Green Daily

Going organic was one way for farmers to keep their family farms in the black. By following organic standards, they were able to raise prices, making it easier to pay for expenses. Large organic companies like Stonyfield Farm, Horizon and Organic Valley get their milk from small dairy farmers and distribute it nationwide. The small farmers are now saying that they aren't seeing enough of a profit to help offset the rising costs of feed and fuel and are now looking at switching back to conventional production as their only option.

The Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance is particularly calling Stoneyfield's president and CEO, Gary Hirschberg, to task and claiming that he isn't distributing profits correctly. Hirschberg claims that consumer pressures are forcing him to keep milk prices where they are.


It's hard to read coverage of this conflict without feeling for the family farms; the fact that they can't afford health insurance for their families or that they have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars with promises of great wealth that never materialized. However, I also am tempted to wonder about the efficiency of these struggling farms. Should I have more sympathy for the person who invests a quarter of a million dollars into organic farming than the one who invests heavily and loses in the stock market?

Personally, I will always lean towards the small farmer. It could be because I grew up in a rural state or maybe it's a collective nostalgia that Americans have. However, at six to eight dollars a gallon, somethings not right if no one is making a profit.

[via: Cherry River Fishing Access]