What did you picture when you read the title of this piece? My hope is that you pictured a tall glass of “real” milk with maybe some cookies that needed to be washed down.

For more than 60 years my family and extended family have been associated with the dairy industry. We produced high quality milk that came from the cows that called the farm home.

These cows had it good. They were kept in the barn all winter so they were warm and comfortable. They had plenty of good quality hay and an assortment of grains to eat.

By the time they started staying inside most of them had calved and their offspring were also in the barn.

When our children were young some of the animals traveled to the Warren County Fair to be shown and exhibited. These animals wanted for nothing. The children saw that they had exercise, were well-groomed, and had plenty to eat and drink. The children took great pride in keeping them clean.

The dairy industry was good to our family. No, we never made a ton of money, but what we made covered expenses. We were very efficient. I told my husband when we married that I would be happy to work, but that I would not work to keep the farm going. My income would provide the insurance which we so badly needed. It also would contribute toward groceries and for the upgrading of Hickory Heights. I had no problem with any of these expenses.

Years ago, I wrote a piece about the discrepancy of what they farmer received for the milk versus the price charged in the store. I did a lot of research for this piece. As it turned out most farmers knew their income was low, but they had no idea what they received per quart. The dairy paid by the pound and averaged the price according on the fat content.

All of that has changed. The quality that used to be looked for is no longer popular. Now everyone wants their food lean and as calorie free as it can be.

I still purchase real milk and dairy products. They are always talking about things being genetically modified. I have looked at some of the milk alternatives and cannot figure out how something with that may unpronounceable ingredients cannot be considered not genetically modified.

As far as I can tell the milk alternatives — although by sight they resemble milk — are all additives. I read a carton this morning that had two quantities of purified water listed as ingredients. If I purchase that I am paying an awful lot for water.

Then, there is the type of milk made with almonds — less than 4 percent almonds I might add. It, too, is loaded with a bunch of ingredients I never heard of. I have nothing against the almond growers, but I do not consider this milk.

The other day the lady behind me in the grocery store had several cartons of almond milk in her cart. I almost asked if she had someone in her family who was lactose intolerant.

People are being caught up in the frenzy of purchasing many alternative products — because they are supposedly healthier. They have latched on to the buzzwords of gluten free and lactose intolerance. In actuality there are few people who need to purchase gluten-free items. Unless they have celiac disease, the benefits are quite costly but not beneficial to them.

Can you tell that I get annoyed when these products are passed off as “milk”? There is no similarity to the product that is produced by cows. The taste is disgusting. I can only tolerate it if I add cocoa powder and that is not always the way I want to use it. Chocolate “milk” on cereal is not good. It is not good in baking — there is an aftertaste. This also does not take into account the number of artificial things that it contains.

When the children were growing up we drank raw milk. The bacteria count was low to nonexistent. We did not worry about disease since the milk was sampled at each and every pickup. They always carried their milk in their thermoses. They did not like the way the school milk tasted.

In those days no one worried about obesity. The children got plenty of exercise playing outdoors. The adults got exercise as well just doing their chores. There were no video games to capture the attention of the young ones. We walked everywhere. That is what we need to get back doing to curb obesity.

When I say “make mine milk” I mean the real honest-to-goodness stuff that is a rich white color and comes from cows!

How about a cheer for the dairy farmers of America? If we do not support them we will soon be without an adequate supply of milk.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.