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      USDA-Backed "Factory Farm" Takeover of Organic Milk Production Crushing Family-Scale Farmers and Forcing Them Out of Business

      Newly released report, and associated organic dairy brand scorecard, enables defrauded consumers and wholesale buyers to “Vote with Their Pocketbooks”

      Newswire Editor
      Aug 09, 2018

      When commercialized in the 1980s, the organic dairy movement was viewed by many farmers as opting out of a rapacious agricultural marketing system that had already driven the majority of dairy farm families off the land over the preceding two decades. Now, a quarter century later, history is repeating itself with giant "factory farms" flooding the organic dairy market with fraudulent "organic" milk and economically devastating family businesses and rural communities.

      According to the latest USDA records, organic milk production jumped 18.5% in 2016 alone, far eclipsing the growth in market demand. As a result, wholesale purchasers of raw organic milk have cut prices to farmers by 25-30% or more. In addition, some buyers have set quotas, mandating production cuts, further impacting cash flow. The largest organic dairy brand, Horizon, owned by Groupe Danone of France, is terminating contracts with some farmers, at a time when there are no alternative markets available. Industry experts have called the moves by the world's largest dairy a "death warrant" for farmers.

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      Newswire

      Sick Cows/Sick People - The Grassfed Antidote

      Newswire Editor
      Aug 29, 2017

      Almost all of the beef available in supermarkets across the country comes from sick cows that pose a significant risk to human health. The Cornucopia Institute, a national food and farm policy research group, has just released a video educating consumers on where their burger meat comes from. The informative, short video, Sick Cows/Sick People-The Grassfed Antidote, shows just how unhealthy typical beef production is and what consumers can do to find excellent meat for their Labor Day barbeques.

      "Most beef cattle in the U.S. are morbidly obese and likely suffer from diabetes and fatty livers," said Mark A. Kastel, Cornucopia's senior farm policy analyst. "Very few would survive to old age if not sent to slaughter."

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      Newswire

      Organic Industry Watchdog Lobbies for Stricter Regulations Governing Imports

      After 10 Years of Pressure by The Cornucopia Institute, an Article in The Washington Post is Changing the Competitive Landscape in Organics

      Newswire Editor
      Jul 24, 2017

      A recent Washington Post investigation illustrated serious flaws in the organic certification program at the USDA, undermining confidence in the organic label and spotlighting the harm domestic organic grain farmers continue to suffer at the hands of unscrupulous competitors in the international supply chain.

      The Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry research and policy organization, is taking action to hold the USDA accountable. Cornucopia has sent a formal request petitioning the USDA to enact critical new regulations that will make it increasingly difficult for fraudulent organic imports to cross U.S. borders.

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