Making the Transition from
One Dairy to the Next

Added March 18, 2013. For the last 34 years Kress and Tammy Simpson have run a small 180-acre (72-ha) seasonal grass-based dairy (KTS Farm) in the Elk Run Watershed of Rutland Township in Tioga County. Through the vagaries of weather and markets they have built a successful business that they are now ready to transition. While their son and daughter have helped with milking chores growing up, they are now exploring other learning opportunities and Kress took steps to transition the farm business to a younger farmer that has been involved in the business. For more information please go to:

ff_march_2013.shtml

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Added April 9, 2013

OTA announces moving to the next stage of establishing an Organic check-off program

At a time when organic and sustainable agriculture are being attacked from all sides in Congress, OTA has decided to move to the next level in its bid to establish an Organic Research and Promotion Program. These actions will continue to split the organic community, especially in the eyes of Congress, at a time when we need to be working together.

In the spring edition of the Organic Report, OTA laid out their plan to mail out information to 20,000 certified operations plus send postcards and emails to promote a website that only promotes the benefits of an organic federal check-off program http://www.unitedformoreorganic.com/ . The website does not point out the disadvantages, the legal problems and all the many issues raised by producer and consumer groups nor does it provide a link to the NODPA webpage that highlights these problems. OTA continues to promote a ‘discussion’ that has a pre-determined conclusion and continues to fail to accurately report comments made at their Town Hall meetings. Despite their protests that they are not promoting a mandatory Federal Research and Promotion Program, all their promotional materials push the idea and they are now distorting the reality by calling it a “cooperative research and marketing program.”

Our request again to the OTA Board, the OTA Check-off Steering Committee and OTA staff is to re-consider their approach to this issue and prevent a rift in the organic community.

• We ALL say yes to continue to ask Congress to amend the 2002 language so that all organic certified operations can be exempt from paying into the conventional check-off program, returning money to producers and processors to use as they wish.

• We ask the OTA to STOP advocating for organic to become a commodity under the Federal Research and Promotion Program – there is a great deal of opposition to the idea. To ask for regulatory language now is premature and pre-determines the outcome of any community dialogue.

• WE ask the OTA to work with all groups to develop a process to have a community dialogue that is transparent, accessible to everyone with an outcome that is not pre-determined and not organized by any one organization. The current messaging and Town Hall meetings are controlled by OTA and direct the discussion to only one outcome that many in the organic community do not want. There is a great model for consulting the organic community that was used to develop the Organic Action Plan and we suggest that this could be one alternative way to reach out to everyone in an open, honest and transparent way.

Say NO to dividing the organic community –
Say YES to working together to provide a solution

For more information please go to:

NODPA’s Webpage: http://nodpa.com/checkoff_opposition.shtml and

OTA’s Webpage: http://www.ota.com/ORPP.html?idp=3&ida=32 and

http://www.unitedformoreorganic.com/

Feed and Pay price

USDA AMS reports that the total organic fluid milk sales for January 2013 of 189 million pounds, down 1.8% from January 2012. Organic Whole Milk sales for January 2013 of 51 million pounds were up 7.2% compared with January 2012.  Organic fluid milk sales for 2012 were 4% higher than in 2011, an increase in retail sales of 3.25 million ½ gallons of organic milk or the production from 98 herds of 60 cows producing an average of 14,000 lbs. per year. As we have seen smaller herd disappear from organic production in the northeast one must assume that this increase in production comes from herds that have economies of scale or have the ability to grow their own feed.

The average retail price of an organic milk half gallon remains in the mid-$3 range at $3.59, but more interesting the gap between the high and low price has lessened with a price range of $2.79 to $3.99. The all-important gap between non-organic and organic retail price on average is now down to $1.55 per ½ gallon which is one of the lowest this year but not as low as one year ago when the price spread was only 96 cents, with conventional half gallons priced at $2.12 and organic half gallons priced at $3.08. For more details please go to:

payprice_update_04102013.shtml

Organic feed prices have not followed the non-organic price down but trading reported by USDA AMS is at a near standstill as buyers have their needs met despite growers wanting to sell inventory. Quality forage is hard to come by as spring grazing in the Northeast is slow to start up. For updated data please go to:

feed_prices_04-10-13.shtml

Renovating Pastures with
Frost-Seeded Clovers

Frost seeding has traditionally been an economical way to use legumes to thicken an existing grass stand or to establish a clover mix in an overwintering small grain stand (wheat is the most common, but rye and triticale are also frequently used).  In some cases, thinning alfalfa stands can also be improved with a frost-seeding of clovers. Dave Wilson, Forage Research Agronomist at Kings AgriSeeds, has an informative and timely article on frost seeding:

production_forage_frost-seeding-clover-040313.shtml

Evaluating Perennial Ryegrass Blends for Improving Pasture Productivity and Extending the Grazing Season

A 2010 needs assessment of organic dairy producers in the Northeast region revealed that extending the grazing season, complying with the new pasture rules, and implementing strategies to facilitate value-added marketing of milk are major challenges to the industry.  To address these issues, a multi-state team of university and USDA researchers and extension specialists, collaborating with several organic dairy farms, were successful in obtaining a USDA-Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative grant titled, “Assessing Organic Dairy Producers to Meet the Demands of New and Emerging Milk Markets.”  This multi-year grant has many objectives including 1) the assessment of multi-cultivar mixtures for optimizing pasture resources while extending the grazing season, 2) identification of annual forages to enhance and extend the grazing season while improving nutritional quality, and 3) evaluating the utility of supplemental organic flaxseed to further bolster health beneficial fatty acid components and enhance the marketability of organic milk. To read an article by Sid Bosworth, Extension Forage Specialist, University of Vermont on the first objective please go to:

research_ed_perennial_ryegrass_040313.shtml

UNH wants to hear from you on kelp meal – survey should be in your mailbox

The use of kelp meal in the Northeast is believed to be widespread and in order to continue with future research in this area, we are asking NODPA members to fill out a brief survey about kelp meal. This survey will give farmers an opportunity to share questions, comments, and concerns about kelp meal supplementation and will provide UNH researchers with valuable information on the demographics and feeding practices related to kelp meal. Please look for this upcoming survey and mail back your responses using the pre-addressed and pre-paid envelopes. Please contact Dr. André Brito [Assistant Professor of Organic Dairy Management; andre.brito@unh.edu; (603) 862-1341] with any questions. Download the full survey at:

UNH_Kelp Meal Survey_NODPA.pdf

US Organic Dairy Politics survey

It’s just 9 questions, and your comments are important.
Paste in your server or hit:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/83QSVHP

Feel free to forward to others. More info is in the survey, or from me. Thanks! Bruce.

bruce.scholten@btopenworld.com
www.durham.ac.uk/b.a.scholten
Honorary Research Fellow
Durham University Geography Dept. UK

Lice – The Quiet Thief

“Some things never change. I get the same scenario every winter, starting about in December, depending on when fall turns into winter,” says Dr Paul Detloff .

When farmers in the northern climates lock up their cows, they also lock up the lice that have been spending their summers in their cow’s ears. Lice cannot handle skin temperatures of 106 or higher; they will jump ship. If the skin temperature hits 122-123 degrees, they die. The sun is a louse’s demise. Dr Paul Dettloff has a large animal practice in Aracadia, Wisconsin, and has worked with CROPP Cooperative (Organic Valley) as a consulting veterinarian since 2002. He is the author of a popular book titled ‘Alternative Treatments for Ruminants Animals’ and has his own product line of Dr Paul’s Health products for livestock. To read his full article, please go to:

production_health_lice_04_03_13.shtml

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Added March 18, 2013

13th Annual NODPA Field Days,
September 26 & 27, 2013
with KTS Farm Tour and in conjunction with Holistic Management International

Planning has begun for NODPA’s 13th Annual Field Days that will be held at Mansfield Hose Company Banquet Hall, Mansfield, Pennsylvania on September 26 & 27, 2013. Our agenda is taking shape around providing organic dairy farmers the tools to enhance the health, productivity and profitability of their land and family while effectively and significantly increasing annual profits. On Thursday, in conjunction with Holistic Management International, NODPA will focus on whole farm planning using holistic management principles and will visit Kress and Tammy Simpson’s KTS Farm, Mansfield PA, to view these practices in action. Friday will focus on the important and timely issues confronting all organic dairy farm families, along with educational workshops.

In addition to a strong educational agenda and instructive farm tour, we will have our annual social hour and banquet, featuring local, organic food, and NODPA’s Annual Meeting on Thursday evening, and our producer-only meeting on Friday morning.  You will be able to visit the diverse trade show throughout the two-day event, and will have many opportunities to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. More information on the agenda will follow in the May NODPA News and online, at www.nodpa.com, so for now, SAVE THE DATE!

Look for Sponsorship and Tradeshow information in your email and mailboxes in the near future. For more information, or if you have questions about sponsoring or exhibiting at the NODPA Field Days, contact NODPA Field Days Coordinator Nora Owens anytime at noraowens@comcast.net or 413-772-0444.

Organic Check-off at the MOSES Conference
Farmers unequivocally say “NO” to OTA’s idea of a standard program, open to further discussion

Inevitably, any discussion on the Organic Trade Association (OTA) proposal for a way to fund organic research and promotion must return to the three issues which have dominated the process since it became public in January 2012. The response to these issues that came out of the MOSES conference and associated meetings can be summarized as follows:

• Yes for all organic and sustainable agriculture groups to making it a legislative priority to ask Congress to pass regulatory language allowing all organically certified operations to opt out of paying into the existing Federal Research and Promotion Program’s (FRPP). This will give the money back to producers and processors.
• No to asking Congress to approve regulatory language that would establish organic as a single commodity under FRPP rules. Such a move is premature and should not be a legislative priority for OTA.
• Yes to changing the format and coordination of the process of education and consultation with the organic community about ways to fund promotion of organic research and promotion. Such a process should be accessible to all participants in organic production, marketing and retailing and coordinated by a cross section of the organic community not a single organization. Many have suggested that the process used in developing the Organic Action Plan was a better model to follow.

For the complete article please go to:
in_check_off_MOSES_031813.shtml

For more information please go to:
NODPA’s Webpage http://nodpa.com/checkoff_opposition.shtml AND
OTA’s Webpage: http://www.ota.com/ORPP.html?idp=3&ida=32

Results from Short-Term Studies Using Kelp Meal as a Supplement to Dairy Animals at the University of New Hampshire
by Nicole Antaya and Andre F. Brito

For the past three years several studies were done at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) investigating the effectiveness of kelp meal supplementation to dairy animals (i.e., calves and lactating cows). Most of this research was conducted at the UNH Burley Demeritt Organic Dairy Research Farm, a working dairy farm currently milking 40 registered Jerseys in Lee, New Hampshire. The goal of the research presented here is to provide farmers with rigorous scientific information about the short-term effects of kelp meal on animal performance and milk composition. The UNH team is keen to get producers response to their work, for the full article go to:

research_ed_kelp_031813.shtml

UNH wants to hear from you on kelp meal. Watch your mailbox.

The use of kelp meal in the Northeast is believed to be widespread and in order to continue with future research in this area, we are asking NODPA members to fill out a brief survey about kelp meal. This survey will give farmers an opportunity to share questions, comments, and concerns about kelp meal supplementation and will provide UNH researchers with valuable information on the demographics and feeding practices related to kelp meal. Please look for this upcoming survey and mail back your responses using the pre-addressed and pre-paid envelopes. Please contact Dr. André Brito [Assistant Professor of Organic Dairy Management; andre.brito@unh.edu; (603) 862-1341] with any questions. Download the full survey at:

UNH_Kelp Meal Survey_NODPA.pdf

Feed and Pay Price Updates

Organic milk processors and buyers have implemented increases in pay price through seasonal Market Adjustment Premiums (MAP’s) (with Horizon extending their seasonal payment to June 2013) but costs are rising as rapidly as the premiums are extended. Producers are reporting record high farm-gate pay prices this winter, between $35-$40/cwt with quality and component payments added, but are still having difficulty paying bills. The current market data shows that Horizon is still the leader for sale of retail fluid product but store brand is now in second place ahead of Organic Valley/Stoneyfield Farm brands. Market reports also indicate that more organic milk is going into manufacturing than usual at this time of year as producers adapt their production systems to a higher seasonal price. How this will affect the traditional spring flush of milk, which is usually put into manufactured product or sold on the non-organic market, is uncertain especially as last year the increase was much less than usual.

On March 8th 2013, AMS reported that total organic fluid sales for December 2012 of 174 million pounds, were down 4.3% from December 2011, but up 2.9% January through December 2012 compared with 2011. Organic whole milk sales for December 2012, 48 million pounds, were up 8.2% compared with December 2011, and up 10.4% January through December 2012 compared with 2011. Organic Fat-Reduced milk sales for December 2012 of 126 million pounds were down 8.4% compared with December 2011, but up 0.6% January through December 2012 compared with 2011.

For more information and historical charts on pay price:
payprice_update_03182013.shtml

For more information on the static level of Feed prices please go to:
feed_prices_03-18-13.shtml

For Organic Farmers Agency for Relationship Marketing (OFARM) target pricing for corn and livestock please go to: www.ofarm.org

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in Portland, OR, April 9 -11, 2013

The meeting of the National Organic Standards Board, which occurs twice a year, provides a public forum for the organic community to weigh in on issues concerning organic production and processing. The upcoming meeting will take place at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower, 921 Southwest 6th Avenue, Portland, OR 97204. This meeting will include a proposal to remove the existing expiration date of October 21, 2014 for the use of oxytetracycline in organic apple and pear production and replace that with a new expiration date of October 21, 2016. Within organic regulations there is always a tension between consumer expectations and the practicality of organic production that has been particularly evident in the petition before the NOSB to extend the use of antibiotics in organic tree fruit. All surveys of consumers show that the lack of antibiotics, growth hormones, GE contamination, herbicides and pesticides are key issues for consumers in deciding to purchase organic and is supported by sound scientific data. The NOSB and certifiers now need to reassure consumers that no matter what the effect is on farmers, acres under organic certification or domestic supply to the market, that organic certification will guarantee that there is no permitted use of antibiotics at any level in organic production. Tough on farmers, of course what else would you expect. Perhaps the buyers and marketers who forced growers into growing susceptible varieties can donate money for research and assistance with capital costs to minimize growers’ losses. For a longer article on the NOSB meeting please go to:

in_nosb_portland_meeting_031813.shtml 

Don’t forget to send any comments by Tuesday March 19th
The agenda of topics and current proposals are available at www.ams.usda.gov/nosbmeetings

To submit feedback on the NOSB Subcommittees’ proposals go to Regulations.gov. You can search for the meeting using this docket number: AMS-NOP-12-0070, or by keywords such as NOSB, Organic, or Portland, or by clicking the link.

Deadline to submit written comments:
11:59PM ET March 19, 2013

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5 Ways You Can Support NODPA
Eight and a half years ago NODPA was formed in response to a threat of a drop in milk price. In 2009 NODPA is the only organization whose mission is to represent the interest of organic dairy producers no matter who they sell their milk to.

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