Post by Joann on Dec 22, 2008 15:08:32 GMT -5
Forwarded from Marie in CA re "one size fits all" USDA rule
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate.
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/12/22/EDHH14R253.DTL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, December 22, 2008 (SF Chronicle) Marin organic dairies fight proposed federal grazing rules Albert Straus
New regulations proposed by USDA threaten the existence of local organic dairies. These are the very farms that have revolutionized our sustainable food and agricultural landscape, and provide the local organic milk on Bay Area grocery shelves.
What has created this mess? Giant organic factory farms abused the spirit and letter of federal organic law by confining their cattle to feedlots.
In response to cries of foul play by consumers and responsible dairy farmers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed sweeping reforms to close loopholes that had allowed these mega-dairies to confine their cows with no or limited access to pasture.
Tragically, the USDA's one-size-fits-all solution ignores significant regional variations in climate, rainfall, availability of water and other factors that directly affect a dairy farmer's ability to care for the soil, water and the well-being of the animals. What may be responsible management in Vermont or Wisconsin would be foolhardy in Northern California, where land and herd management is a delicate balancing act between the rainy and dry seasons.
In Northern California, our cows graze not only for the nutrition that pasture provides but for exercise and fresh air.
They rotate from pasture to pasture and graze year-round as soil and weather conditions allow - typically from April until the rains start in November. The local pasture grass is sweet and full of beta-carotene, which gives our dairy products a unique flavor. Pasture grazing is supplemented by organic hay, locally grown silage, and grains high in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, which, when combined with pasture, give the herd a very nutritious and balanced diet.
The proposed rules, however, would dictate the minimum number of days that cows graze and how much of their food supply would come from grass. For non-farmers, that might sound rather reasonable. It may also sound fine to farmers who have an abundance of water to irrigate their pastures, but that's simply not a reality here.
The USDA also calls for "sacrificial pastures" - forcing cows onto wet, unsafe pastures during the rainy winter season where manure can contaminate waterways. Placing cattle on muddy pastures is also a risk to the animal's health and can permanently destroy the pasture itself. This provision would undermine decades of hard work by environmentalists and farmers to establish practices that address both ecological and animal welfare issues. Ironically, the regulations would be at odds with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board's regulations protecting water quality from potential manure run-off.
Finally, the proposed regulations contain numerous restrictions reflecting regional bias inappropriate for our region, such as nearly eliminating the use of barns and corrals.
A coalition of small organic dairy farms opposes the regulations as proposed, including Straus Family Creamery, Clover Organic Dairies, Cowgirl Creamery, Wallaby and 32 other organic dairy farms throughout Marin, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. These farms account for nearly 100 percent of the local organic milk on the grocery shelves in the Bay Area.
These small scale farmers are fully committed to sustainable farming methods that put farm animal welfare and the health of pastureland first.
These rules would remove stewardship and management decisions from the hands of pioneering organic farmers, and place them in the hands of a federal bureaucracy. The national organic regulations, which we have worked so hard to develop over decades, simply were never designed to manage decisions that are best made by regional farmers who have a deep knowledge of climate and land-management realities.
The consequences would include the loss of local organic dairy products, productive and sustainably managed farmland, and the loss of tens of millions of dollars for the Bay Area economy. Furthermore, these regulations would open the door for larger and distant dairy operations to replace the local producers, which runs counter to every effort to create local, sustainable food systems.
The well-kept dairy cow is a powerful, proud and productive symbol in Northern California. Farmers and consumers alike support rules that ensure responsible stewardship of the land and animals. The proposed regulatory changes do not reflect these ideals. USDA proposed rules and regulations for organic dairy must work as well for Northern California as for the rest of the country. To comment
The USDA's public comment period on these proposed regulations closes tomorrow.
To read the proposed rules, go to links.sfgate.com/ZFSR.
To sign a petition disputing the rules, visit www.strausfamilycreamery.com.
Albert Straus, owner of Straus Family Creamery in western Marin County, was the first organic dairy farmer west of the Mississippi. He has been internationally recognized for his pioneering sustainable agricultural practices. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2008 SF Chronicle