, HOLIDAYS, AND TIME.

2.084 State drink.
Milk is named and designated as the official state drink of Kentucky.
Effective:June 20, 2005
History: Created 2005 Ky. Acts ch. 36, sec. 1, effective June 20, 2005.