Press Releases

The University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) is pleased to announce receipt of a $20,000 gift from the Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools (CROPP). CROPP is an organic-farmer-owned cooperative of the Organic Valley Family of Farms™ products, based in LaFarge, WI.

The CROPP gift will aid in the initiation of an outreach and research program at SWROC in the use of high tunnels for organic vegetable production. High tunnels are polyethylene covered, greenhouse-like structures where crops are grown directly in the ground.

Organic Prairie, the meat brand from America’s largest cooperative of organic family farmers, Organic Valley Family of Farms, today announced it has begun offering a variety of its products online, thereby extending its reach to organic meat lovers nationwide.

Individuals can visit www.organicprairie.coop and click on “Online Store” to order Organic Prairie meats by the case, frozen and/or at bulk discount. Made from Organic Prairie’s humanely raised livestock, the organic beef, pork and poultry products typically can be shipped overnight to most parts of the country.

The endangered Kincaid’s Lupine (lupinus sulphereus kincaidii) will be the center of attention at the second annual Lupine Field Day event, a celebration of the plant’s unexpected resurgence in Washington. The free, educational event is held at the Mallonee Family organic dairy farm, located in Washington’s Boistfort Valley, on Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Two years ago, an employee from the Washington Department of Natural Resources discovered a large population of the lavender-colored perennial lupine on the Mallonee farm, an organic dairy with 60 head of cattle. The Mallonee family has strived to maintain a safe and sustainable habitat for the endangered flower and its equally endangered inhabitant, the Fender’s Blue butterfly, which undergoes its larval stage in the lupine’s root system and emerges as a caterpillar to feed on the flower’s leaves.

“We credit our organic practices with the lupine’s success on our farm,” says Maynard Mallonee, Organic Valley Co-op member and third-generation dairy farmer. “The same approach that allows our dairy cattle to thrive has made our pastures an ideal home for the lupine and the Fender’s Blue.”

As Organic Valley Family of Farms celebrates is 20th year, the cooperative of organic farmers recently recognized 340 of its farmer-owners with Organic Valley Dairy Quality awards.

In an unprecedented effort to provide market stability to both crop growers and livestock producers, Organic Valley Family of Farms is opening its membership to organic crop growers with the introduction of its Grower Pool.

Growers joining the pool will benefit from a guaranteed floor price for their crops on a long-term contract basis and will be able to enroll all or portions of their crop acreage in the pool. Organic Valley will offer contracts for feed-grade grains, beans, oilseeds and hay beginning with the 2008-2010 cycle.

Shredded cheese may be tasty. Sliced cheese is delightful. String cheese is joyful. But cheese by the pound is pure pleasure. Organic Valley is introducing its highly popular and award-winning certified organic pasteurized Mild Cheddar in 2 lb. packages.

Twenty years ago, a group of Wisconsin farmers formed Organic Valley Family of Farms with a shared vision the cooperative still maintains: Work in partnership to produce healthy, nutritious organic food; keep family farmers farming; help revitalize rural communities while serving as stewards of the earth; and always offer a stable, sustainable pay price to its member farmers.

Today, Organic Valley is the nation's largest organic farmer-owned cooperative, with more than 1,200 farmers in 34 states and one Canadian province. And, as the organization prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year with a variety of events and activities, Organic Valley is reporting its 2007 revenues reached $432.5 million, a 29 percent increase over 2006 and an almost 250 percent increase over the past five years.

Organic Valley Family of Farms co-op member and San Joaquin Valley, California dairy farmer Tony Azevedo has been awarded the prestigious Sustie Award by the Ecological Farming Association. Recognized for leadership in sustainable agriculture, Azevedo was presented with hand-carved gourd trophy at the organization's annual Eco-Farm Conference in Pacific Grove, California, where he was also a Successful Farmer keynote speaker.

Through its Farmers Advocating for Organics (FAFO) fund, Organic Valley Family of Farms, the nation’s oldest and largest cooperative of organic farmers, today announced a $50,000 contribution to the University of Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers (WSBDF). The co-op’s contribution is one of the school’s most significant to date and will provide training and mentoring for students looking to a future in pasture-based organic dairy or livestock farming.

Organic Valley today announced it has become an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU). As part of its affiliation, Organic Valley will work in partnership with WFU in advocacy, education and community outreach, and inspiring and encouraging the next generation of organic farmers.