Michigan dairy farmers who put cutting-edge research to good use
on the farm should beware: some people don't think cows and
science make a good combination.  The latest biotechnology
controversy involves Bovine Somatotropin, or BST as it is
commonly known. It's a protein hormone produced naturally by a
cow's pituitary gland to stimulate milk production for new-born
calves. For more than a half-century, scientists have known that
cows can boost their milk production by as much as 40 percent
when given BST supplements, which can mean an increase in milk
of up to nine pounds per cow per day.  The best scientific
evidence available tells us that the extra BST does no harm to
either the cows or the milk. In fact, the extra BST does not
even show up in the milk, which is indistinguishable from the
milk given by cows that do not get the supplement. "No matter
how much extra is injected," says Michigan State University
animal science specialist H. Allen Tucker, "tests show there is
no chemical change in the milk." T