USDA Investigates Suspected Organic Farming Violations

By Will Fantle, Research Director for The Cornucopia Institute

The USDA has launched an investigation into suspect organic livestock management practices associated with the Aurora Organic Dairy in Colorado. The investigation is the result of a formal complaint filed by The Cornucopia Institute, an organic watchdog group, after a visit by Institute staff to a ranch supplying thousands of replacement cows to the huge Aurora operation.

Located near Platteville, Colorado, the Aurora Dairy controls approximately 6000 cows. Aurora's confinement style approach to organic dairying mimics conventional agricultural practices. Many in the organic community find the practice repugnant, if not illegal. It also leads to a high turnover rate as animals are pulled from the herd for slaughter when their productivity declines, or health problems develop, as they are stressed for higher milk production.

To meet the constant need for replacement milk cows, Aurora established a contractual arrangement with a nearby rancher. The rancher began questioning the organic livestock rearing directives given to him by Aurora's management and contacted The Cornucopia Institute for advice.

Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst for the Wisconsin-based Institute, was invited to the operation last Fall and was stunned to discover that the facility had never received organic livestock certification. "This is extremely troubling," says Kastel. "The owner of the ranch told us that he has never filed an organic livestock management plan or been visited by an organic inspector- this a massive operation managing thousands of cows."

Organic certification is the backbone of the USDA's organic program. It's designed as a firewall protecting consumers from food unfit for the USDA's certified organic food label. Certification requires annual visits by an accredited certifying agent who helps the producer develop sound organic management practices and ensure that a careful paper trail is kept documenting organic food production.

Other questionable organic practices were also raised in Cornucopia's USDA complaint. The replacement cows were not pastured, as organic standards require. "The owner told us that the only time the animals were briefly placed on pasture was when Aurora's management asked him to do so because of negative publicity in the media about their farm or when they were concerned about a potential inspection of the premises," Kastel said.

In January, two USDA investigators met with Cornucopia staff to collect evidence about the alleged organic violations and to take sworn depositions. The agents are in the process of gathering additional evidence from parties associated with the Institute's complaint.

The Aurora Dairy produces about 10 million gallons of milk a year and specializes in processing "private-label" milk for many grocer y chains, including Wild Oats, Trader Joe's and Costco.

"Consumers are paying premium prices for products carrying the organic label. They must be assured that the practices used in producing the food are 100% organic, and not some cheap shortcut taken to cash in on organics in the marketplace," said Kastel.

Later this month, The Cornucopia Institute will release a consumer guide identifying which organic dairy products are produced from the highest quality sources of milk. Their rating system, based on 10 months of industry research, will allow consumers to select products reflecting their organic values.

The Cornucopia Institute is a farm policy research group, based in Cornucopia, Wisconsin. Its mission is dedicated to promoting economic justice for family-scale farmers and ranchers. Photo galleries of the Aurora dairy and the Steve Wells heifer ranch can be found on the Cornucopia Web page at www.cornucopia.org (click on photo galleries). The Institute's dairy product rating guide will soon be posted on the site.

Editor's note: Wedge does not carry the milk discussed in the article. We thought this would be of interest to Wedge members because it reflects the work of our biggest 2005 WedgeShare grant recipient.