The Burroughs Family Farm: Denair, CA
FEATURE FARM, ADDED MAY 17, 2010: The Burroughs family has been farming in the San Joaquin Valley of California since 1896. Today, their ranch features two certified organic dairies, an almond farm, a pastured egg business ... and much more. Learn more >

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Added August 11, 2010

NODPA’s 10th Annual Field Days
And Producer Meeting
October 7 and 8, MOFGA's Common Ground Fairgrounds in Unity Maine

Click here to register online, get a detailed look at the schedule and learn more about featured speakers.

Organic and Raw Dairy Workshops at Northeast Organic Farming Association Summer Conference
UMass Amherst, August 13-15, 2010

The 2010 NOFA Summer Conference will feature a number of workshops on organic dairy production and grazing, as well as a raw milk symposium taking place just before the conference begins. MORE >

Maintaining Healthy Productive Pastures
What can livestock producers do to makes the soil both healthy and productive? MORE >

2010 Northeast Animal-Power Field Days
Friday-Sunday, October 15-17
Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VT 05077

Dedicated to working draft animals in enterprises that support sustainability of  local communities and vital land-based economies. MORE >

Recent Discussions On ODairy

Pasture rule questions on the 30% DMI rule, the minimum of 120 days as the grazing season, and the amount of record keeping. The use of nurse cows. What about cows who refuse their high-energy, low-protein grains? MORE >

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Added July 17, 2010

Raising Calves On Organic Dairy Farms
This fact sheet provides guidance for best management practices. MORE >

What's In Your Farm's Energy Tool Room?
Answers to the many questions facing farmers who are evaluating their energy challenges and opportunities – ranging from managing feed rations to fueling tractors, heating water, trucking manure and cooling milk. MORE >

Forage & Grains
Nebraska dairyman applies raw milk to pastures and watches the grass grow MORE >

eOrganic Plans Pasture Rule Webinars
for Summer and Fall
The eOrganic Dairy Team has scheduled a series of Pasture Rule related Webinars for late Summer and Fall 2010. Mark your calendars. MORE >

PAY PRICE UPDATE!

The full effect of the downturn in demand for organic dairy has been felt by all producers across the country, but we are now entering a period where demand is increasing. Get more details, charts and analysis by clicking here.

FEED PRICE UPDATE!

Get the latest East and Midwest feed prices, along with charts showing multi-year price trends. Click here for more.

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Added June 7, 2010

Pasture Rule Resource Page Updates 
NODPA has started to contact certifiers who work with organic dairy farms to find out what they are offering for paperwork to document compliance with the new Pasture Rule requirements. We have added a new section to our Pasture Rule Resource Page highlighting resources, OSP documents, and educational opportunities that various certifiers and educators are providing. Learn more >

Organic Valley Lays Down
The Law On Raw Milk
Raw Milk Sales are no longer allowed for some organic dairy producers, but okay for others. Last month Organic Valley's Board of Directors voted four to three to prohibit its member dairies from selling raw milk. (Other processors, including Horizon Organic, are not prohibiting their producers from selling raw milk.) Click to read David Gumpert's article about this very contentious issue. 

Teaching Cows to Eat Weeds
On many farms in the Northeast, cows are into their second  (or third) grazing rotation. At this point in the season, one may find that some pastures have some less desirable plants that did not get eaten and they are maturing and going to seed. Wouldn't it be nice if the cows had grazed these plants too? How do we train our cows to be better graziers? How can we teach them to eat weeds? How nutritious are these rejected plants? Kathy Voth, author of 'Cows Eat Weeds; How to Turn Your Cows Into Weed Managers' has written an article explaining all of this. Check it out >

Fresh Cow Health
During the month of March and April, there was a lot of discussions on Odairy regarding issues with fresh cows including milk fever, prolapses, and grass tetany. The discussions on this active list-serv often times encourage us to find someone to author an article to address those topics. Dr. Paul Detloff, staff Veterinarian for Organic Valley, was nice enough to do just that and wrote write an article titled  'Properly Preparing the Fresh Cow'. Go to it now >

Odairy Discussions
Liz Bawden, a NODPA Representative, Organic producer in NY, and NODPA News Co-Editor always does a wonderful job summarizing discussions that have taken place on our Odairy listserv. These article summaries are published in our bi-monthly print newsletter. If there is a discussion mentioned in her article that you find interesting, you can go to the O-Dairy archives and find the discussions, organized by subject heading, in their entirety. There was one technical flaw in the May Newsletter that Dr. Hubert Karreman found and we have amended Liz's article to reflect that error. In her article it was mentioned that Fleet Enema added to a bottle of dextrose or hypertonic saline would be a good treatment for potassium deficiency (Grass Tetany). This is inaccurate; Fleet Enema is high in phosphorous and would not be an appropriate treatment for grass tetany but would be appropriate for a cow that is down due to low phosphorus. Go to Liz's wrap-up now >

Other Resources for Dairy Farmers:
Books for organic dairy farmers.

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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.

Click here for a summary of the many ways you can support NODPA and the farmers it represents.

Check out the 20 new entries in our business directory ...
... and consider adding your own business. MORE