Organic Valley in the News

The Organic Valley team says organics are the future, and their booming business suggests they may be right.

Organic ain’t what it used to be — a bunch of hippies with long hair and sandals, growing their own food and selling their wares by word of mouth to a few like-minded folks here and there, in some obscure, out-of-the-way shop. About the only thing that’s the same is the hair and the sandals. OK, so Organic Valley Family of Farms technically grows its own food, but it’s on a nationwide network of organic farms, with milk bottled at 65 plants in 25 states, sold by major retailers across the country. And the core of consumers — who more often find organic foods in their local mainstream supermarket — continues to grow, yielding sales in excess of $400 million for a line of products including dairy, meat and produce.

The incremental growth over the past two decades for the La Farge, Wis.-based cooperative is proof that organic can work on a national scale, a reach that’s key to spreading the company’s mission.

“Running a successful business model allows us to spread the mission,” says Mike Bedessem, Organic Valley’s chief financial officer. “We want to be innovative, practical and thrifty. If we have a successful business model, people will listen.”

Food products from Reedsburg area farms are sent all over the world and milk, Sauk County's main agricultural product, is a prime example of this.

Special cooperatives for organic farmers are expanding across the country as organic sales continue their rapid increase. Some Reedsburg area organic farmers are members of the Organic Valley cooperative of La Farge, Wis., which helps market their niche product.

"The reason we only do organic is it allows us to have a very stable platform for consumers," Louise Hemstead, Organic Valley chief operating officer, said. "We have interest in doing this for the sustainability of the small family farm and for the carbon footprint of shipping."

Organic Valley processes its dairy products nearby La Farge, so less transportation is necessary. It's eggs are packaged at Reedsburg Egg.

"Ninety-nine percent of the cheese and 70 percent of the butter is made in Wisconsin," Hemstead said. "We have milk processed locally."

Glynwood Center, the not-for-profit organization whose mission to support community stewardship is advanced through educational and community-based agricultural initiatives, will honor the winners of its 2007 Harvest Awards with a ceremony at Beacon restaurant in New York on October 22. The luncheon will showcase a menu of locally-produced ingredients prepared by top chefs across the country.

"We were inspired to see a raising of the bar as to what is regarded as special and exemplary: five years ago a farmer conducting a CSA program and playing an active role in public policy was a real contender. Now many, many farmers have transitioned to that multi-faceted role. This year we saw a trend towards efforts designed to encourage strengthening of the infrastructure that small farmers need if they are to remain viable in a changing and consolidating marketplace. Additionally, there has been an increase in projects designed to encourage urban agriculture -- including efforts to help youth understand how food is produced as well as to make healthy food more available to underserved populations."

The Glynwood Farmer Harvest Award The 1000+ Family Farmers of the Organic Valley Family of Farms, LaFarge, WI

In 1988, seven farmers founded a cooperative that became the largest farmer-owned cooperative in North America in less than 20 years, selling more than 130 premium products under the brand name Organic Valley. Organic Valley is committed to sustainability: the economic stability of the farmer, the environmental stability of farming practices, and the social stability of rural communities. The farmers from 29 states and one Canadian province who own and control this cooperative have taken a visionary approach to working together to benefit themselves and, in so doing, provide a prime example of how small and mid-size farmers can work together to remain viable in a changing marketplace.

A dairy farm in Claremont recently became the first organic dairy in New Hampshire to win a regional award from the Green Pastures Program.

Haynes Dairy Farm was certified as an organic dairy farm in May, and two months later was named Outstanding Dairy Farm of the Year for 2007.

Farm owner John Haynes said the switch to all-organic feed and fertilizer was relatively simple, because the herd of about 60 cows has always grazed.

"Our farm has been kind of old-fashioned," said Haynes, whose parents, David and Nellie, purchased the farm in 1961. "We've always pastured our cows. We never moved over to confinement feeding like other farms have."

John and Beth Haynes own 130 acres and rent 60 more near Route 12 in Claremont. Because all the land is connected and on the same side of the road, their cows can easily graze a new patch of rolling green pasture about every 12 hours without needing to be transported. Haynes said organic farming makes the job of a farmer easier -- because the cows harvest their own feed and spread their own fertilizer -- and more satisfying.

A new $17.5 million warehouse in southwest Wisconsin for distributing products like organic milk, cheese, eggs and meat offers new evidence of organic farming's "tremendous" growth in the state, Gov. Jim Doyle said Thursday.

In 2002, Wisconsin had 422 certified organic farms and the number has skyrocketed to 807 today, Doyle said.

"It is pretty much straight economics. There is higher and higher demand for organically grown food and organic dairy, and Wisconsin farmers really have led the nation in responding to that increased demand," he said. "I think the general consensus is we are far from the peak."

Chico State agriculture major Michelle James preps a cow for milking at University Farm on April 14. The farm is hosting an open house Thursday to show the public what is going on with its organic dairy.

Chico State's organic dairy is busy milking cows and students' interests for all they're worth this semester.

The students who work at University Farm will showcase their knowledge Thursday at the dairy's open house, where visitors can watch a milking demonstration, walk in the pasture, see the calves eat and tour the dairy from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. They can also sample organic milk, cheese and ice cream.

On March 24, members of the Houston Millions More Movement Ministry of Agriculture loaded a 15-passenger van and headed north to visit the 287-acre dairy farm owned by Black farmer Harry Lewis, the first person to produce organic milk in the state of Texas as a provider for Organic Valley. Led by the Minister of Dairy Kelvin Muhammad, the MMM delegation learned rich history and successes from Mr. Lewis and his family.

“I am honored to have you all here,” welcomed Mr. Lewis. “I am with the Millions More Movement because I have always wanted to see us all come together. We have to own land and be productive.” He was joined by his wife Mrs. Billye Lewis and their youngest child Wynton while he told the MMM delegation about his journey to becoming a provider of organic milk in the state for a brand that is shipped throughout the country.

As a result, hundreds of dairy farmers decided to switch last spring so they could complete the yearlong conversion before the more stringent “Harvey” rule takes effect in June.

“When this court case was decided, we said, ‘Now’s the time for us. Let’s do it,’ ” said Edward Walldroff, a farmer in La Fargeville, N.Y., who said that five other dairy farmers nearby were doing the same thing. “It’s really kind of exciting to see that happen, and know that six smaller-type farmers have some real viability now.”

On a larger scale, Organic Valley, a cooperative based in Wisconsin that sells dairy products, is adding 269 farmers this year for a total of 972; it will process 45 percent more milk this spring than a year earlier.

At a recent dinner party, I pulled out my deck of Earth Dinner cards. The first one asked, "Who in your life really understands how to make the food you love?" Two raisin-hating men at the table tenderly cited their mothers' willingness to provide raisinless cuisine on their behalf. One of their wives, who is raisin-positive, just rolled her eyes.

The next card asked if we knew the names of any of the farmers who produced our food. Some of us belong to CSAs and knew the name of the farm, but not the farmers, while others (like me) recognize the faces of the farmers from whom we buy produce at the farmers' market but don't know their names. Some of us get produce from the gardens of friends and family in addition to whatever we grow ourselves.

Many kids naturally care about animals and the world around them.

And what kid doesn't like to eat?

Link these interests together and you have the makings for a meaningful Earth Day aimed at the next generation, the one that will inherit the Earth.

"Once kids care, they're off and running, leading the way," noted Sara Tedeschi, community nutrition educator for Organic Valley, a La Farge-based cooperative of 940 Midwestern family farms.