Transitioning to Organic Dairy Proving Challenging

Organic milk production is on the rise in the U.S., but the numbers of organic producers is not actually increasing significantly.

National Milk Producers Federation President Jim Mulhern said, “It’s a difficult shift because of the three-year transition rules, it does present a barrier. A lot of the members I talk to consider it, some have made the shift mainly for economic reasons because the price of organic milk is so much higher than conventional milk. A lot of farmers aren’t as interested in making that shift because they believe in what they’re doing. They believe in the conventional production they’re engaged in.”

There’s also a challenge in getting organic feed which is low in terms of supply and high in terms of price.