For the raw milk supporters....

[freemotion]

My hackle feathers are up and I am blazing mad! Duck!

 

[Wifezilla]

I just posted more info on the BYC thread. It looks like the organic milk market took a hit in 2009 and the amount of milk bought from the farmers was cut.

"Maltby and others say Hood isn't the only company that's cut prices. Horizon has, too, and Organic Valley has limited the amount of milk it will accept from producers. Farmers who spoke privately with MPR confirmed that they'd taken a pay cut and sometimes lost contracts entirely."
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/07/14/organic_dairy/

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Oh, so the farmer's are required to sell 100% but OV doesn't have to buy 100%?

Come the )(*$@ on!

What are they supposed to do with the excess? I'm only milking one goat, getting 3/4-1 gallon daily and I have some excess!

Today, a gallon of organic milk is $6 and conventional milk is $3.50. But the organic dairy model has also changed. It had been regional with lots of dairies filling the shelves of co-ops. Today, three companies dominate the market: Horizon Organic, Organic Valley and HP Hood.

Are we seeing a trend here? More & more monsatan like...

ETA: Did more reading and here's how it goes.

The farmer signs on with OV, contracts to sell 100% of their milk to the co-op. Co-op agrees to purchase based on quotas. Once that quota is reached, OV buys the rest of the milk at conventional prices. So the farmers get to work very hard to be organic, pay the extra for paperwork & the like, gets inspected to make sure they are following regulations, then they don't get to sell 100% of their product under that label. What happens if only 50% of what the farm produced fits under the quota? That's a big chunk of change considering that organic goes for almost double conventional.

 

[valmom]

Corporate "organic" is no better than any other corporate produced food. I want a half and half alternative! SO will not do without it, and that's what's at our coop. I could start getting a regular corporate brand, but that's not a good choice either. And, at least OV isn't from BGH treated cows (it is, isn't it?? to be "organic"?)

 

[big brown horse]

Ok, I went to my little indoor farmer's market "Fresh Local", where I buy my raw milk. I told them about the OV milk, which they also sell.

The store owner told me that my raw milk's dairy "Dungenous Creamery" used to sell a big portion of their milk to a big conglomerate milk company around here called "Dairygold". That is until Dairygold told them they they would not be allowed to sell their milk as raw on the side anymore, same thing as OV.

Dungenous did the right thing and immediately cut ties with Dairygold...and took a big hit financially. I'm so proud of them!!

Wz, I can't log in over at BYC right now, or else I would support you and everyone else on your thread. (Give them this link if you havn't already done so.)

 

[big brown horse]

Corporate "organic" is no better than any other corporate produced food. I want a half and half alternative! SO will not do without it, and that's what's at our coop. I could start getting a regular corporate brand, but that's not a good choice either. And, at least OV isn't from BGH treated cows (it is, isn't it?? to be "organic"?)

Hey Valmom,

I am pretty sure organic milk can't be from BGH treated cows. (Unless things have changed lately.)

Do you have an Albertsons? They sell "Private Selection" organic dairy products. That is what I use for butter etc.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I know some of you are fans of the Weston A. Price Foundation and may have already read this, but for the rest of you, see the letter below from Sally Fallon Morell regarding Organic Valley's current business model.

INFORMATION UPDATE
ORGANIC VALLEYS ANTI-RAW MILK POLICY

...Dear Members,

As many of you may have already heard, the CROPP cooperative, producer of dairy products and other foodstuffs under the Organic Valley (OV) and Organic Prairie labels, voted at their May 13 board meeting to prohibit any of the CROPP farmer members from selling raw milk as a side business. The vote was a close onefour in favor, three againstreflecting the division of opinion among the CROPP board members themselves. After the Board vote, the cooperative took the decision to their Dairy Executive Committee (DEC) for further discussion and another vote. The result was a split, 20 votes in favor and 20 against. This policy is to take effect January 1, 2011.

We at WAPF did not immediately publicize this new policy, instead writing privately to CROPP CEO George Siemon and the members of the board, urging them to reconsider and take the issue back to the board for further discussion and another vote. In our letter, we addressed some of what we felt were misguided issues that led to the cooperatives anti-raw milk stance, such as potential liability to CROPP and marketplace competition, pointing out that these were grossly inflated and not legitimate concerns; we noted the potential downside to CROPPs reputation as a supporter of family farms; and, most importantly, we pointed out that the new policy would impose severe economic hardship on many farmers, farmers the co-op was founded to protect. (For a discussion and rebuttal of CROPPs concerns about raw milk, see below.)

Many of CROPPs farmers have high levels of debt, and they have, over the past few years, faced new financial burdens with lower pay prices and quotas that CROPP had in place for the past yearin some cases amounting to a 30 percent reduction in income. Their financial situation is recovering somewhat now, but many are challenged to make up for past losses.

Many of their farmers had active raw milk businesses established before they even joined the cooperative, many operating in states where the enterprise is unquestionably legal. Others developed raw milk customers after their incomes droppedallowing these farms to remain solvent. The new policy will force these farmers to choose between remaining a CROPP member or selling raw milk exclusively, either of which will likely lead to severe financial stress or even bankruptcy and possible loss of the family farm.

Despite our grave concerns, I received a response from George Siemon dated June 21, 2010, stating that the anti-raw milk policy would remain in effect. In the letter, Siemon insisted that CROPP is not against raw milk, and that we are standing on the same side of the river in supporting organic and local food, agricultural reform and corporate reform.

Is that true? CROPP did indeed start small, as a local cooperative of just a few dozen vegetable farmers, the Coulee Region Organic Produce Pool. The co-ops seven dairy producers soon branched out from produce to include cheese and eventually other dairy products. Unfortunately, in so doing, they opted for the industrial model. Instead of producing what consumers were asking fordairy products as natural as possible, such as low-temperature, non-homogenized milkCROPP chose to market ultra-high temperature (UHT), homogenized industrial-style milk and cream. (UHT processing takes milk to 230 degrees F, way above the boiling point, thereby killing every enzyme and immune-supporting factor in the milk.) When they branched out into eggs, they chose the industrial organic confinement model, instead of pastured poultry, something their grass-based farmers were perfectly positioned to do. Their raw cheese is actually heated to above 150 degrees. They also sell an Organic Valley brand of soy milk.

We then further delayed making any announcement about the OV decision because we were working behind the scenes with representatives of the co-op, and hoping that OV would reconsider. However, at their most recent board meeting, the board voted 7-0 that raw milk sales by their producers must not exceed 1 percent of their volume, and must be limited to family, friends and neighbors. While some board members have insisted that this anti-raw milk policy will not be enforced, we hear from others in the organization that OV is planning to strenuously enforce the policy.

In any event, for the average OV farmer, 1 percent is probably about three to six gallons per day, so the updated policy merely puts a gloss on the original anti-raw milk stance. The new policy will mean that thousands of consumers who need raw milk for their own and their childrens health will no longer be able to obtain it.

Ironically, the $12 billion dairy industry giant, Dean Foods, which owns the Horizon Organic label, the largest conventional and organic dairy producer in the United States, has specifically stated that its farmers are free to sell or provide raw milk on the side. Dean Foods/Horizon the good guys and Organic Valley hurting family farmersthis picture seems upside down.

This isn't the first time CROPP seems to have lost its bearings. A couple of years ago, the management opted to buy some of their milk from a 7200-cow industrial dairy located in an arid part of Texas, until some of their farmer-members found out and put an end to the lunacyboth their farmers and consumers saw the move as a violation of trust. Organic Valley has always represented itself as being pro-family farmertheir management shouldn't need to be reminded that a 7200-cow dairy is not a family farm!

Just as in the case of buying from factory farms, we hope CROPP farmer leadership will come to their senses and rescind their destructive anti-raw milk policy.

The unfortunate decision by the CROPP board should galvanize all of us to renew our efforts to purchase as much of our food as possible directly from local farmers; if your only choice for dairy foods and eggs is the local health food store or cooperative, make a point of purchasing from the local dairy producers listed in our Shopping Guide. Farmer-friendly brands such as Natural by Nature and farmstead dairy producers such as Traders Point Creamery, among many others, are highly rated in The Cornucopia Institute's organic dairy scorecard (ratings of all 120 organic brands www.cornucopia.org) and deserve our food dollars. Another good choice is to purchase raw grass-fed butter from one of our many advertisers in Wise Traditions and have it shipped to you.

If the farm family you get your raw milk from faces the dilemma of choosing between CROPP and direct raw milk sales, please express your support for them and do everything you can to help them choose the latter. You can help them build their customer base, reduce their expenses by offering help on the farm, and even provide the funding and financial advice they may desperately need to make the transition. The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund can help assist with advice and model cow-share and herd-share agreements.

If you feel betrayed by a cooperative that you had always considered to be an ally, you can also visit their website, www.organicvalley.coop, and let them know how you feel. Maybe if they hear from enough of us, they will realize the damage they are doing to their brands reputation. Please consider forwarding this message to your friends and family members who might also want to convey their feelings to Organic Valley management.

Above all, lets all make the pledge to vote with our pocketbooks in support of small farmers and artisan producers instead of large commercial dairy interests that put their profits before the interests of the hard-working farmers who produce their milk and other commodities.

Sincerely yours,
Sally Fallon Morell, President
The Weston A. Price Foundation

Yay Sally!!

 

[freemotion]

Thank you for posting this...I will be passing it on!

Just sent it out with a personal note to a large number of people on my email list, asking them to write to OV.

 

[Wifezilla]

Quite a few people on byc wrote and posted their replies. Very corporate double speak and cookie cutter.

I have not purchased a single OV product since this story broke. I will continue to not purchase their butter, cheese or milk until they reverse their policy.

I also checked that report the article linked to. I was very happy to see Farmers Creamery getting an Excellent rating.

 

[Javamama]

I'm not buying from them either. I have found other alternatives.