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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 14672
[Society]
Date Posted:
1/3/2006
6:41:15 am EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 6,185
RSS: 23,083
Comments: 9
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Milk money: Does going organic pay off?
Author: Candace Page Source: Burlington Free Press
Title: Milk money: Does going organic pay off?
WEST SWANTON -- Earl Fournier's accountant tells him the profit from his 75 milk cows tripled -- from $9,000 to about $30,000 -- in 2004-2005, the first year he switched his Holsteins to producing organic milk.
"The numbers don't make you jump out of your chair, but I can say for certain I'm no worse off and the potential to be really better off is there," he said Thursday, considering the bottom line at his kitchen table.
"I didn't think this farm was sustainable into my retirement. Now I think it can be," said the 51-year-old dairyman, who farms with his sons David, 30, and William, 12.
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Community Thoughts: There are 9 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Yankeeland Is Different Economically. | Jan 5th. at 4:20:32 pm EST
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Lora (Leominster, Massachusetts) - Email Me
It's one thing to operate a "gentleman's farm" or small farm in the Northeast. Here, boutique farms sell out of their CSA shares in January, there are still plenty of smaller grocery chains and small businesses that will buy from local farmers, and lots of people ride horses, so farmers make extra bucks by running a stable on the side. And yeah, we've got lots of wealthy people, too, who can afford to shop at Whole Paycheck each and every week, who aren't bothered about whether their milk is $2.69/gallon or $4.99/gallon, only whether or not it mixes well with Kahlua.
Quite another situation if you live in Boondocks, Nebraska, the only grocery store is a Wal-Mart an hour's drive away, the only milk-processing co-op will mix your organic milk in with everyone else's and sell it for $2.69/gallon regardless of your efforts., and there's 25% unemployment for everyone who doesn't work at Wal-Mart or in the local school system.
Location, location, location. That said, there are some cash crops small farmers could try before throwing in the towel: herbs and spices sell for quite a lot per pound, finished goods like artisanal cheese and yogurts can be shipped much further, and if you can get into the cut-flower business, that makes some very good cash per acre. Some farmers have started growing rare gourmet mushrooms, too, as morels sell for $25/pound fresh and $8/oz. dried.
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| A Perfect Example | Jan 3rd. at 12:55:55 pm EST
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hedgewytch (Prince William Sound, Alaska) - Email Me
of how switching from industrialized, federalized agriculture, which initially may see a dip in profits, will in the long run prove both economically and biologically sustainable.
I'd rather drink milk from happy pasture cows than over-fed, over medicated, confined cows.
For a great resource on the organic movement and relevent news, goto:
www.organicconsumers.org
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| Great Story! | Jan 3rd. at 10:39:40 am EST
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Ixacacau (Moore, Oklahoma) - Email Me
I started buying organic milk several years ago and found that it tasted so much better that I could go from 2% to skim without sacrificing taste or texture. Last year, my local grocery store started carrying organic milk because of the demand and they can hardly keep it on the shelves. This is a great trend!
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| Follow Your... | Jan 3rd. at 9:54:55 am EST
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Llunmere (Germantown Hills, Illinois) - Email Me
I'm not a milk kind of person, but I know that since I've switched to organic milk, I've enjoyed it a lot more and it tastes so much better. It's a good thing that more farmers are using the happy cow philosophy-- even if its just for profit.
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| Typical For Farming | Jan 3rd. at 9:12:01 am EST
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Ahr-Ohn (Bridgeport, Connecticut) - Email Me
"Overall, we find that the average organic dairy operation was not profitable in 2004. The average rate of return on farm assets was minus 2.9 percent," the researchers reported.
If Farming were profitable, we'd not have so much Unemployment.
All Connecticut Farms use out of state feed.
Montessorri recommended raising Adolescents on farms, and you wouldn't want BST where experimental teens could access, so it's probably a better match. Child Labor isn't allowed to touch the World, but if each kid could raise food for 10 kin, for 10% of Life Expectancy, Classroom Time would be expected to produce something.
Arawn
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