Dairy, Dairy, Quite Contrary

Why that organic label on your milk doesn’t tell the whole story 25

Posted 3:28 PM on 16 May 2008
by Tom Philpott
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Idyllic dairy cow

Tastes great, but who's paying the health-care bills?

As a writer, one of my goals is to demystify farming for non-farmers -- to remind people that their food comes from somewhere, grown by someone, often drawing down finite resources. Less than 2 percent of Americans farm, yet all of us eat. Whether you're scarfing a Whopper or savoring a farmers' market peach, food has a history tied to people and the earth; and that history matters for both.

The organic label, for all its success, sometimes complicates my job. Rather than challenge consumers to learn more about their food, the label too often lulls them into feel-good ignorance. For many consumers, "organic" means food that's healthy, clean, and fair to farmers and farmworkers.

Of course, the reality is much more complicated. An organic label on a bag of supermarket spinach tells us something -- for example, that synthetic pesticides and fertilizers weren't used in its production. But the label doesn't paint a complete picture of the conditions under which the spinach was grown.

In her 2004 book Agrarian Dreams, Julie Guthman demonstrates that organic agriculture in California often relies on imported inputs and exploited labor. Likewise, when organic salad greens stuffed in little plastic bags move cross-country in refrigerated trucks, they count as "green" only in color, as Michael Pollan shows in Omnivore's Dilemma.

I've been thinking about the organic label -- what it reveals and what it hides -- as I follow what's going on in the organic-dairy market. Consumer food prices are rising across the board, but have reached particularly elevated levels for organic dairy; meanwhile, the price dairy farmers get for their milk changed little, while their cost of doing business has jumped. We touched on this topic back in April on Gristmill, when we featured a debate between an organic dairy-farmer representative and a dairy-processing executive (I weighed in here). The conditions we discussed have only intensified since then.

Milking It

At supermarkets near the western North Carolina vegetable farm where I work, milk from the national, farmer-owned Organic Valley brand goes for $6.49 per gallon -- a nearly $3.00 premium over non-organic store-brand milk ($3.59).

But if you think things are getting pricey in the organic dairy aisle, imagine trying your lot as an organic dairy farmer. Over the past year, farmers have been hit with a dramatic jump in their input costs -- everything from organic feed to diesel fuel to family health care. At the same time, the price they actually get for their milk has been relatively flat.

According to the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, the price of two primary feedstocks, organic corn and soy, has jumped by 59 percent and 77 percent, respectively, in the last year. The price of diesel fuel -- essential for running tractors -- has spiked by 60 percent. But farmers selling their milk to processors saw their rate nudge up only 12 percent.

Now, some may wonder why true organic dairy farmers would be affected by feed prices at all. Given that cows evolved to eat grass, not corn or other grains, shouldn't organically managed cows feed only on pasture? Ideally, the answer is yes. But in harsh northern climates like those of New England and the Midwest, grass only thrives for part of the year. When winter hits and pastures lie under snow, farmers face two choices: feed their cows strictly hay, which lacks the nutrient density to keep production at a high clip; or supplement with some corn and soy.

The all-hay option means a seasonal collapse in income; the corn-and-soy alternative, in the current market environment, means a seasonal surge in production costs. For small family farms, either can spell disaster.

Up in the Northeast, organic dairy producers are struggling just to survive. "Many producers are losing money on each gallon," Ed Maltby, executive director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Association, told me in a phone interview. "Some are switching to conventional, and a few are exiting the business altogether." According to Maltby, some farmers -- including ones who belong to the Organic Valley cooperative -- are losing as much as 60 cents on every gallon they sell.

In this case, the organic label hardly translates into fairness to farmers.

Quarting Disaster

For Maltby, the answer is simple: organic processors need to raise the price they pay farmers. "Essentially, we're expecting farmers to go without health care for their families and accept lower living standards," he says. "Why shouldn't the processors take some of the pain during this bad time?"

One constraint is fierce competition at the retail level. As organic milk has gained popularity [PDF] -- largely due to the consumer backlash against growth hormones -- large corporations concerned more about their margins than the integrity of organic have barreled into the market.

Dean Foods, the dominant U.S. conventional milk processor, snapped up Horizon, by far the nation's largest organic-milk brand, in 2004. According to one source, Horizon alone now accounts for 60 percent of the organic milk market.

To protect their own profit margins, such mega-players buy "organic" milk from the cheapest sources possible -- including factory-style farms that confine thousands of dairy cows into pens year-round, giving them no meaningful "access to pasture," as they are required to do under USDA organic code. These operations amount to confined-animal feeding operations (CAFOs), diabolic combinations of animal cruelty and environmental devastation.

The Wisconsin-based watchdog Cornucopia Institute has established that Horizon sources as much as half of its milk from such operations -- and the USDA has generally looked the other way. Another mega-organic dairy processor, Aurora, is up to similar things, Cornucopia reports. Started by two former Horizon executives, Aurora supplies milk to supermarket house brands across the land.

By allowing corporate processors to flout organic rules, the USDA essentially pits family-scale farms with fragile finances against deep-pocketed corporate giants. When a crisis like the current one hits, the giants consolidate their power, making it even tougher for small-scale farmers to compete.

Of course, you're not going to read about failing farms, corporate power, or the USDA's limp oversight on a milk bottle -- not even an organic one. And that means more work for the likes of me. Come to think of it, rather than complicate my job, the organic label may be helping to keep me gainfully employed.

Comments

Grist food editor Tom Philpott farms and cooks at Maverick Farms, a sustainable-agriculture nonprofit and small farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Follow my Twitter feed; contact me at tphilpott[at]grist[dot]org.

dandel Posted 5:12 am
16 May 2008
yuckI'm not buying Horizon products anymore.
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nhtahoe Posted 9:13 am
16 May 2008
SadHow disturbing to learn that the Horizon brand is actively undercutting the trust necessary to further grow the market for organic products. I'm glad there are people like Julie Guthman (I read her book 3 years ago, and it is as fascinating as it is disturbing), and organizations like the Cornucopia Institute!
No more Horizon for me!
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otocco Posted 11:55 am
16 May 2008
Pick your poison IMO, as long as there have been more than two links to the agrifood supply chain, greed has played a part in the system. I doubt an organic designation will change this.

We recently had a big fight within the farm community about the wholesale banning of the use of rBST in dairy cows in the "conventional" supply chain. I found it interesting what happens when two giants, in this case Monsanto and the Kroger Corporation, work against one another. Through this debate, a thorough examination of both the "conventional" and organic systems was made by a number of professors and vets. Their findings were published in an article in Feedstuffs Magazine. An excerpt and full citation is below:
"Support of organic or rbST-free milk products may stem from concern about the environment, but the science does not support those positions. Cows given rbST produce more milk. In doing so, their efficiency of production increases and they eat less feed for each gallon of milk they produce. In fact, it takes about 6 to 8% less land to produce milk from cows given rbST. Less land plowed, less fertilizer, less of all of the inputs that go into producing the dairy products consumers enjoy. These cows release less greenhouse gas into the environment per gallon of milk produced, reducing their impact on global warming. This means there is less impact on the environment to produce our nation's milk. In fact, a recently released British government study of organic farming found that in many cases, organic farming was less environmentally friendly than conventional agricultural practices. This was particularly true of milk production. The report concludes, in part, that organic milk requires 80% more land per gallon of milk produced, generates 20% more carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas), and produces almost double the amount of other byproducts that can lead to acidification of soil and pollution of water."
http://www.feedstuffsfoodlink.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?nm=Blog& ...
I recognize this report was from what some Grist readers might call "The enemies". But these are 65 academic professionals (ie. scientists) who want to objectively evaluate the systems based on replicated trials.
In these times when we as a global village struggle to feed ourselves without destroying our ecological niche on the planet, it seems we might be a bit premature to write off "conventional" practices as deplorable. To provide greater equity to our farmers, we would definitely do well to shorten the chain between us and our food, but we should ultimately support them. Any time there are more distributors, packers, haulers, or manufacturers in our food chain we can always expect the possibility of trouble.
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Time4Change Posted 2:22 am
17 May 2008
HorizonThis article reminded me of the importance of staying vigilant and not taking anything for granted. I avoid dairy products in general anyways for environmental and humane reasons, but it is still sad to realize the truth about Horizon as it is so popular in my area.
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Green Granny Posted 3:10 am
17 May 2008
Buy direct from the farmBuy your milk directly from the farmer. You can see for yourself how well the cows are cared for. Your farmer gets 100% of the profit (which helps him and your local economy). You get a superior product for the price. Some farmers will even bring the milk to you -- at the Farmer's Market or a convenient "pick up point".
Sadly, we've seen over and over again that big corporations put profit ahead of ethics. Horizon is just the latest example.
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joinedatthestitch Posted 6:46 am
17 May 2008
Why are we still drinking milk?Does anyone realize we're the only mammals to still drink milk after weening?
Not to mention "Organic" is used so loosely now it's almost a joke.
Soy me up.
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grumpycow Posted 8:51 am
17 May 2008
what a joke!!!!! I suggest you get the real facts on Horizon before you judge them. Cornicopia is a bunch of crackpots that have Horizon in their sights. Don't let any of the processors kid you they are all buying milk from factory farms somewhere.

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rwkenn Posted 7:42 pm
18 May 2008
food for thoughtI was once a heavy milk drinker, mmmm, but have weaned myself off of milk and now drink an organic rice drink. I agree that the best way to go is to buy your milk directly from your farmers, cutting out the supply chain and unfair profits made from large corporations. I live in Italy (Emilia-Romagna) and have noted that local milk producers have begun installing automatic milk dispensers in our area, which seem to be having success. Almost as good as having delivered to your doorstep.
Monsanto can certainly find enough scientists to back any evidence they need, i not how can we explain the alarmingly high amount of genetically modified crops in the US. Do we really want to drink rBST or better allow our children to???????
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maggie1188 Posted 1:52 am
19 May 2008
Better than "organic"Here, people, is a wonderful example of why it's great to be vegan. I don't have a problem spending a little extra money for soy milk, when 1. it's not that much more expensive than dairy milk now, and 2. i'm not supporting the abuse and torture of milk cows and their poor babies the are inbred to make more milk cows and their baby boys torn away from them before they are old enough to be without their mother's milk to be turned into veal for all the selfish people who don't realize they are eating baby cow with atrophied muscles-they can not even walk. Anyway, there is my rant, hope I can influence some people.
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maggie1188 Posted 1:55 am
19 May 2008
You got it.I'm with you. Soy isn't even that much more expensive than dairy now...and dairy makes you fat anyway.
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latenac Posted 2:32 am
19 May 2008
soy has its own issuesYes you can be sure it's organic. But you aren't getting most of the vitamins and minerals added into it since they don't mix well into the soy milk. And then there are host of issues with over consumption of soy in the US as well.
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PermieWriter Posted 4:07 am
19 May 2008
MilkI visited several Clover dairies in Sonoma County and was very impressed with the cows' working conditions. Clover 1 percent is my milk of choice. Oddly enough, after a taste test, it turns out we prefer Clover standard to Clover organic, for milk anyway. And Clover unsalted butter makes the best pastry.
Soy is a problem, given that so much of it is transgenic (mostly engineered with Roundup resistance or Bt - mmmm... pesticide in every bite). Same with canola and corn (not sweet corn, fortunately, but the industrial stream has serious contamination issues). Still, one's best bet for avoiding GMOs is staying away from those processed foods that contain corn byproducts. FYI, if you read a product label and can't figure out what a polysyllabic ingredient is, it's probably corn.
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BlackBear Posted 4:50 am
19 May 2008
Soy vs. Organic MilkI think that there might be a bit of a misleading argument here about organic milk. I don't think many people inclined to spend the money on organic milk are likely to be so foolish as to think organic milk production is more efficient. Rather I think they are concerned with the "fun" of growth hormones and feed additives present in conventional(?) milk.
I've looked into soy as an alternative and I have to say that I was surprised at the studies and concerns being raised concerning the nutritional values of soy. I've been lead to believe that it was just about the "perfect food substitute."
So if soy and milk are both out, what does that leave me with when I desire a creamy sauce or a handful of oreos?
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Green Granny Posted 10:00 am
19 May 2008
BlackBear seek moderationMy grandmother, born in England in the Victorian Age, used to say "all things in moderation." She died with all but one of her own teeth and all of her internal organs at the ripe old age of ninety something (a benign, slow growing brain tumor did her in because she opted out of surgery). From the age of 18 until her death she weighed within 5 pounds one way or the other of 125lbs except during pregnancy. She walked every day, read every day, and played some every day. Dip your organic oreos in organic milk, fresh from the farmer milk, or soy milk, coffee, or tea -- and enjoy. Milk and soy need not be "out" -- just in moderate balance with the rest of your diet.
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mwildfire Posted 12:25 am
20 May 2008
OCA suing Horizon and Aurora over thisI know because I agreed to be a plaintiff, since I bought Horizon "organic" milk at the local Wal-Mart, my only local source of organic anything. I think soy has its virtues, and you can avoid GM soy by choosing organic. GM is forbidden by the organic label. I use soymilk in everything except coffee--for which I buy whole organic milk, the Wal-Mart is now stocking Stonyfield brand--and yogurt, for which I buy the fatfree milk and make the yogurt myself. I am highly suspicious of those studies that supposedly showed environmental harms from organic dairy production and increased efficiency from the artificially pumped-up cows. It's good they're going to replicate the study--IF the scientists doing the new studies are free of conflicting interest!
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thinkagain Posted 1:56 am
21 May 2008
Check your sourcesIf you look into the origin of many of the studies on soy and soy milk, the dairy industry is behind them. Conflict of interest?
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wmonfalcone Posted 4:23 am
21 May 2008
hmmm.... Doesn't soy cause thyroid problems? I dont think any food is without its problems, but does anyone know which brands of organic are honestly organic? how can i find out?
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joinedatthestitch Posted 6:48 am
21 May 2008
Rice/Almond vs SoyIf Soy milk is also getting a bad rap, have there been any studies on the benefits/cons of rice or almond milk?
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turanga leela Posted 6:56 am
21 May 2008
sources on soy?thinkagain,
could you provide some sources to back up your claim or is this an assumption? vandana shiva is not a fan of soy from both an environmental and human health standpoint, and she is certainly not funded by the dairy industry.
doctors will tell you that the jury's out about how much soy is good for you if you're a woman--the phytoestrogens may be a contributing factor to estrogen-receptive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
most soy is grown in an extractive and environmentally damaging way. of course, most of that soy is used for animal feed--if it was eaten by humans there would be a lot more to go around for vegans.
also, some soy milks, such as silk, are made with palm oil. in fact there's more palm oil being used in food products than in any biofuel. so do your part to stop the destruction of ourang-outang habitat by boycotting both palm oil biodiesel AND palm oil food products.
but given conventionally grown soy and grass fed dairy, for all the reasons listed above, i'll take the grass fed dairy any day. we've got a great company in the midwest that sells grass fed cow milk in glass bottles to all the co-ops, and you can return the glass bottles to the dairy for a credit.
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turanga leela Posted 6:58 am
21 May 2008
if soy was primarily eaten by humans, not cowswas what i meant above. :)
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CSRguy Posted 12:59 pm
21 May 2008
Organic is supposed to be about sustainabilityOrganic farming is all about sustainability of the food production system. Short term efficiency gains from intensive -GMO & petroleum-based pesticides and herbicides, need to balanced against harm to the ecosystem, eaters and the soil.
Helge Hellberg (Marin County Organics) made a great point about the connection of organic farming to life:
"Soil and God or spirit whatever you want to call it are all the same for me ... It is amazing what you can find when you dig in"
Well 2 great points really:
"It is the soil stupid" - Helge Heilberg
Comments at the Canadian Organic Grower's conference - Saturday, February 16, 2008

http://www.cog.ca/visionaryfarmersvisionaryconsumers/spea ...
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Storm Dragon Posted 9:33 am
26 May 2008
More milk, but at what cost?I just wanted to make some comments on the article quoted by otocco. While rBST may cause cows to give more milk, thereby making them more "efficient", its use has a significant downside. Cows treated with this hormone may experience a number of health issues, including fertility problems, an increased incidence of mastitis, and open sores at the injection site. This is likely to lead to an increased use of antibiotics and other drugs, pain and suffering for the cows, and, possibly, a shortening of their productive life-which is the only kind of life permitted to most cows these days. Efficiency is all well and good, but when it comes comes to meddling with living, sentient beings, we need to have some limits, for the sake of decency. After all, it was the push to make livestock raising more "efficient" that created our appalling "factory farms" in the first place.

Besides, I'd rather drink milk from a healthy cow than a sick one.
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frida Posted 4:00 am
29 Jun 2008
Adios SoyAfter consuming soy milk for years, I understand that it really isn't a healthy alternative especially for women due to the phytoestrogens. Here is a link with lots of info. Would like to hear any feedback. For now I'm firmly off all things soy.
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html

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DannyGirl Posted 6:05 pm
29 Jun 2008
re: "Adios Soy"... raw milk.Relating to that Weston Price link, here's my experience to relate: Last summer I was all gung-ho to switch to raw milk for breakfast cereal & coffee. I bought raw milk at my local Whole Foods (PCC never seemed to carry it) and found it pleasing, never had any problems relating to sanitary issues. About the same time I began tracking my menstrual cycles on a calendar. My cycles have always been up to 30 days long (no complaints!) but I found my cycles were getting shorter - as little as 23 days! I took my case to my naturopath who informed me that this was still technically 'normal' so she wasn't going to pursue the matter. (Not normal for me dammit!) Somewhat randomly, I went nearly a month without buying raw milk and switched back to the almond milk we always keep around. Poof! My cycles went back to 28-30 days long and have held like that for a few months now. My theory is that just as pasteurization destroys nutrients in the milk, it also destroys estrogens that are present because cows are milked at inappropriate times in their reproductive cycle. Such is the way of modern, industrial farming - even small scale, raw milk producers, sadly. I won't do soy milk for a variety of reasons and rice milk has too much sugar. Almond milk it is for me.
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frida Posted 2:29 am
05 Jul 2008
hello almond milkI'll give the almond milk a try for my morning cereal. I totally agree that rice milk has far too much sugar and most of the soy milk has lots of sugar too. At the end of my soy milk days I had at least found the no added sugar variety. Thanks for the post.
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