Organic Valley, a farmer owned organic dairy cooperative.
1834 Owners Strong
Farming Close to Home
Drink Locally with milk from Northeast Pastures
Our vision is simple: Keep it organic and close to home. Whenever possible, we want our consumer-partners getting products from farms and plants nearby. That’s why we call your local milk “Northeast Pastures.” Regional production and distribution means our customers get the delicious, high-quality, fresh product they enjoy, while supporting farmers close to home. Regional, organic production builds the local economy and allows rural communities to protect the environment in which their children are raised.
Land prices and other pressures have made it hard for many farmers to stay in business in the Northeast. Our cooperative mission is to keep organic family farmers on the farm, taking care of the land and resources in your region.
You can enjoy delicious organic Northeast Pastures™ Milk and other Organic Valley foods while supporting farmers, boosting local economies, and protecting land and resources near you. Follow the links below to meet a few of the Organic Valley member families farming in the Northeast. Then raise a glass of organic milk and toast the region's farming heritage, for today and for generations to come!
Meet Your Farmers
Maine
Gregg and Gloria Varney
“I’ve been told that our farm has a magical feel to it,” Gloria says. “We’re 10 miles from Auburn, the closest city, and people are drawn here, sometimes just to come and walk around for the day. They seem to care about what we do, and they say it feels nice to be here.”
Maryland
Ron and Kathy Holter
"I walk a lot out in the pastures when moving the cows around and get a chance to really see my land and all that's beautiful about it....The people I know who have switched to grazing have the same general feeling, that it makes farming fun again."
New York
The Knapp family
The secret ingredients in Maureen and Paul Knapp's special family farm recipe are a generous cup of gratitude and a hearty handful of positive thinking.
Sunny Cove Farm: The Snyder Family
“Everything we do here begins with asking the question: What can we do to make this last for generations? It’s the same question George and the guys at Organic Valley asked of themselves when they started our farmer-owned co-op.”
Pennsylvania
The Yoder family
Photographer Carrie Branovan sat down in the kitchen of Kore and Miriam Yoder to enjoy a delicious farmhouse dinner, prepared with fresh ingredients grown right on the farm. Cows grazed contentedly on green pastures beyond the window, while Kore, a 13th generation farmer, talked about how organic farming gives him more time for family and a better quality of life — "without a doubt."
Vermont
The Beidler family
Brent and Regina Beidler recount the journeys of their lives both individually and together. Image-rich stories unfold of their childhood, early adult years in service, their relationship, acquiring their small family farm, and the birth of their daughter Erin.
Travis and Amy Forgues
Not only has Travis brought a new spirit of optimism to despairing Vermont dairy farmers and their families, but he's helping to empower them to realize their first-ever economic stability as well.
KISS: Keeping it Small & Simple
Vermont farmers Annie Claghorn and Catlin Fox manage their farm simply: They take on only what they can handle themselves, so “small” and “family” really do matter. Learn what keeps them and their 30 Jersey cows happy on the farm.
Brendan Henry
Brendan’s healthy cows and his generous hay and corn yields point to a different way, one that works with nature. “When you interact with nature,” he says, “you find you’re part of the whole system, you’re one of the spokes, and everything moves well together.”
The Meyer family
Fast-forward to a modern, stainless steel, surgically clean, computer-programmed milking parlor that looks like the helm of a starship, and meet the Meyer family.
Ross and Amanda Thurber
Ross, a third-generation dairy farmer, sees himself as steward and innovator, father and son, teacher and student. He and his wife Amanda and their three children are inheritors and custodians of a family tradition of farming, as well as the change makers who have ushered in a new organic era
