Is the organic milk glass half full, or half empty?

US - The changing dynamics of the organic dairy industry may have resulted in different production practices, but these are not necessarily wrong, and accusations must stop if there is to be any hope of meeting increasing demand, according to one food writer.
calendar icon 31 January 2007
clock icon 1 minute read
The living conditions of the American organic dairy cow attracted more ink and java script in 2006 than ever before. These pampered packs even made the cover of Business Week magazine. Accusers said the organic dairy industry was resorting to factory farming methods to meet the cost-trimming demands of the conventional marketplace.

For this Colorado-based food journalist, the arguments focused on two Colorado companies in my proverbial backyard: private-label supplier Aurora Organic Dairy and Horizon Organic Dairy. My proximity allowed me to visit all manner and size of farms, both organic and conventional. In truth, the issues surrounding these black and white bovines are far from, well, black and white.

No matter which farm I saw, none met my preconceived notion. Gone were the big red barns. Hundreds, if not thousands, of cows have planned grazing times, the equivalent of bovine recess. They live under metal sheds and are milked in centralized milking parlors. The cheery farmer in overalls is now the hired help and glass milk bottles have been swapped for supermarket plastic jugs.

It might be disappointing, but it's not a sign that the organic industry is being undermined, as has been alluded to. It's more about perspective, scale, competition and a shifting consumer base.

Source: Foodnavigator-usa-.com
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