Organic Cheesemaking Business Launched by Dairy Farm Near LaFargeville

Here's a story by colleague Ted Booker about an organic cheesemaking operation in Northern New York.

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/organic-cheesemaking-business-launched-by-dairy-farm-near-lafargeville--20151130 to check it out.

Tuesday Webinar Focuses on Transitioning to Organic Dairy Farming

From the New York Organic Dairy Initiative:

A webinar to help conventional dairy farmers switch to organic dairy farming is being conducted from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday May 19.

With the current downturn in milk pricing, demand for organic milk outpacing supply and stable pricing for organically-produced milk, now is the time for conventional dairy farmers to think about transitioning to organic milk production, says NY Organic Dairy Initiative Project Manager Fay Benson with the Cornell University South Central NY Regional Team.

The transition to organic production can be challenging to plan and may take up to three years to complete, Benson said. The ‘Tools for Transitioning to Organic Dairy’ webinar is for those who work with dairies interested in becoming organic producers and farmers considering the transition.

In addition to Benson, the webinar will feature presenters with the Northeast Organic Farming Association, USDA Farm Services Agency, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Presentations will cover the requirements for organic certification, tools to adjust conventional farming practices to meet those requirements, and the types of federal loans and Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative resources that can help with transition costs.

Other topics include how to develop an Organic System Plan, spreadsheets for figuring the cost of transitioning cropland, other tools for making the switch to organic dairy crops production, and return on investment data.

Register for the webinar at http://blogs.cornell.edu/organicdairyinitiative/. For more details, contact Benson at 607-753-5213.

The NY Organic Dairy Initiative receives funding from the New York Farm Viability Institute and support from Cornell Cooperative Extension dairy extension teams statewide.

Organic Dairy Workshops Coming Up

From the New York Organic Dairy Initiative:

The New York Organic Dairy Initiative, in collaboration with the New York Farm Viability Institute and host farmers across New York state, will hold discussion meetings for dairy farmers titled “Lunch with Jerry” to honor the late Jerry Brunetti, worldwide lecturer on biological farming systems.

Cornell Cooperative Extension organic dairy extension educator Fay Benson will show video trainings produced by  Brunetti for the NY Organic Dairy Initiative. Brunetti, of Pennsylvania, died in December of cancer. 

He was in demand across the United States and the world to speak on topics of soil fertility, livestock health and animal nutrition.

The discussions are an opportunity for farmers to share what they have tried and learned in the past year, and to make plans and identify goals for 2015. Farmers who are currently certified as well as those thinking of transitioning to organic production are welcome.

Benson notes these meetings are an excellent place for farmers who are considering whether organic production is a good fit for their farm to ask questions.

The 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. meeting are free and include lunch. The meetings will be from March 19 through April 1 as follows:

March 19; Alfred State College Farm, 1315 New York 244, Alfred, NY 14803
Host: Virginia Chamberlain—Alfred State Farm Manager

March 20, Dave Hardy Farm Shop, 718 Aney Hill Road, Mohawk, NY 13407
Host: Dave Hardy

March 26, Hooper Farm, 7197 River Road, Memphis, NY 13112
Hosts: Mike and Karen Hooper
Special focus: Transitioning farmer with robotic milkers

March 31, Hammond Village Hall, 24 S. Main St. Hammond, NY 13646
Host: Farmer Liz Bawden

April 1, Malone Courthouse, 355 W. Main St., #456 Malone, NY 12953
Host: Farmers Fred and Gwen Tuttle.

To register for any site, contact Ellen Fagan at etf22@cornell.edu or 607-753-5078 or visit http://scnydfc.cce.cornell.edu online.

highly demanded lecturer and speaker, both nationally and internationally, on topics that included soil fertility, animal nutrition and livestock health. - See more at: http://obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-brunetti-jerry&pid=173573086&fhid=31073#sthash.9bELBHCj.dpuf

highly demanded lecturer and speaker, both nationally and internationally, on topics that included soil fertility, animal nutrition and livestock health. - See more at: http://obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-brunetti-jerry&pid=173573086&fhid=31073#sthash.9bELBHCj.dpuf

both nationally and internationally, on topics that included soil fertility, animal nutrition and livestock health. - See more at: http://obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-brunetti-jerry&pid=173573086&fhid=31073#sthash.wuYNpZvW.dpuf

both nationally and internationally, on topics that included soil fertility, animal nutrition and livestock health. - See more at: http://obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-brunetti-jerry&pid=173573086&fhid=31073#sthash.wuYNpZvW.dpuf

USDA HAs One-Stop Shop for Organic Info

This is from the USDA:

Looking for USDA programs and services that support the growing organic sector? USDA has created a centralized web resource center at USDA.gov for all the programs, services, and data we have that support organic agriculture.

Visit (and bookmark) the organic web resource center at http://usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=organic-agriculture.html to access:

• Conservation programs, flexible microloans, and other financial resources for farmers and ranchers.
• Organic price reports, cost/revenue comparisons, and other economic and market data.
• Improved crop and livestock insurance and other programs tailored to the organic sector.
• Production and conservation assistance and research on organic agriculture.
• Benefits of organic certification and how to get certified.
• USDA staff at your local field offices and much more!

USDA is committed to helping organic agriculture grow and thrive by removing obstacles for organic farmers and businesses.

Earlier this year, Secretary Vilsack instructed all USDA agencies to incorporate the needs of the organic sector into their programs and services, and asked AMS to lead this effort.

This one-stop shop for organic-related programs and services at USDA.gov is one way we are meeting those needs.

Go to http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/12/18/a-one-stop-shop-for-organics-with-lots-in-store/ or check out http://usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=organic-agriculture.html for more information.

NOFA-NY Winter Conference Coming in January

Heads up, all.

Look what's coming up.

Mom Is Swearing Off Organic Milk

So here's a talker.

What do you think http://mommamina.blogspot.com/2013/08/top-5-reasons-why-im-flippin-bird-to.html about this blog entry about organic milk?

June is Dairy Month -- Organic Dairies on the Rise

One of the fastest growing segments of dairy in New York state is organic, according to state figures.

A. Fay Benson, of Cornell University and Project Manager for the NY Organic Dairy Initiative, said there are more than 400 certified organic dairies in the state -- about 10 percent of all dairy farms. 

"The dairies are mostly smaller dairies with the average being about 40 cows -- the largest dairy would be around 400 cows," she said. "From 1996 up until this year the organic dairy market has been increasing at a double digit rate. This year it appears to be slowing but still increasing."

It isn't easy to become a certified organic dairy -- it takes a lot of time, energy and paperwork to follow through. Paul and Maureen Knapp, in Preble, Cortland County, shipped their first organic milk in 2001 fromn their Cobblestone Valley Farm to Organic Valley, a cooperative of about 1,650 organic farms.

 They had to switch to organic feed for the cows and getting their pasture land certified as organic (no fertilizers or chemicals used) so the cows can eat in the pasture when the weather is good.
 
To have their land certified, farmers must prove they've added no fertilizers or chemicals to it for three years. They also have to be sure there is a buffer between the organic land and neighbors farmland, so chemicals used there don't end up on the organic land. And then every year, there is more paperwork to recertify the farm.

A study by the Union of Concerned Scientists called "Cream of the Crop: The Economic Benefits of Organic Dairy Farms," shows the organic dairy sector creates more jobs in rural community and provides more economic opportunity.
“Over the past 30 years, dairy farmers have had a choice: either get big or get out. Dairy farmers either had to expand dramatically and become large industrial operations or they went out of business,” Jeffrey O’Hara, agricultural economist for the Food and Environment Program at UCS and author of the report stated about the study. “However, organic dairy production offers farmers another option – one that is better for the environment, produces a healthier product, and leads to greater levels of economic activity.”

In the study of financial data from 2008 to 2011 in Minnesota and Vermont, the Union of Concerned Scientists study showed organic dairy farms "would be expected to contribute 33 percent more to the state’s economy than conventional farms, and employ 83 percent more workers" in Vermont. "Similarly, in Minnesota, organic dairies would increase the state’s economy by 11 percent more and employment by 14 percent more than conventional dairy farms."

A certified organic farm is one that goes through the certification process with an organization such as NOFA-NY. An exempt organic farm is one that follows National Organic Standards, but is too small to go through the certification process. A certified farm can use the USDA Organic seal on its products. An exempt farm can use the term organic, but cannot use the USDA Organic seal.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture study of organics, that covered the year 2008, shows total organic product sales in the United States of nearly $3.2 billion (that includes all organics, from dairy to produce). New York state registered about $105 million in sales.
 
Go to  http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/dybdairyorganic.pdf to check out the USDA report for the organic dairy market. 

Go to http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/cream-of-the-crop-report.pdf to read the Union of Concerned Scientists study on organic dairy farms.