This Task Force will provide a venue to discuss and develop strategies to grow a sustainable organic dairy industry for New York State. This dialogue will help clarify opportunities and the barriers in the organic dairy industry. The members will represent diverse perspectives from all points of the value chain. The primary outcome of the Task Force will be to identify and advocate for needed communication, education, research and policy initiatives to allow for the production and marketing of New York’s organic dairy products in a fashion which is sustainable; financially, environmentally, and socially.
Task Force Meeting (3.31.10): (pdf)
Task Force Meeting (4.11.09): Big Changes in the Organic Dairy Market
At the Nov 4th NY Organic Dairy Task Force Meeting we heard reports about the exodus of HP Hood from the organic market. Producers at the meeting had lots of questions about how this will affect HP Hood’s farmers. What we know now is that the Stoneyfield Organic fluid milk will be handled by Organic Valley and OV will manage the milk supply and marketing while HP Hood will, for the time being, do the processing.
Another report was from an organic dairy producer, Kathie Arnold, on the changes to the Federal Milk Order. The change puts a limit on milk processors that are vertically integrated to be milk producers as well. This would include the 17,000 organic cow operation Aurora Dairy which supplies Wal Mart and other grocery stores with milk. The change would force Aurora to pay into the federal order the 8-10% fee that all the organic processors pay. This loophole has given the large organic dairies an advantage over all the organic milk produced in New York.
