Gary and Connie Moore (continued)

"We have always pastured our cows some, but not as intensively as we do now. I really like working with the cows and I don't like seeing them unhappy and unhealthy, so it's great to see how much healthier and happier they are now that we've transitioned to organic. We have had as many as 20 displaced abomasums a year when we were conventional. We've only had one since we went organic. I guess the good roughage content has something to do with that." Gary's referring to cows with twisted or kinked stomachs, a condition that has increased drastically in the last two decades in conventionally managed dairies where grain-heavy diets are the norm.

And in Gary's herd of 170 milking Holsteins, the birthing rate is really high now, too. "It's so high we have to sell off some of our young stock. For the first 40 years of my life I don't think I ever saw a calf being naturally born because the cows had so many problems. Now they give birth so much easier." The biggest health problem Gary faces these days is hoof rot, a common ailment given the extremely damp weather in Western Oregon. Fortunately, this can usually be treated using organic-compatible methods such as garlic tincture and extra minerals in the diet.

Given the long road Gary walked from the day he met George Siemon to the day his farm was certified organic, he couldn't be happier with the results. "My family was wonderful about the transition. They were behind me every step of the way." Gary's daughter Melissa lives on the farm with her husband and two of their three children, Elizabeth and Autumn. Melissa does the books for the farm and her husband is Gary's herdsman on the dairy. "They're raising their kids organic," Gary says. Their son, Tygh, lives nearby and visits the farm as often as possible. Their community is behind them, too. "When we see our neighbors in the store, they thank us for going organic. The reaction has been very positive."

Gary points out that the support he has received spreads even beyond that. "Organic Valley really backs its producers and that's great. I think it's really important that most of the people running the co-op are farmers themselves. They know firsthand what we're going through."