Organic Dairy in the United States

Organic dairy in the United States has its roots and history steeped in conventional dairy production. The United States is different from Europe due to the extensive logistical infrastructure, which allows product to be consumed literally thousands of miles from where it originated. 

Midwestern farmers are selling and dissolving multi-generational farms at an unprecedented rate, which has led to the federal order system frequently being challenged in recent years nonetheless it remains in effect. 

The prices received by the conventional farmer have little to do with the actual cost of production, which is based on land values, availability and location of feed, and bovine production. In recent years, however, we have seen the migration of the dairy farms to less profitable regions because of the higher premium paid for conventional milk. In some cases this has been successful and in other cases not. We find ourselves irrigating desert land and pumping water from aquifers deep below the surface. It is not in the opinion of this writer sustainable or profitable. 

Organic dairy has many faces and models in likeness to conventional dairy. The original model is family farm based, and I believe the more sustainable method. Family farmers who grow at least 50% of their feed, and are active in the day-to-day management of the farm appear to have good success. By trading off their physical labour, they return more dollars to the acre than the conventional farmer. The second model is the modem model where cattle are kept en masse, and feed is brought to them. This model has many of 

Organic dairy officially evolved in the late 1980s - based on farmers/producers around the nation who had rebelled against the continual forces of pesticide application, herbicide application, antibiotics, and hormones. 

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Calcium Hypochlorite. High assay calcium hypochlorite [7778-54-3] was first commercialized in the United States in 1928 by Mathieson Alkali Works, Inc. (now Olin Corp.) under the trade name HTH. It is now produced by two additional manufacturers in North America (Table 5). Historically, it usually contained about 1% water and 70—74% av CI2, so-called anhydrous product, but in 1970, a hydrated product was introduced (234). It is similar in composition to anhydrous Ca(OCl)2 except for its higher water content of about 6—12% and a slightly lower available chlorine content. This product has improved resistance to accidental initiation of self-sustained decomposition by a Ht match, a Ht cigarette, or a small amount of organic contamination. U.S. production in the 1990s consists primarily of partially hydrated Ca(OCl)2, which is sold as a 65% av CI2 product mainly for swimming pool use. Calcium hypochlorite is also sold as a 50% av CI2 product as a sanitizer used by dairy and food industries and in the home, and as a 32% product for mildew control. 

These families all have the opportunity as small businesses to grow and further develop their enterprises. They are their own boss. Solid organic dairy pricing allows the farmer to plan on his expansion, or lack thereof. Commitments to milk haulers based on a mileage payment allows them to budget and plan constructively. Farmers now constitute less than 3% of the population in the United States, however much of the nation s economy is driven by the wealth of the farmer. When farmers prosper, the economy is healthy. 

Strauss Family Farms built the first dairy plant in Marshall, California. Here they make butter, and bottle milk in glass bottles. Organic Valley built the second plant in Chaseburg, Wisconsin, where they manufacture their European-style cultured butter and reload milk. These two facilities account for less than 10% of the organic dairy production in the United States. The remainder is done by a complex infrastructure of conventional dairy plants. 

In the United States, there is a federal standard for fluid dairy production that is known as the Interstate Milk Standard. This is a standard that is supported by the Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), both of which carry out various parts of the inspection process. The standard requires that dairy facilities can audit the milk from the farm through the plant and as finished product. Because this infrastructure already exists, the auditing of organic dairy production is quite simple. 

Copper Chlorophyll. Current efforts to improve the green color of processed foods include the use of copper complexes of chlorophyll derivatives. Copper complexes of pheophytin and pheophorbide are available commercially under the names copper chlorophyll and copper chlorophyllin, respectively. Their use in canned foods, soups, candy, and dairy products is permitted in most European countries under regulatory control of the European Economic Community (47). The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (48) has certified their safe use in foods provided that no more than 200 ppm of free ionizable copper is present. Use of copper-containing chlorophyll derivatives in foods is not allowed in the United States under the Color Additive Amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938. 

Animals may transmit Brucella organisms during septic abortion, at the time of slaughter, and in their milk. Brucellosis is rarely, if ever, transmitted from person to person. The incidence of human disease is thus closely tied to the prevalence of infection in sheep, goats, and cattle, and to practices that allow exposure of humans to potentially infected animals or their products. In the United States, where most states are free of infected animals and where dairy products are routinely pasteurized, illness occurs primarily in individuals such as veterinarians, shepherds, cattlemen, and slaughterhouse workers who have occupational exposure to infected animals. In many other countries, humans more commonly acquire infection by ingestion of unpasteurized dairy products, especially cheese. 

Many adults, and some children, are unable to hydrolyze lactose because they do not make the enzyme lactase. This condition, which affects 20% of the population of the United States, is known as lactose intolerance. Undigested lactose remains in the intestinal tract and causes cramping and diarrhea that can eventually lead to dehydration. Some of the lactose is metabolized by intestinal bacteria that release organic acids and CO2 gas into the intestines, causing further discomfort. Lactose intolerance is unpleasant, but its effects can be avoided by a diet that excludes milk and milk products. Alternatively, the enzyme that hydrolyzes lactose is available in tablet form. When ingested with dairy products it breaks down the lactose, preventing symptoms. 

Sato, K., Bennedsgaard, T.W., Bartlett, PC., Erskine, R.J. and Kaneene, J.B. 2004. Comparison of antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bulk tank milk in organic and conventional dairy herds in the Midwestern United States and Denmark. Journal of Pood Protection Cl. 1104-1110. 

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