Organic Valley in the News

Who knew organic farming could be so technology driven? You picture the free range and synthetic-hormone-free cows and chickens. But who would have thought data integration and reporting would be so vital to keeping the whole operation humming? In fact, Organic Valley, the largest organic dairy coop in the United States, has been thriving, with sales growing more than 600 percent over the last eight years to reach $530 million in 2008. In an industry in which slim, two-percent margins are common, business intelligence has been the key to keeping the 1,400-member coop profitable.

The former Chaseburg School is getting a makeover from Organic Valley.

The La Farge-based business is remodeling the school to store dry products, including packaging material for butter production. The remodeling is expected to be done by Sept. 30.

Organic Valley is leasing the building from the village, which bought it from Westby Area School District for $1, with the intent of buying the structure later this year.

A dock has been added on the west side of the older section of the school and a short road built to the west parking area. Inside, walls have been removed, classroom plumbing capped off, unused electrical wiring isolated, single-pane windows reinsulated, and the roof and heating and air conditioning systems inspected and repaired.

At the same time, village officials are working to secure a grant and additional funding to connect water and sewer to the area, which was annexed into the village earlier this year.

"Organic Valley welcomes this long-awaited opportunity to certify that the organic sugar we use meets stringent social and economic criteria," said George Siemon, founding farmer and CEO, Organic Valley, the country's largest cooperative of organic farmers. "We encourage the organic community to join us in support of EcoSocial's 'ethical trading' principles which encompass not only economic but community and environmental issues as well."

The winners of the 2009 Oregon Organic Coalition (OOC) Award for Excellence will be announced at a celebratory luncheon in Portland on Tuesday, September 15. Representatives from the organic community will gather at the Ecotrust Building to herald this year's Organically Grown in Oregon Week and honor these modern-day organic pioneers. Keynote speakers include Katy Coba, Director of Oregon Department of Agriculture, and Jack Gray of Winter Green Farm, who is an organic farmer and a co- author of the original organic standards, which shaped the standards recognized today.

Farmer Livestock: Jon Bansen, Double J Jerseys, Member of Organic Valley Farmer-Owned Cooperative

Jon Bansen is a third generation organic dairyman in Monmouth, Oregon and member of the Organic Valley farmer-owned cooperative. He extols the virtues of organic farming and grass-based dairying and is considered a "grazing guru" in organic dairy circles. Jon has achieved a high level of biodiversity on his farm; minimal use of off-farm inputs; a high level of care for his employees; a complete production plan with a successful inspection process; and a high level of organic community involvement and support. His dedication to organic dairy has led to wide recognition, including leading Organic Valley's Farmer Ambassador Program for the Western United States, Polk County Soil and Water's 1997 Conservation Farmers of the Year, and Oregon Tilth's Producer of the Year Award in 2006.

Organics and hybrids were the topic, but networking was the true goal of a recent field day at a Western Road farm.

Farmers met with representatives of seed companies and an organics cooperative Tuesday to share tips and tricks and to view sample plots of various hybrids.

Luke Howard of Blue River Hybrids discussed factors to consider when choosing different hybrids, ranging from stress tolerance to seedling vigor, canopy and plant health.

"Before I was a Blue River rep, I used to say, 'Which of these hybrids are best for my farm?' We all have different farms," Howard said.

Also, each company has a slightly different rating system, so it can be difficult to compare ratings from Blue River against Doebler's Hybrids, for example, he said.

"It's all relative to the book you're reading. Your local dealer probably has the best tools available to help you ... (find) what works well on your farm, for your soil types and rotation," Howard said.

He recommended growers choose plants with the highest maturity for their particular crop rotation, to maximize growing time.

Other speakers discussed "beneficial biology," such as having a diversity of crops in the rotation; cover crops; actively growing root systems; and how to break up the soil without breaking it up too much.

The schools in the Village are doing their part to improve the environment. While recycling is mandatory, many schools are still not separating their waste. Often it takes dedicated teachers and parents to get a recycling program started in a school. P.S. 3, at Hudson and Grove Sts., is starting its third year of paper recycling, which was initiated by an upper-grade class. Students from the class reached out to the other classes to teach them how to recycle and set up the collection bins. They are also responsible for monitoring what ends up in the large, hallway recycling bins. The school is hoping to expand the recycling program to begin collecting plastic beverage bottles.

P.S. 41’s gardening program teaches gardening skills and hands-on botany, starting with pre-kindergarten students. As students move up, they learn “farm-to-table” education. The school’s partnership with Organic Valley brings the farm into the classroom, and students have learned how to make butter and ice cream. P.S. 41 also partners with local restaurants, such as Gramercy Tavern, to teacher students about cooking with a variety of ingredients.

The oatmeal bath is a time-honored means to soothe irritated skin. Now Aura Cacia® has improved on that tried-and-true remedy with the first all-organic milk and oat bath made with 100-percent pure organic lavender essential oil. Soothing Organic Milk & Oat Bath provides instant relief to irritated skin with the added benefits of aromatherapy.

Whether you want to calm dry, itchy skin, relieve bug bites or other skin irritations, or simply soak away the day’s stress, this new all-organic bath experience is a perfect way to get comfortable in your own skin

“Whether you want to calm dry, itchy skin, relieve bug bites or other skin irritations, or simply soak away the day’s stress, this new all-organic bath experience is a perfect way to get comfortable in your own skin,” says Jane Merten, Senior Brand Manager at Aura Cacia.

Soothing Organic Milk & Oat Bath provides the ultimate skin-calming experience by combining the three most sought-after ingredients to relieve irritated skin -- milk, oats and lavender essential oil. Merten explains that the organic milk powder from Organic Valley® creates a skin-nourishing, milky emulsion and silky texture in the bath water. Organic whole-grain oat powder yields all of the grain’s remarkable skin-calming, counter-irritant properties for maximum skin benefit. At the same time, Aura Cacia's 100-percent pure organic lavender essential oil offers an extra-gentle, anti-inflammatory, soothing therapeutic benefit and a relaxing herbal aroma.

Here, such legislation is written by lobbyists for the enrichment of their corporate clients in agribusiness and food processing, whose success is measured not by quality but by their increased stock price. They've joined the burgeoning organic movement solely to regain market share. And we lose.

So in my quest to find organic foods made from domestic ingredients, particularly soybeans, I discovered that Organic Valley makes a vanilla soymilk (perfect on bland-tasting natural cereals) that caries the USDA Organic and Oregon Tilth Organic certifications. The dietary fiber listed on the label comes entirely from organic domestically grown soybeans. Organic Valley Family of Farms is also the largest organic farmer-owned cooperative in America. Its soybeans are identity-protected and not genetically modified. The Web site even has a link called Find Your Farmer, which you can access by typing in the day, month and year printed on the top of the carton you've purchased. Amazing.

Organic Valley farmer-owners are discouraged that the media continues to publish biased and outdated information regarding the healthful benefits of organic such as the recent UK Food Standards Agency's report. We urge organic advocates to read any or all of the attached rebuttals showing the errors in the study. Scientists, nutritionists, even Prince Charles have responded with their concerns about this report. It is time to demand that our media outlets take a more balanced approach to reporting on our food and agricultural systems. Organic is a small and relatively new industry but is also one of the few agricultural production models that have answers to a broken food system.

Every day is a busy day for Matt Fendry, a 27-year-old organic dairy farmer near Lanesboro.

Whether it's milking cows or cutting oats, he and his wife Rebekah are always busy with something on the farm.

Fendry has been an organic dairy farmer at Hidden Valley Jerseys Farm near Lanesboro since 2002.

Originally from St. Charles, his father bought a hobby farm near Lanesboro.

Fendry originally produced organic vegetables on the farm, but after working for two local dairies, he decided he wanted to become an organic dairy farmer.

During a time when few young people are choosing to farm, he looked for guidance from the Land Stewardship Project, which offers the Farm Beginnings program, a hands-on program that trains new and transitioning farmers in innovative, sustainable and low-cost farming practices.