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The NOFA/Mass Organic Dairy Program seeks to provide Massachusetts dairy farmers with information about organic production and the transition process, and information on raw milk production. As of 2006, 13 dairies in MA have met the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources standards for the sale of raw milk, with 3 more pending approval. There are 2 organic dairies, 5 others are in the transition process. The three main organic milk processing companies, Organic Valley, Hood and Horizon have each expressed a serious interest in expanding the organic milk market in MA.
Below is a list of local, state and national resources providing information for raw milk and organic producers. For a list of resources for all livestock, including poultry, see the NOFA/Mass Organic Livestock Resource Guide
If you would like to be notified of raw milk or organic dairy producer meetings, please contact Kate Rossiter, NOFA/Mass Organic Dairy Coordinator, at krossiter@nofamass.org.
Raw Milk
Information About Raw Milk In Massachusetts
Organic Milk
Baystate Organic Certifiers: (formerly NOFA/Mass Organic Certification) is a USDA National Organic Program accredited certifying agent that certifies operations in the Northeast United States.
Their website also offers links to the complete list of the USDA’s National Organic Program’s (NOP) standards and regulations.
The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services (Moses): offers a check list for dairy farmers transitioning to organic production.
National Organic Standards for Dairy Operations: a guide (and not a complete list) compiled by Baystate Organic Certifiers for farmers considering the transition to organic production.
The New Farm: offers outreach and education programs through the Rodale Institute, and this list of national organic certifying organizations. www.newfarm.org/ocdbt/
The National Organic Program: USDA’s list of organic standards and regulations
Download "Making the Switch: Two Successful Dairy Graziers Tell Their Stories" by Ron Holter and Bobby Prigel.
Organic Certification Costs Reimbursement Program
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has received funding from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to reimburse certified organic farmers up to 75% ($500 maximum) of total certification costs.
These funds are available to farmers inspected and certified and/or inspected and receiving renewal of certification between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006. Applications for reimbursement are due by October 15, 2006.
The cost-share program aims to assist eligible organic crop and livestock producers in transitioning to the National Organic Program and to provide an incentive to adopt the national standards.
For a copy of the organic certification cost reimbursement application please contact Ellen Hart at (617) 626-1742 ellen.hart@state.ma.us
Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Farm Viability Enhancement Program. Applications are due June 10, 2006. www.mass.gov/agr/programs/farmviability
The NOFA/Mass Organic Livestock Resource Guide
The Maine Organic Farming and Gardening Assocation (MOFGA): Raising Organic Livestock in Maine: MOFGA Accepted Health Practices, Products and Ingredients
The NOFA Interstate Council created the Organic Dairy Production Manual, written by Sarah Flack, which can be bought online here.
NOFA-VT offers a list of Organic Livestock and Grazing Resources
ATTRA: - The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service , created and managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCA), provides information and technical assistance: www.attra.ncat.org; and more specifically for dairy production: http://www.attra.org/livestock.html; and for information on value added production: http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/valueaddeddairy.html
ACRES USA: offers many books and tapes on herd health, soil fertility, and organic dairy farming.
Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI): offers lists of organic products and seeds.
The Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA): offers articles and information about organic dairying. You can also register for the online discussion group, Odairy, or subscribe for the NODPA newsletter.
See the NOFA/Mass Organic Livestock Resource Guide and the NOFA-VT list of Organic Livestock and Grazing Resources
See the NOFA/Mass Organic Livestock Resource Guide and the NOFA-VT list of Organic Livestock and Grazing Resources and The Maine Organic Farming and Gardening Assocation (MOFGA) Raising Organic Livestock in Maine: MOFGA Accepted Health Practices, Products and Ingredients
The New Farm: offers herd health information & herd health product info and more specifically, www.newfarm.org/cms/resource.php
The Fundamentals of Dry Cow Treatment, by Dr. Paul Detloff, DVM
Dr. Hubert Karreman, VMD
1272 Mt. Pleassant Rd
Quarryville, PA 17566
(717) 529-0155
penndutch@earthlink.net
www.penndutchcowcare.org
Dr. Linda L. Tikofsky, DVM
Quality Milk Production Services
Dept. of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Services
College of Veterinary Medicine
Cornell University
22 Thornwood Drive
Ithaca, New York 14850
(607) 255-1964
lg40@cornell.edu
www.qmps.vet.cornell.edu
Barbara Miller, NRCS, Grazing specialist
(413)253-4380
barbara.miller@ma.usda.gov
Ken Miller, University of Massachusetts Extension Educator - Dairy/Livestock/Pastures/ Nutrition
(413) 577-0643
Kenneth@umext.umass.edu
Brian Stone, Organic Dairy Consultant
Dairy and Beef Grazing Management; Cheese Production
1156 Main St.
Williamstown, Ma. 01267
(802) 272-3989
stonesr@adelphia.net
Sarah Flack, Organic Dairy Farmer, Consultant
Pasture Management; Herd Health
sarahf@globalnetisp.net
Charlotte Bedet, NRCS, Nutrient Management Assistant
(413) 585-1000
charlotte.bedet@ma.usda.gov
Universtiy of Massachusetts
Crops, Dairy Livestock Extension Services
http://www.umass.edu/cdl/
Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences
Amherst, MA 01003
Main Office: Fernald Hall Tel. 413-545-1050
Bowditch Hall Office Tel. 413-545-2254
Stockbridge Hall Office Tel. 413-545-2349
Soil Testing: West Exper. Tel. 413-545-2311
Agronomy Res. Farm Tel. 413-665-8283
Dept. of Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Main Office: 314 Paige Lab Tel. 413-545-2312
Stockbridge Hall Office Tel. 413-545-2340
Hadley Farm/Horse Barn Tel.413-549-2863
Check the NOFA/Mass Calendar for events, and the Practical Skills Workshops for dairy related workshops, and Conferences for a list of our summer and winter workshops
CROPP Cooperative - Organic Valley
John Cleary, New England Dairy Pool Coordinator
(888) 444-6544 x 330 (voice mail)
(612) 803-9087 (cell phone)
john.cleary@organicvalley.coop
Horizon Organic
Cindy Mastermann
(888) 648-8377
HP Hood
Mike Suever
(617) 887-8417
The New England Small Farm Institute
www.smallfarm.org
Growing New Farmers: A Community of Northeast New Farmers and Service Providers
www.growingnewfarmers.org
Eat Wild: The Clearinghouse For Information About Pasture-Based Farming
www.eatwild.com
The Cornucopia Institue: Promoting Economic Justice For Family-scale Farming
www.cornucopia.org/pasture/index.php
The Vermont Pasture Network Program
www.uvm.edu/~susagctr/?Page=pasture.html
Rotational Grazing: Livestock Systems Guide
www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/rotategr.html
Organic Dairy Farming: a book available at http://www.mosesorganic.org/mosesgeneral/booklist.htm.
Related ATTRA Publication: Organic Livestock Workbook
www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/livestockworkbook.html
Available from Acres USA, at www.acresusa.com/books/thumbnail.asp?catid=11&pcid=2 :
Treating Dairy Cows Naturally, by Dr. Hubert J. Karreman, VMD
Alternative Treatments for Ruminant Animals, by Dr. Paul Dettloff, DVM
Greener Pastures on Your Side of the Fence: Better Farming with Voisin Grazing Management, by Bill Murphy;
Homeopathy for the Herd, by Dr. C. Edgar Shaeffer, VMD
Eco-Farm An Acres USA Primer, by Charles Walters
A New Troubleshooters Guide to Dairy Cows, by David Hoke, DVM, - available from:
NOFA-VT
PO Box 697
Richmond, VT 05477
(802) 434-4122
Edaphos, Dynamics of a Natural Soil System, by Paul Sachs - available from:
The Edaphic Press
PO Box 107
Newbury, VT 05051
The Organic Decision: Transitioning to Organic Dairy Production, from
the Dept. of Applied Economics and Management in the College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell. January 2002. $12. Order form at
www.aem.cornell.edu/order/index.htm or call Linda Putnam at
607/255-8429. Ask for EB 2002-02.
General Information and Articles
The Western Mass Food Processing Center www.fccdc.org/foodprocess/foodprocess.html
"Questions You Should Ask Before Starting a New Dairy Processing Enterprise" www.cpdmp.cornell.edu/CPDMP/Pages/Publications/Pubs/dairypq.pdf
The Small Dairy Resource Book from SARE. Out of print but free online at
www.sare.org/publications/dairyresource.htm
This handbook has extensive commentary on many books, magazines, trade
groups, equipment dealers, etc. The SARE website also offers master
lists of publications on many dairy resources, from production to
marketing to financing.www.sare.org/htdocs/pubs/
"Market Analysis for Value-Added Dairy Opportunities for the Southern Massachusetts Dairy Industry" www.state.ma.us/dfa/programs/agroenviro/grantreport_pilgrim.pdf
"You Can Make It, You Can Sell It, but Can You "Make It" Selling It?"
From the Center for Dairy Profitability at the University of Wisconsin.
www.cdp.wisc.edu/pdf/onfarm.pdf
This publication goes along with an Excel spreadsheet called Farmstead
Milk Processing. You can find it on a list of several spreadsheets at:
www.cdp.wisc.edu/Decision%20Making%20Tools.htm
Scroll down to FSTMILKP.XLS
Read, "You Can Make It..." first, because it explains how to use the
spreadsheet. Once you're on the spreadsheet, look at all the tabs - at
the far right you will find "input" sheets. If it's all too technically
overwhelming, just consider all the categories of costs and figure out
which ones apply to you and make your own spreadsheet.
The Cost of Producing Milk in Maine: Results from the 2002 Dairy Cost of Production Survey, T.J. Dalton and L.A. Bragg. 2003. www.ume.maine.edu/rep/facstaff/publications/tb189.pdf
The Specialty Cheese Market
Prepared for the North Central Initiative for Small Farm Profitability,
by the Food Processing Center, Institute of Agriculture and Natural
Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
October 2001
Free online at www.farmprofitability.org/cheese.htm
Resource Packet: Adding Value With Small-Scale Food Processing and Specialty Dairy Products, complied for 1996 and 1997 Farming for the Future Leadership Workshops. Available from Farming Alternatives Program, Department of Rural Sociology, Warren Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14583; 607-255-9832 for $5. Contains articles, conference materials, project plans, etc.
The Cheese Reporter. Weekly newsletter. 4210 E. Washington Ave, Madison, WI, 53704. 608-246-8430. www.cheesereporter.com
Cheese Market News. Weekly newspaper. PO Box 620244, Middleton, WI, 53562. 608-831-6002. ChMarkNews@aol.com
"Buttering Up Your Customers" www.farmprofitability.org/research/butterup/butterup.htm
"Planning for Success: Uplands Cheese Company" www.farmprofitability.org/research/uplands/uplands.htm
"Small Creameries: Wave of the Future" www.newfarm.org/features/0503/hendrens.shtml
"Farmstead Milk Processing". A spreadsheet from the Center for Dairy
Profitability in Wisconsin; comes with instructions.
www.cdp.wisc.edu/pdf/onfarm.pdf
www.wisc.edu/dairy-profit/
www.cdp.wisc.edu
"Test Marketing Pasture-Produced Artisan Cheeses" www.wsare.usu.edu/projects/2002/MW00-010.pdf
"The Marketing Potential of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) in Cheese: A market scan" www.agmrc.org/dairy/reports/clareport.pdf
"Approaching Foodservice Establishments with Locally Grown Products" www.farmprofitability.org/
"Attracting Customers with Locally Grown Products" www.foodmap.unl.edu/reports.asp?action=DSPRPT&code=34
"Agricultural Marketing Research Center" www.agmrc.org/agmrc/commodity/livestock/dairy/dairy.htm
Cheese Market Research Project www.idfa.org/mktg/cheesemarketreport.cfm Participants share the expense of acquiring syndicated retail and consumer panel data at a fraction of the cost of acquiring the information through the marketplace.
This page was last modified on January 14, 2008 at 12:52:03 PM.