Transition to certified organic milk production by Lisa McCrory, Earthwise Farm and Forest Before you transition: make a plan The following guidelines are based on the National Organic Program (NOP) final rule (United States Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2000). Farmers planning to make the transition to organic dairy production should consider all of the following areas, as well as the time and investment that will be required for compliance with certification requirements. A farmer interested in making a transition to organic production should create a transition plan which includes a timeline from the day that organic practices have been implemented to the day that the farm will ship organic milk. This process takes a minimum of one year and can take up to three years, depending on your farm, current farming practices, and when the last prohibited substance was applied. Fields can be transitioned to organic on a field-by-field basis with each field required to be free of nonapproved inputs for 36 months before the first organic harvest. Your cows will be transitioned as an entire distinct herd and will go through a one-year transition to organic. Before you begin your organic transition, find a market for your organic milk and decide on your organic certification agency. Your certifier will
be able to refer you to Organic System Plan templates and recordkeeping forms that you can use to document your transition to organic production, as well as for each year following. You will be required to supply a year’s worth of production documentation for your livestock and three years worth of production information for your land when you first apply, and annual documentation when you reapply for certification each year. You will want to choose your organic certification agency early to make sure you follow instructions for certification generated by the agency that will certify your operation. If you have questions about the requirements or about the status of a particular input, contact the certifier. All accredited certifiers are required to provide sufficient information to persons seeking certification to enable them to understand and comply with the requirements. Since there are regional differences in available inputs, climatic conditions, agronomic practices, and so forth, it is always a good idea to work with a certifier who is knowledgeable about the conditions, practices, and inputs used in your region. Shippers or processors that buy organic milk may have contract or production requirements in addition to the NOP final rule. Be sure to learn what their requirements
are before deciding who will be your organic milk buyer and going through the USDA organic certification process. Dairy herd transition guidelines There is a once-perfarm, whole-herd transition provision for all dairy herds converting to organic production. During this 12-month transition, all animals — including existing youngstock and calves born during this time — must be managed according to NOP requirements, including compliant feed, pasture, feed supplements, housing, and health management practices. Once the transition starts, you are not allowed to purchase or add nonorganic stock during that year, since these animals would not then have the full oneyear transition time along with the existing herd. If you want to add production animals to your dairy operation, you must either raise your own replacements, or purchase them from other certified organic farms. Once you have completed your year of transition and have a certified organic dairy herd, all organic dairy replacement animals must be managed organically from the last third of gestation (three months prior to birth). Livestock feed For the 12 months prior to selling organic milk, feed for all production animals on the farm (milk cows, dry cows, heifers, and heifer calves)
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must be 100 percent organic, or harvested from your land that was between 24 and 36 months from the last application of a prohibited substance — in other words, in its third year of transition to organic. The 100 percent organic feed ration includes forages and grains as well as any agricultural products, such as oat bran, that are used as carriers or bulking agents in feed supplements. The provision for feeding farm-raised, third-year transitional feed is only allowed for herds in the transition to organic. Once you are shipping organic milk, feed from transitional land cannot be fed to any current or future organic production animals. Time your transition to have your silos, bins, and hay storage empty of transitioned crops, and full of certified organic crops when you are ready to be on the organic milk route. All purchased grains and forages must be certified organic. “In-transition” organic feed (managed organically for 2436 months) cannot be purchased from other farmers and fed to a dairy herd during transition. You must keep all receipts and organic certifi-
cates as documentation of your organic feed purchases, making sure that the receipts provide the seller’s name, transaction date, a copy of the seller’s certificate of organic status, and the amount of feed purchased. All feed supplements, including minerals and salt, must be approved for use by your certifier. Antibiotics, GMO-derived products, animal by-products, artificial colors/flavors, synthetic flowing agents, and synthetic preservatives are not permitted in any feed products. If a supplement contains soy oil, wheat middlings, or molasses, for instance, these are agricultural products and must be certified organic. Please ask your certifier for a list of approved products and suppliers in your area who serve organic farmers with approved feeds and supplements. Calves should be fed organic whole milk and organic feed. As of April 2006, the National Organic Standards Board voted to remove nonorganic milk replacer from the National List, meaning it is no longer allowed for use under any circumstances. Pasture is mandated for all ruminants. The
NOP final rule defines “pasture” as “land used for livestock grazing that is managed to provide feed value and maintain or improve soil, water, and vegetative resources” (USDA, 2000). All animals, once they have functioning rumens (usually by six months of age), must have daily access to pasture during the grazing season. Although specific guidelines are not given as to the number of acres of pasture per cow to be provided, the animals must be able to obtain a significant portion of their daily feed intake from pasture during the grazing season. Green chop or dry hay fed to cows is not considered “pasture.” A dry lot is not considered “pasture” since there is no forage on the ground that offers feed value. Pastures must be managed in a way that prevents erosion and/ or water quality problems. In addition, access to streams and rivers must be restricted and/or managed in order to prevent these problems. For more information v i s i t www.extension.org/page s/18552/transition-tocertified-organic-milkproduction