Organic Dairy Farming is More than Just Popular Trend

Organic dairy farming has actually been around for longer than most people realize. Dairy farmers were among the first to catch the organic wave, realizing that the health of their cows benefited greatly from using all natural and organic methods of creating large quantities of milk product. Of course with the growing organic trend in the United States, many who are new to organic lifestyles are surprised to find that they have a reasonable selection of organic dairy products.

Organic dairy farming, just like all other types of farming, relies heavily on the health and wellbeing of the entire livestock population. Just two or three sick cows can be highly time consuming and costly. The more dairy farmers started considering the health of their livestock the more they began to investigate alternative methods of creating larger quantities of milk, as the hormones and antibiotics they were pumping the cows full of weren't helping anyone. As it turns out organic dairy farming can actually be more cost effective than traditional dairy farming. Without the additional cost of synthetic medications and injections, dairy farmers now have more resources to put toward creating a healthier livestock. High quality organic feed has increased not only a cow's longevity but also her milk production quantity, quality, and time span.

Many dairy farmers were hit hard several years ago and pleaded for an increase in dairy prices at the grocery store. Despite the constantly rising prices, many dairy farms have been forced into a hand off to the bank as farmers struggled to pay the basic bills. However, a much smaller percentage of organic dairy farms have been hit by the economic crisis that has taken its toll on dairy production and sales. With an increase in quality and quantity production, many organic dairy farmers are doing better than ever financially. Not having to replace their stock nearly as often has truly helped the process of staying in the black.

For consumers, organic dairy farming has brought new selections of organically produced milk products to help round out the organic based diet. In fact, dairy is fast becoming one of the lead organic sellers in just about any supermarket chain. People are happy to be able to give their kids milk free of chemicals and provide cheeses that haven't been bolstered with some sort of steroid. For the health of many families, the improvement in the quality of milk, cheeses, yogurts, and other dairy products has provided a sound nutritional option. What parent doesn't feel good giving their child fresh organic dairy products to help reach the calcium requirements of a growing body? Organic dairy farming has been breaking new ground in health and wellbeing for a good many years and will continue to do so for a great many more.

USDA awards $40 million grants to boost local farm/food projects

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday awarded $40.2 million in grants to farmers, ranchers and farmer-controlled rural business ventures aimed at spurring locally produced food supplies and renewable energy ventures. USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said 298 recipients in 44 states and Puerto Rico will receive business development assistance through the Value-Added ...

United States Department of Agriculture

CHICAGO, February 3, 2012 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced that USDA has selected 298 recipients in 44 states and Puerto Rico to receive business development assistance through the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. Merrigan made the announcement in Chicago after keynoting the ?Local/Regional Food System Conference? hosted at the Federal Reserve Bank of ...

The rise of Big Meat-bred super bugs

So far, 2012 is bringing bad news for people who don't want "free antibiotics" in their food. Antibiotics are routinely given to livestock on factory farms to make them gain weight with less feed and keep them from getting sick in confinement conditions. But the daily dosing, at the same time it lowers feed needs, lowers drug effectiveness and produces antibiotic resistant bacteria or super bugs ...

The Milledgeville Men’s Club Donates to School Libraries

The Illinois Sheriff’s Association announces that it will be awarding over $53,000 in college scholarships throughout the State of Illinois to students wishing to pursue higher education during the 2012-2013 academic year. The scholarships are to be applied to tuition, book and fees only.

No knocking success of Death’s Door

Brian Ellison never expected he’d be distilling liquor – let alone supervising construction of the largest distillery in Wisconsin. As a kid growing up in Woodstock, his interests gravitated more toward math, computers and chemistry.