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Support NODPA
NODPA Needs YOU
NODPA depends on the memberships of farmers, consumers and businesses for support of all its efforts--regionally and in Washington--on behalf of the organic dairy farmers.
If you're an organic dairy farmer, consider one of the following: a milk check-off membership or an annual newsletter membership or choose your own level of annual dues to support NODPA. Learn more >
If you're a business, consider our high-value business membership.
If you're an interested consumer or educator, look into our associate membership.
You can now make easy, secure online credit card payments.
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NODPA’s Mission:
To enable organic dairy family farmers, situated across an extensive area, to have informed discussion about matters critical to the well being of the organic dairy industry as a whole.
NODPA NEWS & NOTES
Payprice Summary Chart: 2006 to 2013
Download a copy of our summary chart comparing payprice for Organic Valley and Horizon over time.
Organic Milk, Pay, Retail and Feed Prices November 2018Added Nov 26, 2018.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) reports that retail sales of organic milk during September 2018 was 206 million pounds a drop of 1.2 percent from September 2017 but whole milk continues to increase sales at 1.00% over 2017 sales and a year to date increase of 4.6%. Year to date sales for September 2018 was up .3% over 2017. August 2018 sales were better than September and were 222 million pounds, up 2.1 percent from August 2017 and up 0.5 percent, January-August 2018, compared with the same period of 2017. Sales of organic whole milk continue to increase with retail sales for August 2018 of 90 million pounds climbing 4.1 per cent from August 2017 and rising 5.1 percent compared to 2017, year to date. With CROPP making decisions on their 2019 pay price at this time of year, there are reports that they will be conservative moving forward. CROPP is ready to launch their Grassfed Verification program and 2019 will be the pilot year.
For the full report please go to:
Check Out All The Businesses Supporting NODPA's Work
Over 20 businesses have signed up for our business membership directory, helping support our newsletter, web site, advocacy work, and more. Check them out.
5 Ways You
Can Support NODPA
Ten years ago NODPA was formed in response to a threat of a drop in milk price. In 2014 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.
For full classifieds, click here.
Want to submit your own farmer classified? Click here >
Employment
NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC in Binghamton NY is Hiring (Added 11/8/2018)
Be a part of a growing non-profit company, USDA-accredited organic certification agency, whose primary purpose is to provide high integrity organic certification to over 1000 organic farmers and processors throughout New York State and surrounding areas.
We are hiring for full-time (40 hours/week) position(s) working in our Binghamton, NY office that includes healthcare, dental and 403(b) as well as generous paid holidays/vacation time.
We offer a friendly work environment, challenging work, open communication, and commitment to a job well-done. For more information on this position and our organization visit www.nofany.org.
The ideal candidate will have a college degree in a related area, or equivalent by training or experience, and knowledge of Dairy production. We require excellent communication skills, verbal and written; strong computer skills; and the ability to do detail-oriented work in a fast paced environment. Training will be provided.
Dairy Certification Coordinator Assistant
Salary: up to $35K depending on experience
Primary responsibilities include providing administrative support to the Dairy Certification Coordinator to ensure the timely intake and flow of certification applications through the entire certification process. Key duties include assisting with phones, emails, letter writing, data input, and deadline management.
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to email a resume and letter of interest to: CertifiedOrganic@nofany.org.
NOFA-NY is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.
Forage and Grains
For Sale: May & early June grass as 4X5 dry round or 4X4 individual baleage. Delivery available from Ithaca in 14 bale loads within NYS. Added June 14, 2018.
Carl Crispell
607-275-1647
cac22@cornell.edu
Animals
Holstein heifer calves up to 4 months old. Price..we'll talk!!
Added July 12, 2018.
Name: David Thomas
Email: Davidnancythomas@gmail.com
Phone: 6083374218 or 608 487 4278
Location: Norwalk
Certified, Organic, Jersey Young Stock. Added July 11, 2018.
5 Bred heifers
4 Short bred heifers
11 calves
For more information call 802-584-4764 or email ag2ruvt@gmail.com
Name: Boltonville Dairy
Location: Wells River
For additional information on the events below, click here.
Advance Notice:
December 2 - 5, 2018
7th National Grazing Lands Conference: Taking the Gamble out of Grazing
Peppermill Resort and Casino, Reno, NV
FEATURED FARM: Ottercrest Farm, Whiting, VT
Twelve years ago, after a successful career as a veterinarian, the opportunity arose for Brian Howlett (56) to buy the dairy farm where he spent his early childhood. Purchased by his father in 1964, the family moved to his mother's family farm, a modernized dairy in the late-1970s. A cousin rented and operated the farm until he sold the cows in 2005. Ottercrest Farm is in west-central Vermont in the Lake Champlain Valley of Addison County about 50 miles south of Burlington.
NODPA Speaks Out On The Origin of Livestock
Next Steps to Save Organic
The National Organic Standard Board (NOSB) met in St Paul, MN, from Wednesday, October 24, 2018 to Friday, October 26, 2018. On the last day of the meeting they made a clear and unanimous recommendation to the Secretary of Agriculture on the need for a Final Rule on the Origin of Livestock. They have opened the door to reactivating the 2015 Proposed Rule and bring the consistent interpretation of the one-time exemption for transitioning conventional dairy animals called for by the USDA Inspector General in 2013.
2018 NODPA Fund Drive is Underway
The crisis in organic dairy is very personal to us all. When contracts are lost and pay price drops by 25%, boot strapping becomes the reality for the whole farm family. NODPA's service to producers is to give them avenues for venting and sharing experiences, either in person, in print or through the internet. The stark truth is that organic dairy farm families are the casualties of the market monopoly by two national buyers, a handful of large dairies and poor enforcement of regulations. Now, more than ever, NODPA needs to be able to speak clearly and loudly about the solutions that will mitigate the situation in the future.
The 18th Annual NODPA Field Days:
Tools for Survival: Weathering the Current Dairy Crisis While Maintaining Organic Integrity
For those who weren't able to attend the NODPA Field Days at the end of September, here is a summary of the farm tours and educational program.
The two day event included two farm tours of nearby organic dairies, panels on financial analysis and recordkeeping, grass-fed milk marketing, and policy issues affecting the industry, a producer only meeting, and a rousing, albeit sobering address by Mark Kastel from The Cornucopia Institute. This important annual event offers an opportunity for organic dairy farmers in the Northeast to share lessons about what works and what doesn't, get updated on important developments in the industry and in the policy world, and, last but not least, build solidarity and think about how to best respond to the extremely challenging market conditions facing organic dairy farmers.
From the NODPA Desk: November 2018
For many of those who attended the NODPA Field Days, this was their first exposure to NODPA and to see new faces participating enthusiastically in the program emphasized the importance of rotating the event around the region, rather than having it is the same place every year. The discussions around the issues of the day were perceptive and always ended on a positive note or vision for the future. The producer meeting raised issues that are very pertinent to all producers, and the exchange of information on relationships with milk buyers was very valuable.
Our work over the next year will be guided by those discussions plus the concerns raised by producers, individually and on conference calls. Incorporating social, philosophical and religious values into decision making is very much the basis of why we are drawn to farm and care for animals. Sometimes the answer really is 'This is what we do.' Not always the best start for negotiating a better pay price but all part of the rich fabric that makes us fight for the integrity of organic production.
Young Farmers: Make Your Voices Heard
By Liz Pickard, Twin Oaks Dairy, Truxton, NY.
I'd be preaching to the choir if I said farming was a tough career. Over the course of 12 years of doing farm work, I've had many ups and a lot of downs. Yes, I was doing what I loved - providing healthy organic food to my community. And yes, it was satisfying to draw milk off the bulk tank right into a glass, or to watch the winter wheat that I had sown come up in pencil-straight rows, or to pull jewel-colored carrots out of the ground and act surprised every time. But living on a farm worker's wage is hard. I mean, living on any farm wage is hard, whether you're the owner or not. But that's just it- I wasn't the owner. I was the hired hand, who was out of work come November, scrambling to find a new place to live and a new coffee shop I could work at while I waited out the snow. And I knew that at my current rate, I would be about 60 years old before I had enough money saved up to start my own farm.
For first-generation farmers like myself, this is a common story.
USDA Funded Expanded Grass-fed Dairy Production Research Project
By Sarah Flack, Heather Darby and Sara Ziegler.
Thanks to new grant funding, current research on grass fed dairy production will be expanded to a larger geographic region and scope, addressing more of the key issues in grass-fed dairy production. This new multiyear research project, funded by USDA's Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), is titled Advancing Grass-Fed Dairy: A Whole Systems Approach to Enhancing Productivity, Quality, and Farm Viability in the US (Project no. 2018-02802).
The project, led by Dr. Heather Darby at the University of Vermont, assembles a team of farmers, consultants and researchers from several states (full list provided at end). This multi-disciplinary research team hopes to identify critical components of grass-fed dairy management that support high quality milk production, herd health, environmental health, and farm economic viability while contributing to a vibrant grass-fed dairy market that meets the needs and preferences of consumers. If you are a grass-fed dairy producer, look out for information in the mail on the project, or contact one of us if you'd like to participate.
