Hi All,

I just finished my interview with Ed Maltby, the Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. We discussed the current state of affairs with the organic dairy market in the Northeast, and the many challenges they are facing.  The cost of production in the northeast is higher than out west, due to the fact that land is more expensive, labor is more expensive, and supplies are more expensive.  Right now, the price farmers are paid for the product is less than the cost of producing it. Obviously, that is not a good business model, and farmers are hurting. The competition with large CAFO’s (confined animal feeding operations) which manage to get organic certification, but are not really living up to the organic standards they are supposed to, are putting many of the smaller dairy farmers out of business. That is why it is so important to know your farmer, or know where your product is coming from. Unfortunately, all organic certifiers are not equal, (they should be, but they are not!) so knowing what company is certifying your milk is helpful. NOFA-NY, the Northeast Organic Farming Association has certifiers you can trust!

Below, I am sharing a photo from the Cornucopia Institute‘s website, showing some of the certifiers you CAN’T trust. They have a full report that rates certifiers and can help you know which products you can trust. Check them out!

If you missed our interview, you can listen to it here:

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