By Ed Maltby, NODPA Executive Director
Organic dairy farming is not for the faint hearted. Just when the shortage of supply has increased competition and brought Pay Price up to a level which can be profitable, we have a regional drought that has decimated the region, with browned out fields and producers chasing supplies of hay. Hopefully this does not set producers back two years as they strive to make up for the losses of the past 5 years.
The US Drought Monitoring Center reported on October 30, 2025, that 93% of the Northeast is experiencing “some level of dryness,” with severe to extreme drought increasing from just under 34% to just over 36%. The most affected areas remain Maine, eastern New York and northern New England, with smaller severe drought zones in other parts of the northeast.
For many producers, purchasing hay from an unfamiliar dealer or farmer—rather than a trusted neighbor—may be a process with which they have limited experience. For those that are purchasing hay, which, with trucking, some are paying over $600/ton, an analysis is essential. You also need to get the correct analysis and be able to interpret it as it applies to your operation. Expert advice is worth every cent that you pay for it. I asked Mike Thresher from Morrisons Feed what he looks for in his hay analysis (he uses Rock River Laboratory Inc. for his hay reports). “For Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF), I want to see it below 32, if mostly alfalfa, below 30. Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), I like to see under 45. For the 30-hour undigested neutral detergent fiber (NDFd 30 hour), I like to see 55 or higher for alfalfa, and 60 or higher for grass. Protein I don't worry about, this can be corrected through the diet easily, but if the fiber levels are too high, this can cause milk loss, or no gain, if one is thinking the feed is super.” Sarah Flack, (Flack Consulting Services) concurs with Mike and notes, "Often, the forage quality information provided by farmers selling hay is incomplete. Typically, hay for sale is accompanied only by data on protein content and Relative Forage Quality (RFQ), which does not always supply all the necessary details." She encourages all producers to ask for fiber digestibility when they get a forage test (NDFD30). “If the feed is fermented, it is advisable to request Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) analysis. While I prefer Rock River Lab as well, I also utilize Cumberland Labs. When working with any laboratory, be sure to specify that, in addition to the standard NIR test, you require the fiber digestibility with the NDFD30 test; this information is typically not provided unless explicitly requested.”
Leatherstocking Cattle Exchange auction
Nathan Weaver reports that the second annual Leatherstocking Cattle Exchange auction was held on 10/30/2025 at the Alex Weaver farm in Canastota, NY, organized by Alex, Sam and Nathan Weaver. There were over 350 people that attended the auction, with 160 organic Grass-Fed animals presented for sale. The highest prices were for A2A2 bred heifers which fetched prices up to $5,700 with other healthy animals fetching $3,500 to $5,700. Milking cows freshening in Spring 2026 averaged $1,500 each. Non A2A2 bred heifers were selling at $2-3,000 each with pure A2A2 bulls fetching up to $6,000. Nathan reports that there was a was a significant premium, averaging 20%, for pure bred animals over cross-bred.
Updates from USDA
Hopefully the government will be open by the time this reaches you BUT in case its not…….USDA recently announced it is planning to partially reopen around 2,100 county Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices despite the ongoing federal funding lapse. These offices are expected to resume certain services — such as some critical farm loan processing functions, ARC/PLC payments, and some forms of disaster assistance — while operating with very limited staffing. It’s still unclear exactly which tasks and programs within those categories FSA employees will be allowed to work on.
Without NOP staff, new complaints aren’t being processed, variances on regulations as in the case of the drought in the northeast, aren’t being processed and active investigations/appeals are stalled. Under normal circumstances, the NOP is tracking suspicious imports at ports of entry and working with Customs and Border Protection to stop fraudulent products from coming into the U.S. The lack of oversight due to the shutdown weakens the deterrent effect that protects honest farmers and brands. Accreditation and oversight of certifiers is also paused.
Don’t expect any progress on the Organic Certification Cost Share Program, as USDA FSA continues to work through their process for reconciling 2024, despite the program being funded for 2025/2026 year.
The November National Organic Standards Board Meeting in Omaha was cancelled. It is not yet clear if the National Organic Program will reschedule this meeting and cancellation of the fall meeting means that important votes on sunset materials and proposals did not take place. An important procedural note is that five of the NOSB members who have worked on the recommendations for sunset and other priorities, will end their term on the NOSB in the middle of January 2026, and will not be available to explain their recommendations at the Spring 2026 NOSB meeting. NODPA, and many others, did file written comments to the NOSB ahead of the October 8, 2025, deadline via the federal register.
Farmer Emergency Fund - https://www.nofavt.org/farmer-emergency-fund
NOFA-VT’s Farmer Emergency Fund, established in 1997, helps organic and NOFA-VT member farmers who have experienced impacts from natural or unnatural events. The Fund offers two types of grants; $2,500 grants are available for NOFA-VT farmer members that are in good standing for at least one year and $5,000 grants are available to any farm that is VOF certified organic with no waiting period. Applications are accepted and reviewed continuously by a loan review committee with successful applicants being notified within two weeks of submission.
Posted: to Industry News on Sat, Nov 15, 2025
Updated: Sat, Nov 15, 2025
