CROPP Cooperative Forum FEBRUARY 2018 CONSUMER EXPERT Advice commotion Regli Family Farm I just wanted to send your com- Ferndale, California pany a shout out! My son loves everything he has tried from Organic Valley! He is almost 11 months old and decided for himself he wanted nothing to do with formula anymore so we have had to switch him over to dairy products including your milk, yogurts and half n half for mommy’s coffee. Thank you so much for ensuring we have great products to give to our little man! He is our miracle baby! We were told we would not have kiddos and at age 42 I had him :) Michael is a bless- ing to us and helping us take a closer look at what we eat. IN THIS ISSUE Editor’s Letter .....................................2 FENCE POST: Protecting the Process .....................2-3 Feeding for Milk Components Defining Quota ...................................4 ~Dr. Silvia Abel-Caines, Ruminant Nutritionist Annual Meeting—April 3-5 ...................5 POOLS UPDATE: Growing Engagement in The nutritional value of milk resides in its solids content: milk fat, protein, lactose, vitamins and minerals dissolved the Produce Pool .............................6-7 in its water portion. The monetary value of producing milk is also dependent on the content of the butterfat and milk CROPP Experts Spread Organic Message protein as well as the milk quality. .....................................................8-10 Under the current milk industry situation, it makes NON-NUTRITIONAL FACTORS FAFO UPDATE: FAFO Supports North Carolina Organic a lot of sense that farmers focus on increasing the Breeding and genetics of the herd are responsible Plant Breeding Developments ............11 amount of milk solids per pound of milk produced. As for more than half the difference in milk protein and an animal nutritionist, I will focus on the feeding and POWER OF WE: fat content. Take a look at the table showing the aver- Regional Food Hubs .....................12-13 nutritional factors that can positively or negatively age milk components by breed (see p. 14). Milk yield is affect milk components, but I will begin by outlin- Organic Valley Launches Grassmilk Kids negatively correlated to fat and protein percent. Yogurt Cups and Tubes ......................13 ing non-nutritional factors that are known to directly affect the yield of butterfat and milk protein. The number of lactations affects the yield of milk Organic Valley at the Olympics ...........15 fat and protein percentage. There is a decrease of 0.2 see MILK COMPONENTS, page 14 2 3 (continued from previous page) EDITOR’S Letter Stonyfield Organic Northeast Organic National Young Farmers FENCE Post Farming Association of Coalition Applegate New Hampshire California Farmers Union Scholarships Clif Northeast Organic Farming California Dairy Campaign Protecting Maple Hill Creamery Association of New York Iowa Farmers Union Dr. Bronner’s Angelic Organics Learning the Process Center Kansas Farmers Union Horizon Organic ~Missy Hughes, General Counsel Midwest Organic and Michigan Farmers Union Vital Farms Sustainable Education Minnesota Farmers Union As you know, in late December the U.S. Department of Pete and Gerry’s Organic Services Agriculture proposed to withdraw the Organic Livestock Eggs New England Farmers Georgia Organics Poultry and Practices Final Rule, derailing a longtime effort Union Lundberg Family Farms by the National Organic Standards Board, farmers and con- Wild Farm Alliance Wisconsin Farmers Union sumers to make organic animal care expectations clearer and Nature’s Path CCOF (California Certified The staff at Organic Valley seems more consistent. Rural Advancement Amy’s Kitchen Organic Farmers) to always be busy, but Ruminant USDA’s move undermined the fundamentals of organic rulemaking. In the three weeks between Foundation International Nutritionist Dr. Silvia Abel-Caines H.P. Hood IFOAM North America Christmas and the deadline to comment on the proposed action, CROPP led a group of influential Dakota Rural Action and Regional Pool Manager Gerry Organic Valley strives to create a companies and major farm, environmental and consumer organizations to publish a letter in the Garden of Life Organic Seed Alliance Cohn were able to take their tal- Washington Post. We then rallied 80 companies and organizations to sign our statement demand- Pennsylvania Association more sustainable future for all by ents to other countries to help local Traditional Medicinals for Sustainable Agriculture supporting the education of our ing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue change USDA’s position (see below). Finally, the CERTIFIERS farmers. Read more about their Chicago Tribune published a personal op-ed from George, which voiced his position on the public cooperative’s family members. GoMacro Accredited Certifiers Center for Rural Affairs experiences on pages 8-10. process. Each year, the CROPP Cooperative Association Michael Fields Agricultural Scholarship Program awards up As always, if you would like to con- RETAIL Organic Valley will continue to lead the effort to uphold the public-private partnership that the Institute to eight $1,000 secondary- tribute to the CROPP Forum, either Oregon Tilth National Organic Program represents. As our public partner’s attention drifts from this issue—for Whole Foods Market education scholarships. Applica- through an article submission or a CCOF Certification Organic Farmers now—we must all lean in to protect the organic market and seal in creative and meaningful ways. National Co+op Grocers tions are available now! funny story or picture to share, we Services, LLC Association would love to hear from you. Please United Natural Foods, Applicants must be: January 17, 2018 Midwest Organic Services contact me for more information. UNFI CONSUMER Association • Immediate family members The Humane Society of the In cooperation, The Honorable Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue (child, spouse, legal guardian ORGANIC Maine Organic Farmers United States Department of Agriculture or dependent) of a CROPP Colleen Morrison Whitten Building and Gardeners Association Organic Trade Association Environmental Working farmer-owner or employee. Editor in Chief 1400 Independence Avenue SW Organic Farming Research Ohio Ecological Food and Group Washington, D.C. 20250 • Attending or accepted to an Farming Association Foundation Natural Resources Defense accredited post-secondary Dear Secretary Perdue, National Organic Coalition Pennsylvania Certified Council two- or four-year educational We are deeply disappointed by your proposal to eliminate the new organic standard on animal Organics institution. Rodale Institute Consumer Federation of welfare. Florida Certified Organic America • In good academic standing. The Organic Center This is an affront to the many people and organizations engaged in a multi-year, transpar- Growers and Consumers, Center for Science in the ent, and highly participatory process that resulted in an animal welfare standard overwhelm- Inc APPLICATIONS DUE Organic Consumers Public Interest ingly supported by organic farmers, organic companies, humane animal care advocates, and APRIL 27, 2018 Association OneCert, Inc. Union of Concerned consumers. For more information and to get Montana Organic Northeast Organic Farming Scientists CROPP Forum Please remember that farmers choose to be organic and adhere to strict standards. We support an application, visit Farmers.coop Association Association of New Your 888-809-9297 this voluntary regulatory program on which the $50 billion organic industry depends. The Food & Water Watch or contact the Farmer Hotline at Northeast Organic Farming Certified Organic, LLC program is an outstanding example of how private initiatives can marry public process and it 888-809-9297. Editor in Chief: Association of Vermont Beyond Pesticides has had strong bipartisan approval from its inception. Nature’s International Colleen Morrison, ext. 3638 Northeast Organic Farming Certification Services Food Tank Organic farmers have pioneered new practices to enhance animal welfare because consumers Vice President of Farmer Affairs: Association Interstate demand it and because it makes farms more resilient and profitable. Eliminating the rule not Ceres Community Project Council FARM Travis Forgues, ext. 3533 only fails to acknowledge innovation in the organic farming sector and provide fair and trans- National Farmers Union Small Planet Institute Director of International Cooperative parent rules, it also undermines the faith people have in how organic agriculture is governed. Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut National Sustainable Friends of the Earth Development: We implore you to restore the organic animal welfare standard. Businesses depend upon it, Agriculture Coalition Jim Wedeberg, ext. 3251 and consumers expect nothing less. Northeast Organic Farming Association of Farm Aid Egg General Manager: Sincerely, Massachusetts David Bruce, ext. 3359 National Family Farm Organic Valley Director of Member Affairs: Coalition Theresa Washburn, ext. 3405 (co-signers continued on next page) 124 135 annual meeting APRIL 3- 5 , 2018 Defining Quota ~Beth Wells, Director of Farm Milk Management Registration and farmer food orders due March 16. The CROPP Cooperative Annual Meeting is a unique moment in the year that connects our cooperative community. Every spring, CROPP Quota is a tool that the cooperative’s dairy pool uses to help balance supply with demand. The dictionary defines it as a proportional part farmers,