Why thinking consumers boycott products from Organic Valley due to its egregious business practices against member farms that border on modern feudalism.
In a very quiet decision that received little media attention even within the natural foods industry, the board of directors of Organic Valley recently voted 4-3 to ban the farmers which make up its 1600 small farm cooperative from selling raw milk to consumers on the side.
The company cited legal concerns and complaints from farmers regarding competition as its reasons for the decision. This is sheer and utter nonsense and a perfect example of corporate smoke and mirrors. The attorneys for Organic Valley even admit that the legal issues are nothing to worry about in actuality.
And, the competition issue? It’s not farmers complaining about competition that is the true worry for Organic Valley.
The truth is the company is terrified of the surging popularity of raw milk. Â This market trend combined with an increasingly savvy and informed consumer that is rapidly moving away from processed milk and back to the “fresh from the farm” variety threatens to affect company profits over the long haul.
Indeed, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of pasteurization, particularly ultra pasteurization, the type of milk processing favored by Organic Valley for its Grade A milk.
With this knowledge, consumers are seeking out farmers directly for their fresh dairy which ultimately threatens to stagnate profit growth for Organic Valley if this type of trend continues (all indications are that it will).
In an attempt to strangle the competition, protect its source of supply and handcuff its farmers from making revenue elsewhere, Organic Valley has chosen the “bully the farmer” approach to managing its small farm cooperative. The company has now become more like the mega-dairy processors it claims to abhor who make a habit of pushing farmers around to line the pockets of its own executives and to aggressively protect their market interests.
Boycott All Organic Valley Products!
Organic Valley has shown its true colors with this decision.
Taking a step in this direction indicates a basic company disregard and disrespect for farmer independence and consumer choice.
Forbidding what a farmer does with his time and product outside of his contract with Organic Valley is a blow below the belt and just plain wrong.
Direct sales to the consumer are one of the smartest business decisions a small farmer can make to keep his operation profitable. Â Â Forbidding this type of activity threatens the economic sustainability of its small farms, ironically one of Organic Valley’s stated goals.
Such an outrageous and hypocritical corporate decision requires swift and decisive action on the part of the consumer.
For my part, I will no longer be buying any Organic Valley products.
I never did buy their milk, but I will no longer buy their cheese, butter, or other dairy items either.
I hope you will join me in a boycott of this company that pretends to be a friend of the environment, farmers, and consumers but is nothing short of a wolf in sheep’s clothing to the sustainable and local family farm movement.
Organic Valley’s business practices are simply a modern form of feudalism that benefits the nobles and squashes the peasants.
In regards to your last comment Sarah, if OV thought for a second its consumers were a "bunch of thumb suckers" I doubt they would spend nearly as much time and advocacy as they have to ensure that everything from their farmers pasturing standards to animal welfare be so stringent. I doubt that they would care so much about their farms being no larger than a certain size. Truck routes that are carefully analyzed to ensure that they are making the most efficient use of fuel. All of these efforts that they have making to ensure a product that an educated, alert consumer can purchase and believe in. To be honest, all you're doing is yelling. If you really wanted to make a difference, you would be asking people to write to the board. You would be making an effort to change the decision that you feel isn't in keeping with the ideals of a company from which you believed in purchasing products from. It's very easy to sit here and yell about OV being a corporation and pull this and that of information and statistics, but the bottom line is, if you were truly concerned about the decision you would be attempting to change it. Actually do something about it, in a positive way.
I am a sixth generation dairy farmer. We became a part of Organic Valley a few years ago after HEAVILY researching the other options available to us for organic transport. For the first time in my life I am able to truly believe both in what I'm doing and the cooperative that makes it possible for me to do what I do. For my family to continue to 150 years of farming our land in southern VT. Because without OV it wouldn't even be possible. We could never sell enough raw milk to make our farm sustainable and by keeping our farm sustainable we keep 400+ acres free of pesticides. The statements you are making are trying to incite people to speak out against a corporation when in reality there is no corporation. It's me, my unborn child, my father and mother. We're part of the cooperative that allows 1600 other farms to operate such as we may now. Would you prefer that we simply stop farming? Would that be a better option for you? For all of these 1600 farms to simply not exist anymore? I drink raw milk, my family drinks raw milk. We always have. Could we ever sustain our farm with the sale of it – no. The decision by the board was 4-3, when put to a vote amongst the DEC is was split down the middle, 20-20. What this information tells you is that this wasn't an open and shut case. The "corporation" is not the corporate devil you're making it out to be. There were half of the voting farmers who disagreed. This information should encourage you as a consumer to write to OV and explain why you feel a boycott is the only answer, why you're upset. Try to make a difference if you're really that concerned about the decision that OV has made. Were there to be some energy put towards that as opposed to slinging mud around blogs, perhaps there could be change afoot.
Also you continue to talk about the farmers interest and how concerned you are about OV taking away the farmers rights – how is you boycotting and encouraging others to do the same acting in a farmers interest?
I am 4th generation organic dairy farmer for Organic Valley. Since OV is owned and lead by farmers, of course we are all interested in profit. If OV didn't make a profit, then us farmers would not make money. Farmers need to feed their families too. OV is the only farmer owned cooperative that pays their farmers a livable wage (in my opinion) without the support of government payments. I don't believe the argument by preventing raw milk OV is regulating the supply or competition. I know plenty of farmers who are not a part of the OV cooperative and sell raw milk. OV is not interested in more milk.
So please continue to support local organic farm families such as ours. We support your right to buy raw milk and we hope that you continue to do so if you wish.
Organic Valley might not realize that people who buy raw milk do buy other Organic Valley products even if they don't buy their milk. It is not smart to tick off these consumers. If they band together, they can really make a statement with a boycott.
Hi Farmer Jon, I'm not saying there is a short supply of milk! I'm saying that the surging popularity of raw milk threatens OVs supply of organic milk over the long haul. This decision attempts to short circuit the growth of raw milk sales within the OV organization. Its hypocritical based on OVs own stated goals. It is clear as a bell to us consumers. OV better wake up and see that its consumers aren't a bunch of thumb suckers .. we are alert consumers that keep on top of what the companies that supply us with food are doing. When a company does something so obviously in its own self interest and NOT in the interest of the farmer and the consumer, we ACT. Your board should have thought of the consequences before it acted in such an irresponsible manner.
Sarah,
This farmer did get a woman sick with Camphalobactor and did settle. We farmers "are" OV. There is no short supply of milk so that argument is false. As farmer owners of the coop we agree to market all of our milk through the co-op. This is a very democratic co-op so if the majority of farmers feel in necessary to allow fellow members to sell raw milk it will happen. Your boycott will just cause pain to all of us farmer/owners of the co-op. That seems to be a bullying tactic from someone claiming that our farmer run co-op is a bully. I suggest that those of you that feel so passionate about drinking raw milk buy a few cows and pay a farmer to produce your milk. You then can pay them that fair price for the milk. I for one feel OV pays a very fair price for our milk and am more than happy to have a great group of farmers to join together with to market our milk.
The likelihood of what you describe happening is slim to none and is just a rehash of the "liability" issue brought up by OV that even its own attorneys said was a non-issue!!! The truth is that OV is trying to protect its source of supply and looking out for its own neck regardless of what it does economically to its farmers. The farmers in the OV co-op have a RIGHT to sell it direct to the public if they so choose. If a boycott of OV products is necessary to force the company's board to reconsider this Gestapo decision, then so be it.
Sarah,
If contamination has occured on the farm due to poorly washed equipment or organic matter coming in contact with the milk, then there can be harmful bacteria in that milk. Farmers and their families have much more exposure to those microbes and won't be affected like townies can be. Yes I drink raw milk because I know how we produce it and how it is handled. Go to Cookingupastory web site to see our farm if you'd like. I'm the dairyfarmer story.
Hi Farmer Jon, with all due respect, I seriously doubt you drink raw milk or you would not have made the comments you made against it. For example, you said that if you leave raw milk on the counter for a few minutes, the "microbes go crazy". Yes, GOOD bacteria go crazy, NOT bad ones! I leave raw milk on my counter all the time to clabber it into a drinkable yogurt type of probiotic drink. If you truly drank raw milk you would know this. I am beginning to think you are a corporate plant disguising yourself as a farmer?
I personally know ‘Farmer Jon’, and I have drunk some of his raw milk, while at his house. It tastes great.
Andrew,
I wouldn't want the board to change their mind. Even though I drink raw milk and always have, every time a farmer sells raw milk, he is betting his whole farm and future on the transaction. If a consumer gets sick after drinking raw milk, no matter if it was caused by bad burger or spinach, usually the raw milk gets the blame. Milk is the perfect bacterial food. It's got sugars, protien, fat, and minerals all in a conveinent liquid for easy mobility. Leave it out on the counter for just a little bit and any microbes in that milk will multiply like crazy. It's also produced on a farm where there are plenty of microbes hanging around and can get into the milk if the farmer isn't real careful 100% of the time. My livelyhood and that of another 1600 dairy families are thus tied to faith that any one of our coop members selling raw milk are doing everything correct 100% of the time and that if a consumer gets sick they won't find a lawyer to go after a big settlement. Most raw milk consumers will tell you that they'd never consider suing in case of illness, but that almost always changes when a family is facing bankruptcy due to a hospital bill. A farmer a few hours away from our farm had someone get sick from his raw milk and after much court time settled a $4 million lawsuit. If individual farmers want to bet the farm on raw milk sales they are more than welcome to do so. Just don't bet my farm on it as well.
I have always provided raw milk for my family by having our own dairy animals or acquiring it locally because of my research years ago wanting to find the healthiest lifestyle for my family. A change in our living status has forced me to go without dairy or look for the next best product. I did quite a bit of reading about OV. After we tried their products, we were sold on the quality of them and the commitment of these farmers to keep to the higher standard. OV milk is our choice up here in Alaska. I am thrilled to buy the 1 gal jugs that I am told have NOT been ultra pasteurized like their half gals. There are always 2 sides to a matter; both with some merit. Having belonged to the Sioux Honey Assc. coop for years, I know that there are decisions that have to be made for the whole of the coop that have pros and cons. I am glad we are free to boycott companies if we feel the need just as farmers are NOT forced to be a member of OV. It is still our choice. After reading both sides here, I will still be buying OV products for now as it seems to me to be the most supportive of the two.