When you purchase a certified organic product, you’re supporting organic farmers who are working to improve the environment. Organic farming methods help the earth by returning vitality and nutrients to the soil and keeping air and water safe from pollution caused by toxic pesticides and herbicides. Organic farmers are naturally concerned about the health and welfare of their farm animals. Choosing organic is a great way to protect the planet—and your health.

As promised by the USDA, organic regulations reflect National Standards Board recommendations regarding which substances used in production and processing are allowed or prohibited prohibit the use of irradiation, sewage sludge, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in organic production prohibit antibiotic and synthetic hormone use in organic cattle require 100 percent organic feed for organic livestock.

Happy, Healthy Cows

Cows raised organically graze in pesticide-free pastures, a reflection of the organic standards that state that no prohibited substances have been used on the land for at least three years. And these lucky cows avoid injections of antibiotics and growth hormones permitted in conventional farming. In other words, organic cows are raised in conditions which limit stress and promote health, providing you and your family with fresh, nutritious dairy products.

Nutrition News

Organic milk contains up to 70 percent more omega 3s than conventional milk, according to Scottish researchers. Experts suggest that the higher proportion of clover forage available to organically raised cows may account for the higher levels of these essential fatty acids.

Milk from organically raised cows contains, on average, 50 percent more vitamin E and 75 percent more beta carotene (which the body converts to vitamin A) than conventional milk. “The most important reason for the observed differences is presumably the large amounts of [corn] used in the conventional production, whereas a considerable amount of grass and leguminous plants are used in the organic production,” researchers say.

To learn more

• National Organic Program, www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm
• Organic Trade Association, www.ota.com
• Organic Valley, www.organicvalley.coop