The High Plains dairy complex reflects the new scale of the U.S. organic industry: it is big.

Stretching across miles of pastures and feedlots north of Greeley, Colorado, the complex is home to more than 15,000 cows, making it more than a hundred times the size of a typical organic herd. It is the main facility of Aurora Organic Dairy, a company that produces enough milk to supply the house brands of Walmart, Costco, and other major retailers.

"We take great pride in our commitment to organic, and in our ability to meet the rigorous criteria of the USDA organic regulations," Aurora advertises.

But a closer look at Aurora and other large operations highlights critical weaknesses in the unorthodox inspection system that the USDA uses to ensure that "organic" food is really organic.

The U.S. organic market now counts more than $40 billion in annual sales, and includes products imported from about 100 countries. To enforce the organic rules across this vast industry, the USDA allows farmers to hire and pay their own inspectors to certify them as "USDA Organic." Industry defenders say enforcement is robust.

But the problems at an entity like Aurora suggests that even large, prominent players can fall short of standards without detection.

With milk, the critical issue is grazing. Organic dairies are required to allow the cows to graze daily throughout the growing season - that is, the cows are supposed to be grass-fed, not confined to barns and feed lots. This method is considered more natural and alters the constituents of the cows milk in ways consumers deem beneficial.

But during visits by The Washington Post to Aurora's High Plains complex across nine days last year, signs of grazing were sparse, at best. Aurora said their animals were out on pasture day and night but during most Post visits the number of cows seen on pasture numbered in the hundreds. A high-resolution satellite photo taken in mid-July by Digital Globe, a space imagery vendor, shows a typical situation - only a few hundred on pasture. At no point were there any more than 10 percent of the herd out.

In response, Aurora spokesperson Sonja Tuitele dismissed the Post visits as anomalies and "drive-bys."

The milk produced also provides evidence that Aurora cows do not graze as required by organic rules. Testing conducted for the Post by Virginia Tech scientists shows that on a key indicator of grass-feeding, the Aurora milk matched conventional milk, not organic.

Finally, the Post contacted the inspectors who visited Aurora's High Plains dairy and certified it as "USDA Organic." Did their inspectors have evidence that the Aurora cows met the grazing requirement?

It turns out that they were poorly positioned to know.

The inspectors conducted the annual audit well after grazing season - in November. That means that during the annual audit, inspectors would not have seen whether the cows were grazing as required, a breach of USDA inspection policy.

"We would expect that inspectors are out there during the grazing season," said Miles McEvoy, chief of the National Organic Program at USDA. He said that the grazing requirement is "a critical compliance component of an organic livestock operation."

If organic farms violate organic rules, consumers are being misled and overcharged.

In the case of milk, consumers pay extra - often double - when the carton says "USDA Organic" in the belief they are getting something different. Organic dairy sales amounted to $6 billion last year in the U.S.

The failure to comply with organic standards also harms other farms, many of them small. Following the rules costs extra because grazing requires more land and because cows that dine on grass typically produce less milk.

Whether an organic dairy is grazing its herd is relatively easy to see, especially if roads criss-cross their pastures. It is more difficult, however, for outsiders to judge whether a dairy is following other organic rules - such as those regarding hormones and organic feed.

Ten years ago, after a complaint from a consumer group, Aurora faced USDA allegations that it breached organic rules regarding grazing and other issues. The USDA charged that Aurora was in "willful violation" of organic standards, but a settlement agreement allowed them to continue to operate.

There have been no charges since then.

But some small organic dairy farmers say that the new, large organic dairies that have popped up in the Southwest are violating standards.

On one-day visits to several large organic operations in Texas and New Mexico, a Post reporter saw similarly empty pastures. It was difficult to determine where their milk winds up on retail shelves, however, and so no chemical tests were pursued.

"About half of the organic milk sold in the U.S. is coming from very large factory farms that have no intention of living up to organic principles," said Mark Kastel of the Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit group representing thousand of organic farmers. "Thousands of small organic farmers across the United States depend on the USDA organic system working. Unfortunately, right now, it's not working for small farmers, or for consumers."

Until then, convincing customers that a product was "organic" could be a murky proposition - everyone relied on informal definitions of organic and informal measures of trust.

The "USDA Organic" seal changed that, standardizing concepts and setting rules. It has proven a boon: Organic food sales rose from about $6 billion annually in 2000 to $40 billion in 2015, according to the Organic Trade Association.

The integrity of the new label, however, rested on an unusual system of inspections.

Under organic rules, the USDA typically doesn't inspect farms. Instead, farmers hire their own inspectors from lists of private companies and other organizations licensed by the USDA. An inspector makes an annual visit and it is arranged days or weeks in advance. Only five percent of inspections are expected to be done unannounced.

To keep the inspectors honest, the USDA reviews the records of each inspection outfit about every 2 1/2 years.

This inspection system saves the USDA money because it doesn't have to hire many inspectors. The compliance and enforcement team at the USDA National Organic Program has nine people - one for every $4 billion in sales.

McEvoy acknowledged that having farmers choose their inspection companies is "fairly unique" within the USDA, but he noted that rising sales show that consumers "trust the organic label."

Others have doubts. Cornucopia publishes its own scorecard of organic dairies because, its officials say, the USDA has failed to weed out the bad.

"Consumers look at that cartoon label on organic milk with a happy cow on green pasture with a red barn, but that's not always the reality," said Katherine Paul of the Organic Consumers Association. "What we've said all along is that organic milks are not created equal, and your results show that."

At the other end of the scale from Aurora are many small dairies who have come to rely on the USDA Organic label, investing in the opportunity it respresents, believing in its promise.

Several years ago, for example, Bobby Prigel, a fourth-generation dairyman with a 300-acre spread of rolling pastures and white plank fences in northern Maryland, made the switch.

With milk prices declining and feed costs rising, Prigel figured he had to try something different. The herd had been in the barn area for decades, munching feed. One day he shooed them out to pasture.

Here's the funny thing, he said: his cows seemed confused. Though cows are natural grazers - like the wild aurochs they descended from -the grazing instincts of his cows had been dulled.

"They didn't really know how to graze at first - they didn't know how to bend down and get grass with their tongues," Prigel said one day during a break on his farm. Nor were they accustomed to walking much.

Prigel, meanwhile, had to make economic adjustments.

Producing milk according to the "USDA Organic" standard costs more.

To begin with, organic cows cannot be given hormones to stimulate milk production. And any feed or pasture for the cows must be organic - that is, grown without most synthetic pesticides.

Second, to be considered organic, cows must obtain a certain percentage of their diet from grazing. Prigel is a purist and feeds his herd entirely from the pasture, but most organic dairies supplement the pasture with corn, soybeans or other grains, even during the grazing season.

The grazing requirement makes milk more costly to produce because it requires a certain amount of pasture land and because a grazing cow produces less milk than one eating a grain diet optimized for milk production.

With grass-fed cows, "there's just not nearly as much milk," Prigel said.

On the upside, a farmer can sell certified organic milk for almost double the price of conventional, and there are other benefits, too: The milk is measurably different, and according to the USDA, it improves cow health and reduces the environmental impacts of agriculture. Moreover, because grazing is natural cow behavior, some believe it is more humane.

"Cows aren't supposed to stay inside and eat corn," Prigel said.

The grazing season typically runs from spring until the first frost and to evaluate the Aurora operation, The Post visited the High Plains dairy complex nine days during that period - three in August, three in September and three in October. Roads criss-cross the farm allowing a view of their fields. In addition, in July, a satellite for Digital Globe snapped a high-resolution photo of the area.

Each of those ten days, only a very small portion of the 15,000 cow herd was seen on pastures. Many more were seen in feed lots.

In response, Aurora officials said that during the grazing season the cows are on pasture both day and night. Maybe, they said, on those days, the cows were elsewhere, being milked or otherwise tended.

However, the Post visited at different times of the day, sometimes twice in a day. Because the cows are milked in shifts, thousands of them should be out at any given time, farmers said.

Aurora did say that they stopped their grazing season on September 30, so it's not surprising no cows were seen on the three days in October. It's unclear why Aurora decided to end their grazing season then, though, because the first frost was not until October 20 in that area, according to weather records.

To see whether a lack of grazing was apparent in the milk, the Post turned to Virginia Tech dairy science professor Benjamin Corl, who analyzed eight different milks, some organic, some not, and all bottled during grazing season. He performed the tests without knowing the brand names of the samples.

Grass-fed cows tend to produce milk with elevated levels of two types of fat. One of the distinguishing fats is conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, which some regard as the clearest indicator of grass-feeding. The other is an "Omega-3" fat known as alpha-linolenic acid. Both have been associated with health benefits in humans, although the amounts found in milk are relatively small.

Another type of fat - linoleic acid, an Omega-6 fat - tends to be sparser in milks that are pasture fed.

The results: Prigel's milk stood out for its grassy origins. It ranked at the top for CLA and was a distant last for linoleic acid.

The milk from Snowville Creamery, another brand that boasts of pasture-grazing, ranked second for CLA.

"Those two milks stood out like sore thumbs," said Corl, who "You can tell those animals have been on grass."

At the other extreme were the conventional milks - from 365 and Lucerne. They ranked, as expected, at the bottom for the fats associated with grass feeding and at the top for the fat associated with conventional feeding.

Large organic brands - Horizon and Organic Valley - ranked roughly in between the extremes for two of the three measures.

As for Aurora's milk, despite its the "USDA Organic" label, it was very close to conventional milk. On two of the three measures, CLA and linoleic acid, they were pretty much the same as conventional milk. On the third measure, alpha-linolenic acid, Aurora ranked slightly better than the conventional milks, but below the other USDA organic samples.

The milk tested by the Post had been processed at Aurora's Colorado processing plant, according to the number stamped on the bottle. More than 80 percent of the milk that Aurora sells is produced at its own farms; it also purchases milk from other dairies, according to the company.

It wasn't the first time that Aurora milk has tested poorly for signs of grass feeding. In 2008, the Milkweed, a dairy economics report compared Aurora's milk to other organic milks. Of 10 organic milks ranked for the fats assocated with grass feeding, Aurora's was last.

"There has been an obvious failure by USDA to enforce the organic pasture standard," Pete Hardin, editor and publisher of The Milkweed, said in a recent interview.

Tuitele, the Aurora spokesperson, dismissed the milk tests and declined to comment in depth on them because they were "isolated" and because there are "so many variables that are unknown."

She suggested that Aurora milk may have tested differently, not because of a lack of grazing, but because Colorado pastures may have different plants. But milks from the Rocky Mountain region and those from the Mid-Atlantic vary a little, according to a 2013 study of organic milks published in PlosOne - not enough to explain the gap in the results.

Aurora's inspectors also stood by Aurora's milk.

While most inspectors are private organizations, Aurora hired staff from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, which it pays about $13,000 annually.

When asked about the Aurora inspection being done after grazing season, an official with the Colorado Department of Agriculture initially suggested that other audits may have been conducted at High Plains last year. But Tuitele later wrote that the November visit was the only audit of its High Plains complex last year.

Aurora and their inspectors have been under scrutiny before.

About 10 years ago, the USDA launched an investigation into Aurora's organic practices.

By April 2007, USDA said it identified "willful violations" of organic rules by the dairy. Aurora had, among other things, for three years "failed to provide a total feed ration that included pasture."

The USDA proposed to revoke Aurora's organic status.

It also also proposed to suspend the Colorado Department of Agriculture from certifying organic livestock "due to the nature and extent of these violations."

Four months later, though, the case was resolved.

Aurora pledged to make improvements and was allowed to continue operating. It issued a press release saying that the USDA had "dismissed the complaints...following an extensive review" - a finding contrary to the view at USDA, which issued a press release saying "the complaint was not dismissed." It noted that the consent agreement called for Aurora to "make major changes."

For its part, the Colorado Department of Agriculture agreed "to make several changes in its operation," including hiring more personnel and staff training, according to a USDA press release.

Aurora also settled a related class action lawsuit for $7.5 million in 2012, and said it did not admit wrongdoing.

Since then, Aurora, already gargantuan, has continued to grow. In recent months it has been considering an expansion in Columbia, Mo., that may rely on milk from as many as 30,000 cows, according to local media coverage.

The growth of mega-dairies that skimp on grazing and produce cheap milk appears to be crushing many small dairies, some analysts said.

"The mom and pop - the smaller traditional family dairies - who are following the pasture rules are seeing their prices erode," said Hardin, The Milkweed editor. "It is creating a heck of a mess."

Will Costello contributed to this report.

Read more here:

Why your milk may not be truly organic - The Hendricks County Flyer

Next time youre in the grocery store trying to decide whether to splurge on organic milk or stick with milk from conventionally raised cows, consider that the two products may not be that different.

According to an investigative report published by theWashington PostMonday, cows at Colorado's Aurora Organic Dairy arent grazing in accordance with USDA organic standards, and after being submitted to chemical testing, the organic milk from Aurora wasn't dramatically different from the conventional.

Post reporters say they visited Aurora's largest production facility in Greeley, Colo. several times during the grazing season (early spring to first frost) and also captured high-resolution satellite images of the cow pens. The reporters allege that they never found more than a few hundred cows in the pastures at one time -- out of 15,000.

Grazing cows to organic specifications is expensive for farmers which is why organic milk costs more, sometimes even double, its conventional counterpart in the dairy aisle.

ORGANIC FOOD ISNT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE, STUDY SUGGESTS

In order for the milk at dairies like Aurora to secure a USDA Organic seal, cows cant be fed any hormones to stimulate production of milk. Their feed or pasture must be organic, meaning grown without synthetic pesticides and their diet needs to come from the grass they eat during grazing. More grazing equals more land and cows that are purely grass-fed produce less milk.

When Post reporters contacted Auroras inspectors to inquire about the time cows actually spent grazing, they discovered that inspectors didnt know because theyd last visited the farm in November after the grazing season had ended.

The USDA is under no obligation to inspect farms such as Aurora. Farmers are allowed to hire their own inspectors they choose from a list of private companies licensed by the USDA. The inspector and the farmer/owner can arrange the visit-- days or weeks in advance-- and, according to the Post, only 5 percent of inspections are done spontaneously.

The USDA reviews the inspections on average every 2-and-a-half years.

But organic food is a booming business. The new USDA Organic seal has seen a surge in food sales from $5 million annually in 2000 to $40 billion in 2015, according to the Organic Trade Association.

When Post reporters took samples of Aurora's milk for scientific testing at Virginia Tech, the results showed that the Aurora milk was basically no different than conventional non-organic milk, from a nutrient makeup.

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Grass fed cows produce milk with higher levels of two types of fat conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) and an Omega-3 fat known as alpha-linolenic acid the clearest indicator of grass feeding. In tests, Auroras milk levels were similar to the CLA and linoleic acid levels in regular milk, ranked slightly higher than conventional milks, but lower than other samples bearing the USDA organic label.

When reached via email, Sonja Tuitele, Aurora Dairy's director of communications, sent the following statement to Fox News:

"We are an 100% organic company and have always produced great tasting, high-quality certified organic milk throughout our history. We take extraordinary care of our animals, and we meet or exceed the requirements of the USDA National Organic Program.

"We completely reject the suggestion that organic compliance can be determined by a test, and so does organic certification. Certified organic dairy means making great tasting, quality milk that requires extraordinary care for animals and prohibits the use of synthetics pesticides, GMOs, antibiotics and added hormones. Certification is the only test for organic compliance."

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That organic milk might not really be organic - Fox News

BENGALURU: Spinach & banana muffin for tiffin, sugar-free wheatgerm apple biscuits as evening refreshment and organic black rice for dinner. What's new about this meal plan in the times of raging health-consciousness and Bollywood-inspired fitness fever? Well, this meal plan has been fine-tuned for a two-yearold named Ray Chandra Kini.

Health is more important than formal education today and it starts with food. Invest in organic food than paying medical bills. We don't need chemicals damaging little bodies, says Jyotsna Kini (40), the toddler's mother and a travel company owner. The single mother is part of the new big wave -organic baby food.

Health-conscious affluent parents are taking the farm-to-fork revolution to their children. Which is why , for every millennial who recalls indulging in instant noodles, there is now a Kini growing up on trendy clean and green eating.

Three-year-old Areeha Jain eats organic lollipops ordered every few weeks on Amazon. Her mother and event planner Deepika Jain grows preservative-free palak, brinjal and tomatoes in her home garden for Areeha's consumption. Parents don't like to treat their children as kids anymore. Healthy living has to be imparted as education to children too, says Jain, who works out in the gym regularly and has enrolled her daughter for tennis lessons.

The rising popularity of organic baby food is directly proportional to the mushrooming homegrown brands selling the stuff. Bebe Burp, a Surat-based organic baby food startup, launched in November 2016 retails across India through online marketplaces like Eazelly.com. It sells organic cerelac in flavours like khichdi mix, oatmeal, finger millet and broken wheat for babies aged six months onwards. Co-founder Aman Tibrewal says, Cosmopolitan and high-literate city of Bengaluru is home to many working moms who are our primary takers. 25% of our total sales -4-5 orders a day -come from Bengaluru.

Minka Sikka, who launched Mommy's Health Kitchen in September 2016 in Bengaluru, says, From receiving 30 orders during the launch month to 70 orders a month now, there is a definite spurt in awareness. Millennial mothers recognise the value of clean eating and want their kids to start young.

Taking tips from grandmother's kitchens and nutritionists on board, Sikka makes organic bakes like carrot muffin, chocolate-almond granola to banana-oat teething breadsticks for toddlers. All ingredients used are organic. Dates, honey and jaggery replace refined sugar. She sells at pop-ups and home delivers on order basis.

Reports suggest that organic baby food industry will gain momentum this year. According to Central Food Technolo gical Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of organic baby food is estimated to be about 12% in revenue from 2016 to 2020.

The demand for baby food has increased with the trend of both parents working. With increased disposable income, they are able to compensate homemade food with branded organic baby food, says Prof Ram Rajasekharan, Director, CFTRI.

The first variant of brand Amul baby food was developed at CFTRI, a pioneering initiative in the segment.Today, the institute is developing baby foods with superfoods like popped quinoa powder and demucilaged chia seeds. Observing the potential of this segment, Rajasekharan notes, We have a high population of babies in India.Thus, quality high nutrition baby food is a good opportunity for Indian industry to explore.

Link:

Trendy babies are burping to organic food these days - Economic Times

Most newspapers in Colorado carried stories today about the results of an investigation into a fatal home explosion in Firestone, which was caused by anuncapped, abandoned gas line. Read our full coverage on that here.

As for what else made the Wednesday fronts across the state:

The High Plains dairy complex reflects the new scale of the U.S. organic industry: it is big. Stretching across miles of pastures and feedlots north of Greeley, Colorado, the complex is home to more than 15,000 cows, making it more than a hundred times the size of a typical organic herd, reports The Washington Post, re-printed in The Denver Post. It is the main facility of Aurora Organic Dairy, a company that produces enough milk to supply the house brands of Walmart, Costco, and other major retailers. We take great pride in our commitment to organic, and in our ability to meet the rigorous criteria of the USDA organic regulations, Aurora advertises. But a closer look at Aurora and other large operations highlights critical weaknesses in the unorthodox inspection system that the USDA uses to ensure that organic food is really organic.

A felony drug and weapon possession case was dismissed in court last week at the request of the 10th Judicial District Attorneys Office after it was discovered that a Pueblo police officer reportedly reenacted body camera footage of a search of the defendants car after the initial search of the vehicle had already been conducted, reports The Pueblo Chieftain. The case involved [a 36-year-old man]who was facing charges of possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and special offender; all felony charges. Text messages revealed what the officer had done.

Greeley will pay $225,000 to the man injured in October 2015 when a retired Greeley police officer struck him with his unmarked police car, reports The Greeley Tribune. Jerry Hill suffered numerous injuries, including to both shoulders, knees and his head, when he was hit Oct. 20, 2015, in the crosswalk at 9th Avenue and 10th Street. Steve Duus, who has since retired form the Greeley Police Department, eventually pleaded guilty to driving too fast for conditions and paid $181.50 in fines. The $225,000 settlement marks at least the third Greeley has paid out this year, totaling at least $725,000 for a variety of claims.

A new annual report from the Garfield County coroners office shows that the number of accidental deaths in the county nearly doubled from 2015 to 2016, reports The Glenwood Springs Post-Independent. However, its difficult to call this or any other figures in the report a trend yet, said Robert Glassmire, Garfield County coroner, because the office wasnt compiling these numbers prior to 2015, before his term in the office. But Glassmire hopes that tracking statistics about his offices investigations will produce some valuable information in the future for public health, hospitals and budgetary projections. Garfield County saw an estimated 329 total deaths last year, and the coroners office investigated about 38 percent of those, or 126 deaths. All together, 229 deaths were reported to the office. The office performed 61 autopsies, which accounts for about 18 percent of all deaths.

Longmont City Council members did not direct the city staff Tuesday night to study and review a proposal to protect undocumented immigrants by designating a Longmont to be a sanctuary city, reports The Longmont Times-Call. Instead, council members voted unanimously to approve a suggestion from Mayor Dennis Coombs that the city staff prepare a public presentation on what our practices and policies are, insofar as police and city employees dealings with undocumented immigrants. And let us digest that information, Coombs said.

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner has introduced a bill that would authorize the move of the Bureau of Land Managements headquarters to the West, as Gardner reiterated his view that Grand Junction would be the ideal location for the office, reports The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. The Colorado Republicans measure would require the Interior secretary to develop a strategy to move the headquarters from Washington, D.C., to a Western state in a manner that will save the maximum amount of taxpayer money practicable. The bill spells out that by Western state, it means Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington or Wyoming. U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Colo., introduced a companion measure in the House.

Becca Bleil has a fundamental beef with Colorado State University. A university that prides itself on being green should not slaughter animals on campus, no matter how noble the purpose, she said, reports The Coloradoan in Fort Collins. Bleil, a member of the animal rights club on campus, began a petition through change.org to protest a small animal harvesting facility included in the $20 million JBS Global Food Innovation Center planned to open on CSUs Fort Collins campus in 2018.

Extended business hours might help explain why Steamboat Springs three marijuana stores had record sales in March, reports The Steamboat Pilot & Today. Stores began extending their hours Feb. 17, which means March was the first full month they were allowed to be open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. We were really surprised by the number of people we got in here after 7 p.m., Golden Leaf manager Paige OBrien said.

Loveland City Council members on Tuesday voted to spend as much as $500,000 of their special projects fund as a matching grant to the Food Bank for Larimer County, reports The Loveland Reporter-Herald. The City Council approved the request on April 18 for as much as $500,000 and almost $34,000 in fee waivers for the nonprofits purchase of a new warehouse facility the former building of High Country Beverage. Council members approved the request on second reading 6-2 (Councilmen Dave Clark and Steve Olson voted against for the second time).

Opting against an outright ban on ground-floor banks along Pearl Street downtown, the Boulder City Council instead decided to adopt a softer measure with a wider geographic scope, reports The Boulder Daily Camera. By an 8-1 vote on Tuesday night, with Bob Yates representing the lone voice of dissent, the council passed on second reading an ordinance that requires any banks seeking to locate downtown to undergo a special use review. This plan will apply not just to Pearl Street between Ninth and 18th streets the stretch affected by the temporary bank ban approved in February but rather to three different downtown zoning districts that include portions of Canyon Boulevard, Walnut Street and Spruce Street.

Durango business owners upset with panhandlers who are impacting the safety, charm and allure of our community have come up with some creative and potentially unconstitutional ideas for dealing with the problem, reports The Durango Herald. According to a survey circulated last week by the Business Improvement District, ideas to combat panhandling include more police in downtown Durango, informing panhandlers of community resources available to assist them, recruiting volunteers to work in opposition to panhandlers and bringing back no-loitering laws.

Jenny Cristelli said she didnt know about the silver toy gun that was pointed at her daughters head until she came home from school, reports The Caon City Daily Record. This incident might have played a role in the Caon City School Boards decision not to renew Harrison K-8 School Principal John Pavliceks contract, according to district emails obtained by the Daily Record through a Colorado Open Records Act request. In recent weeks, a flood of parents and educators have come forward in support of Pavlicek, who said he was pressured into submitting a letter of resignation. At an April 24 school board meeting where the board decided not to renew Pavliceks contract a crowd of supporters shouted chants of recall at board members and yelled questions.

The Gazette continues its series about legalized marijuana with an installment about how Pueblo is becoming the Napa Valley of weed.

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The Home Front: Your 'organic' milk might not be so organic. WaPo comes to Colorado to show you why. - The Colorado Independent

Demand for organic products, like these greenhouse peppers grown by The Oppenheimer Group, Vancouver, British Columbia, continues to rise, shippers say.

Photo by The Oppenheimer Group

Organic food sales in the U.S. reached $40 billion annually in 2016, according to a state-by-state report in March from the Organic Trade Association.

The report says organic items now are in kitchens of more than 80% of U.S. households and account for about 5% of total food sales in the country.

Fruits and vegetables continue to be a pace-setter in the organic category, produce marketers say.

We see the growth of organics in recent years as a key indicator for what consumers want moving forward, and that is why we have focused on expanding our line of organic products like the organic version of Manns Broccoli Cole Slaw, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary at retail, said Jacob Shafer, spokesman with Salinas, Calif.-based Mann Packing Co.

Growers are responding to growing demand, said Steve Lutz, senior strategist with Wenatchee, Wash.-based fruit grower-shipper CMI Orchards.

Washington State Tree Fruit (Association) reports organic Washington apple production is up by 41% over last season, Lutz said.

Organic apples and pears make up about 9% of the entire industry crop, he said.

At CMI, we recognized early on the massive potential for organic foods and began transitioning a large percentage of our orchards to organics, Lutz said.

He said 19.3% of CMIs production was organic apples and pears and the company anticipates more than a quarter of its crop will be transitioned to organics by 2020.

We believe our commitment to organic production truly sets us apart, and we are very well positioned for the expected continued growth in organic consumption, Lutz said.

CMI markets numerous organic apple and pear varieties under the Daisy Girl banner.

The organic categorys success includes vegetables, said Doug Classen, sales manager with Salinas, Calif.-based vegetable grower-shipper The Nunes Co.

Theres steady, incremental growth, Classen said.

Growth also embraces specialties, said Robert Schueller, director of public relations for Los Angeles-based World Variety Produce, which markets under the Melissas brand.

Schueller said a number of his companys organic items have seen double-digit growth in the last year, including ginger, at 40%; strawberries, 25%; mangoes, 15%; Brussels sprouts, 12%; and baby yams, 10%.

The consumption of organics continues to set records year after year as consumers embrace it as a lifestyle, Schueller said.

One reason for the growth is accessibility, Schueller said.

You find it in most retailers across the country, he said.

Stores once thought carrying organics could help them stand out among competitors. Now, the category is becoming a mainstay in mainstream retail produce departments, Schueller said.

Organics no longer are just a trend among shoppers, said Bil Goldfield, director of corporate communications for Dole Food Co., Westlake Village, Calif.

U.S. organic sales posted a new record of $43.3 billion in 2015, up 11% over the prior year and more than three times the overall food growth of 3%, Goldfield said, citing OTA numbers.

Dole is seeing its strongest growth in demand for organic bananas and pineapples, but it also keeps expanding its organic lineup, Goldfield said.

Adding to our long-established business in organic fruits, Dole is answering the increased demand for organic packaged salads with our expanded Dole Organic Salad line, launched in 2016, featuring six organic salad mixes including three new varieties and two all-new organic salad kits, Goldfield said.

Gary Wishnatzki, owner of Plant City, Fla.-based Wish Farms, which grows and ships organic and conventional berries, describes the organic category as having methodical growth.

A lot of merchandising has changed, where consumers are more likely to buy organic, he said.

There still are hurdles the category has to clear, Wishnatzki said.

It will continue to go up, but there are some limitations, he said.

Its difficult to take a field and transition it because of the costs of doing so. Theres no market, really, for transitional product, so its difficult to transition because you get diminished yields without the bump in price.

Otherwise, theres no telling how far organics can go, said Chris Ford, Salinas-based organics category manager for the Vancouver, British Columbia-based Oppenheimer Group.

The skys the limit in terms of growth, he said.

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Demand for organic food sales continues to increase | The Packer - The Packer

Tonya Antle has been named the Ag Woman of the Year by Monterey County's Ag Against Hunger.

Throughout her career, Antle has focused on organics, first in table grapes at Pavich Farms and then as vice president of organic at Earthbound Farm, with the goal of bringing organic food to the mainstream. In January, she cofounded the Organic Produce Network, a digital news source devoted to the organic fresh produce business.

My career and lifes work for the organic produce community has never been about me, but rather about delivering on the promise for our farmers, customers and consumers. To be recognized for my efforts makes me proud that I played a small role in making the organic choice viable, Antle said in a news release.

The award, which seeks to honor women in the Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benitio counties, was presented April 28 at a luncheon at Paradaiso Vineyards in Salinas, Calif.

Antle, along with her husband Rick, was the 2016 recipient of the United Fresh Produce Associations Lifetime Achievement Award. She was named a Packer 25 honoree in 2016.

She has worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in addition to serving on many boards, including the Produce Marketing Association, Organic Trade Association, and Produce for Better Health Foundation.

An active community member and volunteer, Antle currently serves on the Board of Directors of the California State University-Monterey Bay Foundation and mentors young people through the Pack Family/PMA Career Pathways program, according to the release.

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Organic pioneer named Ag Woman of the Year | The Packer - The Packer

Organic farm hosts event to educate...

RED BLUFF, Calif. - The Red Gate Ranch in Red Bluff held its 3rd Spring Fling Sunday.

The ranch is an 110-acre farm that grows herbs, produce and raises farm animals. The focus at the Red Gate Ranch is to be all organic.

This year, over 120 people stopped by not only for the farmers market portion of the Spring Fling but also for the educational aspects. The guests were able to pet the goats and horses and well as get a tour of the ranch. A weed expert offered a "weed walk" to guide people on which type of weeds are edible.

The goal of the event was to show people the varieties and options for local food with the hope of educating people on finding true organic.

Audrey Pascone, one of the farmers at the Red Gate Ranch said just because the label reads organic doesn't necessarily mean you are getting full organic.

"Let's just use pork as an example, at this point. You go buy organic pork. What you are getting mostly is a product or a meat that was raised with organic feed so that animal was likely still raised on a cement slab in a confined situation and was fed antibiotics, muscle enhancer even and all sorts of things to be able to keep an animal as healthy as they can be in a closed space," Pascone said.

Heather Isbell, the farmer who lives and works on the ranch with her husband, said the best way to avoid this is to meet your local farmers at events like this one.

"I'd like people to know to find their local farmers, even if it's not us, and go visit," Isbell said. "To see what they are doing and see what they are growing and how they are doing it so you have that transparency and that knowledge of what they are doing and also to get to know them and have community."

Isbell and Pasconehave been best friends for twenty years. They went to the California School of Herbal Studies and then moved to Red Bluff to make their dreams realities.

The Red Gate Ranch goes to the Chico and Red Bluff farmers markets every week and they sell their products at Country Organics in Redding.

Pasconesaid the mission is to help people understand the availability of local food.

"We are hoping that we can kinda educate people and also provide them with resources where they can find this really good food that's right in our backyards," Pascone said. "Whether it's the wild weeds growing or the farmer down the street that people didn't even realize was there."

Read more:

Organic farm hosts event to educate about local food - KRCRTV.COM

The cost of organic foods is one of the major reasons behind their low adoption rate among the masses. Why are they so expensive? And is it feasible to bring down their cost anytime soon?

If you shop regularly at the supermarkets for your grocery and other household provisions, you would have most likely seen that all things organic are priced way higher thantheir regular variants, whether it's food, toiletries, beauty products orwhathave you (see the above chart on the online retail prices of 500 gm beaten rice (poha) for organic and non-organic varieties). You would have most likely also noticed that the organic sections are almost always thinly populated compared to the general sections. It's obvious that for the large majority of people price concerns get the better of the stated benefits of organic foods such as purity and wholesomeness.

But what makes organic foods so expensive? At the National Trade FairOrganics and Millets 2017, YourStory spoke to a variety of stakeholders in the organic food market to understand the reasons whether the situation is going to change anytime soon.

Organic foods are difficult to grow as they need high involvement and more time to grow. Moreover, lower yields of such crops and poor supply (still developing) chain further increases the production cost. Post-harvest processing and handling of organic food is a costly affair since the risk of contamination by chemical fertilisers, pesticides, etc. from water and neighboring farms is high. One of the biggest hurdles to the adoption of organic farming is the high fee for registration, accreditation and certification to become organic farmers.

While some of the above reasons have existed for decades, however, the government, cooperative societies and companies are working together to increase the adoption of organic farming and consumption of organic food in India.

One such body is the Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board (UOCB), which was formed in 2013 to promote and coordinate the dispersed organic activities for organic farming in the state. According to Pankaj Kumar of UOCB, the organisation has certified 1.5 lakh farmers (with an area of 45 lakh hectares) under organic farming. The UOCB incorporates the internal control system which allows producer associations or groups to practice group certification, thus lowering its cost of certification. In addition, they also provide inputs based on their research and subsidised tools (for harvesting, farming, etc).

Nowadays, organic foods may appear to be a lucrative market for many, but there weren't many organised players in early 2000s. One of them, 24 Mantra Organic, claims to be the market leader in the organic food category across India with almost two-thirds of market share. Today, the decade-and-a-half-old company works with 40,000 farmers on 245,000 hectares of land across the country on a contract basis. But it hasnt been easy for the company to get farmers on board to do organic farming. Sunil Poovaiyah, Business Head for Exclusive Stores in Karnataka, says,

One of our key objectives is to provide sustainable livelihood to farmers. We take care of the education of the children of our dedicated farmers, and also organise their health checkups.

The company couldnt make profits for first 3-4 years because of the investments but with increased market size and awareness, its gunning for soaring profits now.

Ravi K, CEO of Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural and Ramanagara Districts Regional Farmers Co-operative Union, has been involved with organic farming since 2004 but formed the cooperative only in November 2015. Branded as Organic Market Federation, Bangalore, the cooperative operates in 32 hoblis (a hobli is a cluster of adjoining villages administered together for tax and land tenure purposes). Each hobli has 100 hectares of land under organic farming and the members (organic farmers) are provided with the support to directly supply the produce to companies. This ensures shorter credit cycles and they get paid within 10-15 days.

According to a study jointly conducted by industry lobby Assocham and private research firm TechSci Research in 2016, pegged at $0.50 billion, the organic food market in India is estimated to jump to $1.36 billion by 2020. This will still account for less than 0.5 percent of the total agriculture market size of India. There are numerous bodies across the country working to reduce (if not remove completely) the hurdles in adopting organic farming.

With more research and favorable policies, it's hoped that the demand for organic food will not be driven by metros only. After all, we were practicing only organic farming before the 70s. And given its sustainable nature, a step towards organic food (and farming) is a step towards a sustainable future.

Till the price of all things organic comes closer to their non-organic counterparts, lets bridge this gap with the awareness about the organic way of living.

Read more from the original source:

A primer on what makes organic foods so expensive - YourStory.com

bengaluru, Apr 29 Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies including ITC and Britannia, today evinced interest in foraying into the business of organic food products and millets.

"Organic products are the future for package food products because more consumers are seeking better ingredients..

On behalf of MTR-foods/75179" target=_blank>MTR Foods, the company has committed to use more millets in their products and support this initiative," MTR CEO Sanjay Sharma said at the National Organic and Millets Trade Fair 2017 here.

National Head of Buying and Merchandising, Big Basket, Sheshukumar said, Big Basket is propagating use of organic products among consumers because it is difficult to find all organic products under one roof with the help of state government which is linking them with farmers directly.

"It is a daring step by government.. No directory was available, but this is a very good thing which will help us link with the farmers directly.. Big Basket is propagating the organic products to consumers," he said.

Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, in the august company of retailers and FMCG companies, launched "Brand Siri Karnataka," which will ensure millets become rich man's saviour nationally and internationally.

The brand was selected keeping in mind the richness of millets to human health and wellness, he said.

Gowda also launched "Shresta Karnataka," a name selected keeping in mind the importance of organic farming practices to nature, environment and ecology.

"Siri Karnataka and Shreshta Karnataka will facilitate the organised marketing of these high quality food items," Gowda said.

"We will train farmer groups on grading, packing and quality aspects.. This is a big step towards 'From farmers to consumers' direct linkages," he added.

The brand name can be used only by those farmers who are certified or under the certification process, the Minister said.

"Only after three years (IC 1, IC 2, IC 3) are they certified fully organic.

Karnataka has the most stringent certification norms of all states," he added.

The farming federations of Karnataka, who engage in organic farming practices and the cultivation of millets, will be offered the usage of these brands to market their products and also earn better incomes through value added products that could be marketed under these brand names, Gowda said.

Next-Gen Food Startups, Big Organised and Progressive retailers can get in touch with the Organic cell running the programme, the minister added.

bengaluru, Apr 29 Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies including ITC and Britannia, today evinced interest in foraying into the business of organic food products and millets.

"Organic products are the future for package food products because more consumers are seeking better ingredients..

On behalf of MTR-foods/75179" target=_blank>MTR Foods, the company has committed to use more millets in their products and support this initiative," MTR CEO Sanjay Sharma said at the National Organic and Millets Trade Fair 2017 here.

National Head of Buying and Merchandising, Big Basket, Sheshukumar said, Big Basket is propagating use of organic products among consumers because it is difficult to find all organic products under one roof with the help of state government which is linking them with farmers directly.

"It is a daring step by government.. No directory was available, but this is a very good thing which will help us link with the farmers directly.. Big Basket is propagating the organic products to consumers," he said.

Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, in the august company of retailers and FMCG companies, launched "Brand Siri Karnataka," which will ensure millets become rich man's saviour nationally and internationally.

The brand was selected keeping in mind the richness of millets to human health and wellness, he said.

Gowda also launched "Shresta Karnataka," a name selected keeping in mind the importance of organic farming practices to nature, environment and ecology.

"Siri Karnataka and Shreshta Karnataka will facilitate the organised marketing of these high quality food items," Gowda said.

"We will train farmer groups on grading, packing and quality aspects.. This is a big step towards 'From farmers to consumers' direct linkages," he added.

The brand name can be used only by those farmers who are certified or under the certification process, the Minister said.

"Only after three years (IC 1, IC 2, IC 3) are they certified fully organic.

Karnataka has the most stringent certification norms of all states," he added.

The farming federations of Karnataka, who engage in organic farming practices and the cultivation of millets, will be offered the usage of these brands to market their products and also earn better incomes through value added products that could be marketed under these brand names, Gowda said.

Next-Gen Food Startups, Big Organised and Progressive retailers can get in touch with the Organic cell running the programme, the minister added.

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FMCGs eye organic food products, millets biz - Outlook India

BENGALURU: Even as the world laps up organic produce, India leads the way with highest acreage of land under organic production. Such is the demand, with a buoyant export market, that the central government body, Agricultural and Processed food products Export Development Authority (APEDA), has been assigned to regulate the sale of organic produce by ensuring each item is certified by a reputed agency.

However, 28 certification bodies approved by APEDA, each with different manuals, has made it a messy affair. While APEDA has laid out broad guidelines for certification of organic produce which have to be adhered for export of produce, there is no regulation for the domestic market.

According to the international Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (CCOA), Karnataka has 93,963 hectares of land either certified or in the process of certification as being organic in nature. Karnataka is third in production, with 2.82 lakh tonnes of food being considered organic.

Farmer producer organisations said certification is provided for Rs 35,000 per organisation. "We pay Rs 35,000 for certification from the Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency (KSOCA) for getting our produce authenticated as organic. The certification is for three years," Krupa T, president, Chitradurga and Davanagere Organic Farmers Federation, said.

The federation has 40 organisations with 3,800 farmers as members. When asked o whether the certification agency gives its seal of approval to every farmer's produce, Krupa said it is for the organisation. "The certification is meant for organisation which take the responsibility of the organic produce," Krupa said.

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Authentication of organic products a mess - Times of India