Don't Fence Me In

I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I shan't be gone long. -- You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I shan't be gone long. -- You come too.

The Pasture
Robert Frost

Since it didn’t get much play in the mainstream media, or online for that matter you may have missed this little item from Friday New USDA Rules Establish Strong Organic Standards for Pasture and Livestock. Over the past decade family farmers, in part through The Cornucopia Institute, have been fighting good fight over Big Ag’s skirting of the organic regulations, especially with regard to pasturing livestock, actually blatant breach may be more appropriate, which has seriously tarnished the ‘organic’ label. Even though Big Ag - was found guilty of "willful" violations of the federal organic law by the USDA in 2007, the previous Administration merely slapped it on the hands. The strict new rules are set to take effect this June, and the current Administration is expected to take a more serious view towards enforcement - specifically, industrial farms operated by the Colorado-based Aurora Dairy, which "produces private-label, store brand milk for Wal-Mart, Costco and large grocery chains." The most significant of these new rules:

require that dairy cows and other ruminants be out on pasture for the entire growing season, but for not less than 120 days. It also requires that the animals receive at least 30% of their feed, or dry matter intake (DMI), from pasturing. In addition, organic livestock will be required to have access to the outdoors year-round with the exception of temporary confinement due to mitigating and documentable environmental or health considerations.

According to the reports, these changes will also "assure humane animal husbandry practices in (organic) eggs, poultry, beef and pork production." (Given the army of lawyers, lobbyists, and scientists in its employ, I would expect that Big Ag will not take this lying down.)

The Cornucopia Institute "promotes economic justice for family scale farmers," and one of its many activities is keeping an eye on the sources for “organic” milk and milk products in this country:

The Cornucopia Institute’s national survey of organic products in the dairy case showcases ethical family farm producers and exposes factory farm producers and brands that threaten to take over organic dairying. With this Web-based rating tool, you can see which brands and dairy products found in your region are produced using the best organic farming practices and ethics. Based on a year’s research into the organic dairy business, the scorecard rates approximately 110 different organic dairy brands and private-label products.