IOIA Technical Advisory Panel

Q and A:
IOIA Members can submit questions directly to the TAP contact person - they will respond direct to you. All responses will be posted here as they are received.

Contact:
Katie Lindquist,
organic@screaminet.com

Dairy Production

Summary: Dairy production simply is the process of breeding, rearing, raising and maintaining dairy animals (calves, goats, sheep and cows) and the collection and process of their product,
liquid milk.

Upcoming: Outlines on areas of importance to inspectors:


Links:

The Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance was a wealth of information for many of the sites listed here.
I have screened what they provide and have added more sites and references applicable to dairy.

Organic Associations
NOFA- Northeast Organic Farmers Assoc.
PA Certified Organic
Independent Organic Inspectors Association

State Departments of Agriculture
Each state has own website

Livestock Health and Nutrition Resources
Agri-Dynamics
List several products and indications, good background knowledge of what's out there.

New England Livestock Alliance, NELA
NELA resource page has several good books listed

Organic Milk Processors
CROPP/Organic Valley
Horizon - Horizon Organic offers a full line of certified organic milk, dairy egg and juice products. The Colorado-based dairy owns a farm in Idaho and Maryland. It also purchases organic milk from farm cooperatives, accounting for more than 200 family farms from across the United States.
Natural By Nature
Next Generation Dairy
Stonyfield

Other Organic Resources
ACRES USA
Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
All Organic Links
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas
Dairy Today Online Magazine
Eatwild.com
Grassfarmer
Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service
Northeast Organic Network
Organic Farming Research Foundation
Organic Materials Review Institute
Organic Trade Association - The Organic Trade Association works to promote organic products in the marketplace. Its membership includes growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmer associations, brokers, manufacturers, consultants, distributors and retailers.
Rodale Institute's New Farm Online Magazine
Small Dairy Project

"An Economic Comparison of Organic and Conventional Dairy Production, and Estimations on the Cost of Transitioning to Organic Production"
By Lisa McCrory, NOFA-VT

The Organic Decision: Transitioning To Organic Dairy Production Workbook

Tails and Tassels, monthly newsletter
Articles on organic crop production and harvesting, dairy topics, classified ads, and more can be found in this joint newsletter for members of both New York Certified Organic, Inc. and the Leatherstocking Organic Network. The two groups have been formed by New York farmers to meet the educational needs of non-chemical crop and dairy farmers. Contact Mary Howell-Martens, kandmhfarm@sprintmail.com

Transistioning to Organic by Kathie Arnold

Water, Grass & Livestock: An Annotated Bibliography of Riparian Grazing

"Choosing Grassfed!",by Jo Robinson

"Soil Fertility", By Jack Lazor

"Butterfat and Pasture", By Bill Casey

USDA web links
Economic Research Service, USDA
National Organic Program, USDA - The National Organic Program USDA-AMS-TM-NOP - This site lists the national standards on organic agricultural production and handling, certification procedures and accreditation.

National Organic Standards Board
Natural Resources Conservation Service

Production, Processing and Marketing
7 Do's and Don'ts of Value Added Dairy Ventures, Dairy Herd Management Magazine, February 13, 2002.

Accredited Certifying Agents, National Organic Program.

California Commodity Profile: Dairy Products (pdf), Agricultural Issues Center, University of California. August 2002

The Changing Landscape of U.S. Milk Production, Economic Research Service, USDA - This report examines quantity of milk produced and the location, number, size and business organization of U.S. dairy farms.

Collective Bargaining for Dairy Farmers Doesn't Mean Dumping Milk (pdf), University of Minnesota Extension Service - This is the second of three articles in a series published August 16, 2002.

Dairy (Domestic Production and International Trade Information),
FAS online, USDA.

Dairy and Animal Science Departments at Universities - Compiled by Oklahoma State University, Department of Animal Science - This is a listing of university dairy and animal science departments.

Dairy Dollars, Dairy Management Inc. - This 2001 document from Dairy Management Inc. provides an overview of consumer dairy data. It includes information on retail milk, cheese and trends seen in the store and at home.

Dairy Today: The Other White Milk, Dairy Today Magazine, September 7, 2001.

Different Strokes, Dairy Herd Management Magazine, March 01, 2001.

Economic Research Service, Briefing Room - Dairy.

Funds to Defray Costs of Organic Certification are Available to Producers in 15 States, AMS News Release, August 23, 2002.

How Would Collective Bargaining Work for Dairy Farmers? (pdf), University of Minnesota Extension Service - This is the first of three articles in a series published August 9, 2002.

In the New Food Economy, Value Added Doesn't Mean Keeping Value (pdf), University of Minnesota Extension Service - This is the third of three articles in a series published August 23, 2002.

Economic Research Service Organic Farming and Marketing - This site provides a wealth of statistics related to organic products.

Organic Foods Gaining in Popularity, Dairy Herd Management Magazine, July 11, 2001.

Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas Organic Livestock Feed Suppliers - This is a listing of certified organic livestock feed suppliers. Contact information is provided for each company along with a brief description of rations and specialty items. Other helpful organic resources are listed at http://www.attra.org/new.html

Dairy Herd Management Magazine and Hoard's Dairyman Magazine - Both are good periodicals to read as they cover mostly conventional practices, which is an excellent background to know what to look for. Most conventional producers read one or both of these magazines religiously.

Research
A Descriptive Analysis of Recent Trends in the International Market for Dry Milk Products (pdf, 2.8MB), The Babcock Institute for International Dairy Research and Development, University of Wisconsin.

An Organic Dairying Overview from the Krusenbaum Farm Studies, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems - This site provides an overview of how Altfrid and Sue Krusenbaum of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, made the transition from conventional to organic dairying.

Seasonal Dairy Grazing: A Viable Alternative for the 21st Century - This case study looks at six successful dairy farms using seasonal calving and management-intensive grazing. It was conducted by the American Farmland Trust and the Center for Agriculture in the Environment.

Sustainable Farming Systems: Demonstrating Environmental and Economic Performance, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA), University of Minnesota - Select the link to Sustainable Farming Systems. This research study profiled three cattle farms, one of which used an organic grazing system. The study measured soil loss, rainfall, field runoff, production and financial data.

Q & A
No questions have been received at this time.