Posted: August 21, 2007 at 6:00 pm
By News Editor
A few weeks ago, Jackie Avner from the Denver Post wrote an editorial about her reasons for buying regular goods verses organic goods. Take a minute and read her thoughts and comments on the booming organic market.
I don’t like to buy organic food products, and avoid them at all cost. It is a principled decision reached through careful consideration of effects of organic production practices on animal welfare and the environment. I buy regular food, rather than organic, for the benefit of my family.
I care deeply about food being plentiful, affordable and safe. I grew up on a dairy farm, where my chores included caring for the calves and scrubbing the milking facilities. As a teenager, I was active in Future Farmers of America, and after college I took a job in Washington, D.C., on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee staff.
But America no longer has an agrarian economy, and now it is rare for people to have firsthand experience with agricultural production and regulation. This makes the general public highly susceptible to rumors and myths about food, and vulnerable to misleading marketing tactics designed not to improve the safety of the food supply, but to increase retail profits. Companies marketing organic products, and your local grocery chain, want you to think organic food is safer and healthier, because their profit margins are vastly higher on organic foods.
The USDA Organic label does not mean that there is any difference between organic and regular food products. Organic farms simply employ different methods of food production. For example, organic dairy farms are not permitted to administer antibiotics to their sick or injured cows, and do not give them milk-stimulating hormone supplements (also known as rbGH or rBST). The end product is exactly the same – all milk, regular and organic, is completely antibiotic-free, and all milk, regular and organic, has the same trace amounts of rbGH (since rbGH is a protein naturally present in all cows, including organic herds). Try as they may, proponents of organic foods have not been able to produce evidence that the food produced by conventional farms is anything but safe.
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Posted: July 9, 2007 at 4:39 pm
By News Editor
McDonald’s restaurants in the UK have announced a switch to organic milk for its coffee and hot chocolate drinks. The move could account for 5% of the UK’s organic milk supplies.
In a bid to tap into growing consumer interest in the provenance of food, the fast-food chain recently switched its supply of coffee beans to stocks certified by conservation group the Rainforest Alliance. The move added 10% to McDonalds coffee sales.
UK chief executive Steve Easterbrook said: “British consumers are increasingly interested in the quality, sourcing and ethics of the food and drink they buy. This has led to growth in the supply of British-produced organic milk, which has enabled us to make this move for our customers.”
McDonald’s will also be switching its mini pots of milk for tea to organic semi-skimmed milk.
Daryl Caswell of Arla Foods, which supplies all McDonalds’ mainland milk demand, said: “The organic market for milk has been increasing significantly year on year. It is good to see McDonalds is leading the quick-service sector in converting to organic.”
McDonalds also said it hoped the move would increase consumer demand for organic milk and help the sector to grow.
Posted: May 15, 2007 at 7:02 pm
By News Editor
Reports are circulating news of organic milk potentially flooding the market this year, due to next year’s regulation change and higher profit margins available to producers. A sure change after years of organic milk being in short supply.
The dairy industry is expecting organic milk supply to surge by at least 40 percent this year from a previous annual growth rate of 20 percent, creating an excess of 25 million gallons, according to some estimates. Meanwhile, consumer demand for organic milk will continue to grow at 25 percent annually, leading some industry experts to predict that a retail promotion war is imminent.
U.S. dairy processors and distributors like Dean Foods Stonyfield Farm and Organic Valley, a dairy farmers’ cooperative that sells to retail grocery chain Whole Foods Market and others, are welcoming the news because it provides an opportunity to expand the market and offer more organic milk-based products.
Greater quantities of organic powdered milk, yogurt, ice cream and cheeses are expected to hit store shelves as dairy processors divert their excess supply. Consumer prices for organic milk, however, are unlikely to drop because the industry expects the glut to be short term.
Companies have used the grace period to encourage more farmers to go organic and lock in higher long-term supplies, on the expectation that consumer demand will eventually catch up. They have also planned uses for the short-term excess supply, or are stepping up promotions. Beginning 2008, organic milk supply is expected to trickle off as retail promotions expand the market.
Raw prices for conventional milk are also expected to hit new highs in 2007 on strong cheese prices, global demand for whey and skim powdered milk, and higher grain costs. “The conventional market now looks a lot more profitable so there will less incentive for farmers to move into organic.”
Posted: March 16, 2007 at 4:53 pm
By News Editor
Recently, several organic organizations from Maine to California formed a national network called Federation of Organic Dairy Farmers (FOOD). The group was formed by the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, the Midwest Organic Dairy Producers Association and the Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. Combined, they represent more than 7850 organic dairies across the country. The group met in Wisconsin to discuss issues specific to their niche in the industry, and specifically, seeks to initiate stronger pasture requirements.
They unanimously support adding additional federal regulatory language to clarify that production of organic milk requires that organic dairy animals must consume at least 30% of their food needs (dry matter intake) from pasture for the entire growing season, for no less than 120 days.
Posted: March 8, 2007 at 8:25 pm
By News Editor
Organic farmers are hoping to have their needs heard and included in the new farm bill. Here are a few of the items they are seeking to be included.
Creating a $50 million-a-year grant program to assist farmers in adopting organic practices
Providing $5 million annually to help farmers offset the cost of attaining organic certification
Establishing a $25 million-a-year organic farming research program
Organic growers pay a 5 percent surcharge on their crop insurance rates. They want that to stop. And, in a challenge to some big corporate players, the growers want to be able to recoup their losses from manufacturers of genetically engineered seeds in case of crop contamination.
Posted: February 28, 2007 at 5:43 pm
By News Editor
A new study out of the UK shows that sales of organic milk have slowed considerably. Is this a glimmer of what may happen in the States?
According to market research company TNS, which closely monitors the market, sales of organic milk grew from 73.8 million litres in 2004 to 158 million last year. Though that represents rapid growth, it has slowed down considerably in recent months. Growth in the last 12 weeks has faltered to zero.
Organic represents only six percent of all milk bought. Despite being championed by a host of celebrities such as Anthony Worrall Thompson, this percentage shows little sign of rising substantially.
Tim Smith, the head of the Britain’s largest milk processor, Arla, said: “It’s starting to plateau because of the price premium.”
However, fans of organic milk claim the dramatic slowdown and rising prices are because of a lack of supply, with it taking at least two years for farmers to undertake the expensive process of converting to organic.
Posted: February 26, 2007 at 6:37 pm
By News Editor
Horizon Organic has a new president, Blaine E. McPeak, the former president of Kellogg Company’s portable breakfast and snacks division, and a leader in the company’s Kashi brand.
Dean Foods Company said Thursday that Blaine E. McPeak, a former Kellogg Co. executive, will join the company’s WhiteWave division as president of its Horizon Organic unit. McPeak will oversee all aspects of the Horizon Organic business and seek to expand the Rachel’s Organic brand, the company said.
Posted: February 22, 2007 at 8:33 pm
By News Editor
The Cornucopia Institute announced its intend to file a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), accusing the agency of failing to enforce federal laws about the labeling of organic foods. The impending lawsuit is the latest salvo in a seven-year-long dispute between organic family farmers and the USDA.
At the center of the controversy are two major agribusiness corporations, Dean Foods and Aurora Dairy. Dean’s Horizon brand and private-label milk produced by Aurora (marketed by Safeway, Wild Oats, Trader Joe’s and Wal- Mart) have gained a dominant market share, estimated as high as 70 percent, by ramping up production on feedlot dairies milking as many as 2000 to 10,000 cows, according to the institute.
The farms have been accused of confining their animals instead of pasturing them as the organic regulations require, and are therefore in violation of federal law, said David Cox, a Columbus, Ohio-based attorney representing Cornucopia on other matters involving the USDA and organic certifiers.
“There are five sections in the federal organic standards that relate to pasture and grazing. Taken together, they leave little doubt as to what is expected of organic livestock producers,” said Jim Riddle of the University of Minnesota and former chair of the National Organic Standards Board. “It’s no coincidence that except for the handful of mega-farms, all of the nation’s organic dairy farmers, and most of the certifiers that inspect them, understand that grazing is required and operate their farms in accordance with the law. It appears that the USDA is looking the other way by allowing these confinement dairies to not provide pasture for their lactating cows.”
Posted: January 20, 2007 at 6:13 am
By Chuck
Hello from Berlin, Germany and the International Green Week. I’m attending this huge international food show to take part in a board meeting of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ). We’re actually having our final meeting this morning.
Yesterday I had a little time to wander around the agricultural displays like this one. This is a showcase of organic dairy products in the bio-products pavilion. I had hoped to interview someone but the language barrier was very real last night. However I did meet a German dairy farmer who is a member of the cooperative that put on this display, Uplander Bauern Mokerei. From what I understood of our conversation the production of organic dairy products is small but growing here in Germany.
Besides farming he said he’s also involved in a lot of social work. I thought it was interesting that his dairy employs handicapped individuals, especially those with mental and emotional disabilities.
Posted: January 17, 2007 at 5:29 pm
By News Editor
Today, Organic Valley, an organic farmers cooperative welcomed the University of New Hampshire Organic Dairy Research Farm into its cooperative as a milk supplier and full voting member.
The first shipment of milk will go from UNH to Stonyfield Farm in Londonderry, New Hampshire, where it will be made into Stonyfield Farm Yogurt and Smoothies. Organic Valley will pick up milk every other day from UNH. On days when it does not go to Stonyfield Farm, the milk will go to Organic Valley’s processing partner in Connecticut, Guida Dairy, where it will be made into Organic Valley “New England Pastures” brand organic milk.
The UNH Organic Dairy will serve as both an applied research center for integrated organic production and management and an education center for organic dairy farmers, farmers undergoing or considering transition to organic and students of sustainable agriculture. UNH is the first land-grant university in the nation to launch an organic research dairy farm.
Posted: October 1, 2006 at 5:19 pm
By Chuck
The super store Target, is getting into the organics game. Using their own private label organic brand, Archer Farms, Target will offer a variet of organic groceries in their SuperTarget stores. Target also announced that their produce department is now certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Target Corp. said Thursday that it had introduced its own line of organic foods, countering Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s move into the fast-growing market. Target and Wal-Mart are helping to boost sales of organic foods by offering them to discount shoppers. Wal-Mart plans to carry more than 400 organic items.
Posted: September 27, 2006 at 8:40 pm
By Chuck
After a year-long transition, the Aurora Organic Dairy (AOD), the organization’s second organic dairy farm in Dublin, Texas is ready for production, tripling the company’s pastureland.
Aurora Organic Dairy the nation’s leading producer of private-label and store-brand organic milk and butter. Certified-organic pasture for the 3,300 organic milk cows at AOD’s farm in the Lone Star State will jump from 800 to 2,800 acres. This increase helps to fulfill AOD’s long-term pasture expansion for the Texas dairy, a plan initiated in the spring of 2004. The organic production company includes headquarters offices in Boulder, Colo., and. an organic dairy farm and on-farm organic dairy processing plant near Platteville, Colo. In July 2005, a second organic dairy farm near Dublin, Texas, completed its year-long transition to certified organic production. The company recently developed a third, state-of-the-art organic dairy farm — High Plains Organic Dairy — near Kersey, Colo., which began organic milk production in September 2006.
Full story
Posted: August 23, 2006 at 9:18 pm
By Chuck
The state of Kentucky joins the rest of the country’s bandwagon for organic dairies. Marlin Sauder, Sharon Grove, became the first certified organic dairy farmer in state, and Organic Valley’s 600th organic dairy farmer.
According to Organic Valley, Sauder is part of “Generation Organic” or “Gen-O”, the term for the dairy producers who are meeting the country’s demand for organic products.
You can read more on this story here.
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