There is no simple recipe for setting up and managing a successful organic dairy farm, but this handbook can act as an introduction to important issues in organic dairy production and provide today's organic or transitioning dairy farmer with an overview of the tools and ideas available. Part of the NOFA guides. Organic Dairy Production includes information on: Soils, the foundation of health (manure management) Crop production and grazing management (forage species, pasture management, setting up a grazing system) Livestock (selection, nutrition, winter and summer feed considerations, seasonal milking, habitat, herd health, milk quality) Marketing (selling fluid milk, regulations, facility and equipment, selling raw milk) Recordkeeping The transition to organic Features examples from various farms in the Northeast.

Organic milk production has been one of the fastest growing segments of organic ag. in the U.S. in recent years. Despite the growing number of organic dairy operations (ODO), the characteristics of ODO and the relative costs of organic and conventional milk production have been difficult to analyze. This study examines the structure, costs, and challenges of ODO. The analysis addresses economies of size, regional differences, and pasture use in ODO and compares organic and conventional milk production costs. The findings suggest that economic forces have made ODO more like conventional operations and that the future structure of the industry may depend on the interpretation and implementation of new organic pasture rules. Illustrations.

Written for the transitioning and new organic farmer, Organic Dairy Farming brings together for the first time in a single volume the information to explain everything from organic soil management, calf care and mastitis control to the certification process and marketing for the organic premium. Combining up-to-date advice from 20 experts in a variety of fields, it presents organic concepts and practices in a readable form. The book includes farmer interviews demonstrating how they have successfully applied organic practices on their own farms. Over sixty illustrations, glossary, list of resources and complete index make the book very useable. An essential tool for both the farmer and the agricultural professional.

A series of eight guides originally published by NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) on organic principles and practices for both the beginner farmer as well as established farmers looking to convert to organic or deepen their practices. Each book is approximately 100 pages, but the information is weighty; the guides use a strong whole-systems farming theory behind their practical advice, as well as offer historical information, further resources, detailed appendices, and profiles of various organic farms across the Northeast. Titles include: Organic Weed and Soil Fertility Management by Steve Gilman (approx 104 pp) Soil Resiliency and Health: Crop Rotation and Cover Cropping on the Organic Farm by Seth Kroeck (96 pp) Compost, Vermicompost, and Compost Tea by Grace Gershuny (96 pp) Vegetable Crop Health: Helping Nature Control Diseases and Pests Organically by Brian Caldwell (96 pp) Organic Dairy Production by Sarah Flack (96) The Wisdom of Plant Heritage: Organic Seed Production and Saving by Bryan Connolly (112 pp) Whole Farm Planning: Ecological Imperatives, Personal Values, and Economics by Elizabeth Henderson and Karl North (96 pp) Humane and Healthy Poultry Production: A Manual for Organic Growers by Karma Glos (104 pp)

Based on a decade of study, this book provides a scholarly overview of organic dairy politics, showing how politics, policy, and protest both inside and outside of agriculture can determine a future of pastoral landscapes resembling an earlier time in the western world or, alternatively, one made of dystopian ruralities.

Demand for organically produced animal products has dramatically increased in Europe over recent years. This book reports the outcomes of a conference on the production of Organic Meat and Milk from Ruminants, that was held in Athens in October 2001. The topics presented range from the current and future state of the markets for such products, the legislation associated with their production, the health issues that arise from it and the impact of organic agriculture on farming systems and socio-economic structures. Contributors addressing these topics include leading scientists from Europe, and this book will be of particular interest to researchers, professionals and producers who deal with the challenge of organic meat and milk production from ruminants.