Beyond Organic Or Fake Organic?

I hope this finds everyone well this beautiful Spring day! Isn't it just marvelous how our Creator created the four seasons in nature for us to live in and enjoy?

Today we have a very loaded subject that we will discuss with you. Organic Certification. This is strictly referring to our RAW milk and Regular yogurt as it is the only products we certify here at the farm. This email is a bit lengthy but we want to cover a lot of ground. We welcome your feedback and questions as well anytime, by giving us a call or replying directly to this email.

For many years we have been keeping organic certification on the farm and the raw milk with filling out lots of paperwork, paying extra fees, etc. It keeps getting worse every year in terms of more paperwork, higher fees, and a very complex inspection yearly.

But we have always and will always, be using only organic approved inputs and methods on our farm and creamery. In simple terms, we go above and beyond the organic seal to ensure no chemicals, no pesticides, no antibiotics, no GMO's, no Soy, etc... Trust me, they do allow a small percentage of chemicals in organic feed. :(

So the time has come that we decided to drop the organic certification on our RAW Milk and Regular Yogurt. These were the only two dairy products that we have ever certified here on the farm.

But this does not change a thing in terms of how we do things here at the farm.

It is still the same organic product as before with the same cows on the same land, using regenerative farming practices organically on pasture. The only difference: It won't be certified on paper by a third party.

We always tell our customers that you are free to come visit the farm anytime to see how it's done. We hide nothing on the farm...

The Reasons To Drop Certification

So the one reason we have decided to drop organic certification is because it gets a bit more complicated and costly every year! The other reason is in protest to these mega dairies that produce "fake organic" milk and keep breaking the rules. We abide by the same rules that the big farms do plus much more, and the regulations keep changing making it very hard to follow after because the "big guys" keep breaking the rules and putting minimal efforts in to follow the organic standards.

You might ask, why all the previous effort and now drop it?

That is a very good question. Yes, it was a lot effort to get certified and to fill out the original paperwork plus wait out the transition time many years ago. But our efforts will not slack now whatsoever to continue farming organically, and naturally.

Even Dad agrees now that the yearly application becomes more and more complicated to deal with because they are trying hard to not let the "big guys" play their games. But we've never played those games in terms of tricking the system! We strive for good old fashioned farming with organic, regenerative practices that build healthy soil, naturally.

We depend on the trust that our customers have with what we do here on the farm. It is our goal to be honest, use integrity, and strive for quality, naturally! We are always open for questions or feedback, anytime!

Below you will see the stark contrast in what a CAFO organic dairy looks like vs. our cows on the farm.

This is an aerial shot of Aurora Organic dairy in Coloroda. Awful isn't it? It's called "fraud organic". You can click on the picture to see the gallery of this dairy on Cornucopia Institute's website.

Below is a shot of our cows on pasture totally relaxed and enjoying it immensely. Our cows are always 100% grass fed, and organically pastured. If compared to the above picture, then we would probably be "well beyond organic"...

So by no w I'm sure you get the picture. It's true that milk can be labeled as organic in the conditions that you see above on the "CAFO" farm. We definitely strive for the organic standards above and beyond for what they call for!

We are still state licensed and certified for producing/selling Raw Milk and dairy products plus follow all strict testing protocols they require, and have an in-house lab where we can test even more frequently than required. We are all about safe, and clean RAW milk.

There are raw milk farmers out there that skip this whole raw milk license process and I would question those kind of operations. Not saying they aren't a clean operation or don't care about their cows, but just be cautious... I will admit that it definitely is possible to do the right thing without government oversight! :)

Dutch Belt Cows - Our Vision

Our Dutch Belt cows and their milk was the visionary foundation of our farm, it's what Dad started with many years ago in the early 90's with grass farming. Dad chose the Dutch Belt cow as he wanted something different, and unique that performs well on grass 100%. For more on the history of this cow, click here. Ever since we went 100% grass fed we have been grain free on this farm using regenerative farming.

Our Dutch belt milk is known for it's unique flavor profile and the higher content of the A2 casein proteins which makes the milk almost like "naturally homogenized" making it easier to digest. We have folks that drink this milk that were not able to drink milk before.

These are truly special cows and they get treated very humanely, and are fed a 100% grass fed diet on our organic pastures. I think my fuss has been long enough so I had better quit here. :)

Again, we hope you can understand, and we truly value your feedback, your questions, and your concerns. Please reach out by replying to this email or giving us a call at 717-442-9208.

Blessings wished,

Dave at Dutch Meadows Farm

P.S. In the coming weeks, you may see our labeling change a bit on the product and website due to taking the organic seal off. Stay tuned!

P.S.S. All of our nutrient-dense foods are still GMO free, chemical free, antibiotic free, Soy free, and pasture raised, with you and your families health in mind! To shop our online store, hit the button below...