For David, organic farming is as convenient as conven
tional farming. Although it does add more labor, he
doesn’t have the added expenses of costly medicines
and fertilizer bills.
JAYNE SEBRIGHT
Lancaster Farming Staff
Editor’s Note: This is the sec- David and his wife Robbin
and article in a special June milk 95 cows and farm 160 acres.
Dairy Month series on “Dairy His farm and dairy herd has
Profit Possibilities.” been certified organic since
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.) 1995.
For David Martin of Man- The Martins and their 12 chil
heim, it seemed more practical dren. Mehssa (20), Joshua (18),
to work with nature than to use Laura (17), Carla (15). Abigail
Organic Dairying
Dollars And Sense
According to Ned MacAr
thur, vice president of opera
tions for Natural Dairy Prod
ucts Corp., increased profits
from organic dairying range
based on the farmer’s man
agement skills and feed meth
ods.
“It’s hard to pin-point an
average profit above conven
tional dairying because you
have some farmers who are
running a really successful op
eration and some who are just
keeping it above the line.”
said MacArthur.
“It also makes a difference
when you’re grazing your
herd,” he said. “It doesn’t
matter if you’re a convention
al or organic dairy farmer,
grazing is the most inexpen
sive way to make milk.”
Start up costs for organic
dairy farms include $5OO to
600 for the paperwork involv
ed with the certification and
about 12 months of added
feed costs while your herd is
converted to organic.
Milk Marketing Board Maintains Over-Order Premium
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Pennsylvania Milk Mar
keting Board Chairwoman Bev
erly R. Minor announced that
the Board Members voted unani
mously for a $l.OO over-order
premium to be paid to Pennsyl
vania dairy farmers per one hun
dred pounds of their Class I milk
(bottled milk) that is produced,
processed, and sold in Pennsyl
vania.
The premium will be effective
for a period of six months begin
ning July 1, 2000. This action is
the result of a public hearing
held on May 3,2000.
The previous over-order pre
mium of $1.20 ($1.45 including
the fuel adjustment premium)
was due to expire June 30, 2000.
Organic Farming Is Good For
The Ground And The Bottom Line
chemicals. To him, organic farm
ing was just the right thing to do.
“Organic feed costs about
30 percent more than conven
tional feeds,” said MacArthur.
“The farmer has to absorb
that costs for the transition
period. That’s why I encour
age farmers to push grazing as
much as they can to keep
costs down.”
The price for organic milk
on average is about five dol
lars more than convention
ally-produced milk. “Right
now the industry is paying be
tween $l9 and 20 per hun
dredweight for organic milk.”
Natural Dairy Products
Corp. markets its organic
products, which are sold
under the brand name, Natu
ral By Nature, all over the
East Coast. The products
have the same shelf life as reg
ular dairy products.
According to MacArthur,
organic milk processors have
people available to help farm
ers get started in organic
dairying. “That’s basically
what I do.”
Although market conditions still
warrant the necessity of an over
order premium, the dollar
amount was reduced by $.20.
Testimony presented at the
hearing showed that premiums
in the surrounding states ranged
from $.83 in New Jersey to $1.30
in Maryland and Delaware.
Maintaining an over-order pre
mium in Pennsylvania of $1.45
would be difficult and could have
an adverse affect on Pennsylva
nia Dairy farmers.
The Board Members stress
that this action has no affect on
the $.25 per hundred pounds of
Class I milk that was added to
the current over-order premium
to help offset the increase in fuel
costs. Beginning July 1, 2000, the
(13). Suzanna (11), Naomi (9),
Ramona (8), Caleb (6), Noah
(4), Samuel (2). and Sarah (9
months old), worked together
on the organic farm to raise a
high quality product and sell it
at a good price.
In fact, the Martins market
their milk to Natural By Nature
of Parmalat for $l9 per hun
dredweight. That’s about seven
dollars higher than what the av
erage dairy farmer is getting
paid. They also sell organic
raised beef on their farm and
have about 200 customers who
come from as far away as New
Jersey to buy their beef.
“One of the advantages to
farming organically is that once
you see it as functional, you can
experience the whole system.”
said Martin. “You really get at
tached to what you’re doing.”
David started farming with his
father Daniel and was brought
into part-ownership in 1974. He
decided to convert the farm and
dairy operation to organic in
1990.
His father still helps on the
farm and runs the broiler house,
where they have 50,000 chick
ens. Lately David has been help
ing more with the chickens and
is working with his father to get
the broiler operation organical
ly-certified.
“1 always thought that chemi
cals were the answer to every
thing,” said Martin. “But when
ever 1 used chemicals for one
thing, it seemed to generate
some other problem. It seemed
just as convenient to work with
nature than to use chemicals.”
Converting the farm to organ
ic took tour years. The land had
to be farmed organically for
three years before it was certi
fied organic. After that, the cows
had to be milked tor one year
while eating organic feeds.
Obtaining his certification
through Pennsylvania Certified
Organic, headquartered in
Centre Hall, Martin is prohib
ited from using any hormones,
antibiotics, or other synthetic
medicines. Any medicines nec
essary to save a cow's life can be
used, but then that cow must be
sold to a conventional herd.
The requirements also include
animal husbandry issues, such as
keeping the cows well-bedded
and using novocame to dehorn
the calves. At age two or three,
the cows are no longer allowed
to be dehorned.
In place of normal health
practices. Martin uses biothera-
total over-order premium placed
on Class I milk that is produced,
processed, and sold in Pennsyl
vania will be $1.25.
The over-order premium is a
dollar amount added to the min
imum Class I price to be paid to
Pennsylvania dairy farmers that
is announced by the Federal
Government and the Milk Mar
keting Board monthly.
Since 1988, the Milk Market
ing Board has mandated that a
premium be paid to Pennsylva
nia dairy farmers for their Class'
I milk that is produced, pro
cessed, and sold in Pennsylvania.
Through March 2000, the premi
um has generated an additional
$200,512,000 to Pennsylvania
dairy farmers.
py alternatives. “When we
switched to organic, we gave the
vet a copy of the standards so he
would have it as a reference,”
said Martin.
On the land. Martin can only
use natural substances, such as
dust and manure, to eliminate
pest problems and fertilize
crops. “I know some farmers
who use substances like sugar
and fishmeal to sweeten plants
and discourage bugs.”
Martin raises corn, alfalfa,
grass, soybeans, and a little bar
ley on his farm. He also has 35
acres of pastureland. The ani
mals do graze on pasture during
the summer, Jftit the cows get a
total mixed ration all year long.
When he first converted to or
ganic, Martin admits to seeing
some decreases in field crop
yields. But now the decreases in
yields are minimal.
“The first couple of years
were affected by the transition,”
said Martin. “But now my yields
are similar to other producers’.”
One thing that changed Mar
tin’s way of thinking was a study
from Rodale Institute that com
pared crops grown convention
ally and organically over a ten
year period. “The conventional
crops had the highest individual
annual yields, but the organic
land yielded the most over the
ten year period.”
Martin’s crops are rotated on
a six-year plan with three years
of alfalfa or pasture followed by
corn, then a double crop of
beans and barley, another year
of corn, and back to hay.
“My biggest problem when I
Abigail and Suzanna are responsible for feeding the
calves, which are fed organic milk and feeds to meet certi
fied organic requirements.
May Class I
Price Announced
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The Milk Marketing
Board (MMB) announced the
prices to be paid to Pennsylvania
dairy farmers for May Class I
milk as an average of $15.33 in
the western areas of the Com
monwealth, and an average of
$15.81 in the central and eastern
areas of the Commonwealth.
Class I milk is beverage type
milk.
These prices do include the
current over-order premium of
$1.20 per one hundred pounds of
milk, and the fuel adjustment
premium of $.25 per one hun-
switched to organic was Burr
Cucumber or wild pickle,” said
Martin. “I was able to reduce
that problem because of my
crop rotation.”
Martin's herd of mostly Hoi
steins, with a couple of Jerseys
and Dutch-Belted crosses, aver
ages 16,000 pounds of milk with
3.8 percent fat and 3.1 percent
protein. According to Martin,
production has a lot to do with
how you handle the cows.
“When we push our cows for
production, we can get more out
of an organic herd,” said Martin.
“But we don’t push our cows
hard. They last longer and have
fewer health problems.”
According to Martin, organic
farming does take a little more
labor than conventional farming
does. And solving problems on
the farm can be more difficult.
“Sometimes you can’t do any
thing to resolve a problem be
cause of the requirements,” said
Martin. “You need to be on top
of what’s happening so you can
prevent problems before they
happen.”
One of Martin’s biggest chal
lenges with organic farming is
keeping detailed records. “They
need to be sufficient enough for
the inspector to review,” said
Martin. “I like having good re
cords, but I don’t always have
the details the way they want
them.”
Now in his fifth year of organ
ic farming. Martin admits that
there’s a learning curve that
comes with making it work.
“You really have to believe m
it and let it get into your heart.”
dred pounds of milk.
Since 1988, the MMB has
mandated over-order premiums
on Class I milk due to adverse
conditions affecting the Pennsyl
vania dairy farmer. The current
premium of $1.20 was ordered to
offset losses due to drought con
ditions.
Chairwoman Beverly R.
Minor announced that since the
inception of the MMB’s over
order premium in 1988, Pennsyl
vania dairy farmers have re
ceived an additional
$200,512,000 in income.