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 >

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.

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.

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.

ADDED MAY 17, 2010

DIAC holds its first meeting – political convenience or the possibility of real change?

Ed Maltby, NODPA's Executive Director, spent some time in DC in late April as part of the Dairy Industry Advisory Committee and has provided us with a nice summary of the meeting. You can read his full report by clicking here. It is encouraging to see that organic dairy is clearly a part of the discussions. A second meeting is schedule for early June.

Highlights from the latest pasture rule training

The last pasture rule training, which took place April 26th in Woodland California was the best attended workshop yet, with over 80 people - many of whom were producers. To read a summary of what was covered and where we go from here, click here.

Free Choice Smorgasbord Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation for Livestock

During the month of March and April, there was a lot of discussions on Odairy regarding whether or not cows should be offered a free-choice mineral bar and the pro's and con's of doing that. Dr. Susan Beal, the Agricultural Science Advisor for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, was happy to write an article for us on the topic. Learn more >
 
Organic Dairy Questionnaire

Pam Moore, an organic dairy producer from Nichols, New York, pulled together a questionnaire asking producers how they have been faring over the past couple of years as a result of the organic milk surplus. We have offered to help circulate this questionnaire with the hopes that she will hear from a wide spectrum of producers from all parts of the U.S. All information will remain confidential. Check out the questionnaire.

Organic Dairy Study Results
for the 2008 Production Year
Over the past 5 years a joint project between NOFA Vermont, UVM Extension and UMaine Extension has examined the economics of organic dairy production in Vermont and Maine, with the study looking only at Vermont for the last 2 years.  What we have found is an agricultural sector that experienced a surge in   profitability and prices in 2006 only to see those profits erode by 2009. Read more >

Improving Net Profit By
Reducing Grain Inputs
The results of research from Chico State University in California studying the impact of reducing grain inputs in an intensive grazing system on milk production, milk quality and income over feed costs. Learn more >

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

Save the dates! NODPA Field Days will be October 7th and 8th at MOFGA's Common Ground Fairgrounds, Unity, Maine and is shaping up to be a great educational and social event. Miles McEvoy, Deputy Administrator of the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) will be attending and has been invited to address the group at NODPA’s Annual Dinner Meeting on Thursday evening and to lead a Q & A session on the Final Access to Pasture Rule on Friday.

Click here for more details.

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