If you ask people about taste of organic milk a lot of them answer that taste must be “how it used to”.

If you are at least forty years old and you taste an organic milk you’ll come back in the past and remember a taste of real milk. Isn’t wanderfull feeling.

Comparing real organic milk with regular we can find a lot of advantages of first. According to research organic milk is higher in vitamin E – 50% more,  beta-carotene, which is a source of vitamin A – 75% more, antioxidants – three times more and higher in omega 3,which is vitally important fatty acid. Becides, milk  contain such  necessarycomponents as calcium, potassium, vitamin D. It’s very usefull to drink natural milk, also you can add some milk in coffee and you can prepare a cappuccinos for your kids. Organic milk is especially good for body development of our kids. Another studies have shown that daily norm of calcium is 800 mg for kids 4-8 years old and 1,300 mg for kids 9-18 years old, and according to this studies eight-ounce glass of organic milk you can give about 300 mg of calcium.

The organic production process is quite difficult, everything is controled to create safe and natural output product. This milk doesn’t have any pesticides, hormones and antibiotics.   Regular observation, exelant feeding techniques and mineral-based treatments help to maintain well health of cows.

Production process can include such operations as pasteurisation and homogenisation, what’s the difference between them?

First procces need to kill harmful bacterias in milk. This operation is the process when milk quickly heat after this cool it. The temperature of heating can be 72 degrees of Celsius and 62 degrees for heating time 15 seconds and 30 seconds accordingly. It’s considered that the flavour is better when heating temperature is 62 degrees.

Second procces need to surrounded fat molecules, which is rised to form a creamy layer, throughout the milk. It is a process when milk is passed through tiny holes and the fat granules acquire equal size.

In our days you can find all kind of dairy products at the supermarket but as for me there is no better than old natural milk.

Of cause real natural milk costs more money, but I think it’s fair price for exelant taste and perfect quality.

The main question: What are the reasons that push people to spend more money. May be it’s health or environmental benefits. But researches does not show significant advantages of organic milk.

Nevertheless demand for organic milk is bigger than supply and as a result gallon of organic milk costs approximately two times more than gallon of regular milk.

Current situation and future prospects assist dairy companies to look for loopholes in the rules to convert regular products into organic. Fortunately, watching groups of consumers don’t sleep and try to have an influence on dairy companies. One of these watching groups, the Cornucopia Institute sent a petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture with request to investigate the infringement of rules connecting with organic production in such dairy companies as Horizon and Aurora. The representatives of Cornucopia Institute demands to annul a certifications of Horizon and Aurora because of nomerous violations of standards.

Let’s try to ununderstand what exectly means term “organic milk”.

There are four requirements of the USDA that can identify milk as organic, but every requirement creates a lot of confusions.

The requirements are next:

Milk must be without  bovine growth hormone (BGH). Sometimes farmers add this hormone in feed to increase production of milk. Some people think that BGH assists cancer development, but in fact it’s just a protein hormone and in case penetration in our body it will be destroyed in digestive tract by enzymes and acid.

Second requirement is that farmers don’t use any antibiotics to treat cows, which  produce organic milk. In case if it is nessesary to use antibiotics, cow must be isolated from herd for a 12 months.

Next requirement is that cows must eat only organic feed without pesticides. It can be fresh grass or grain. Of cource organic feed may contain sustainable farming practices within the normal established range, that don’t affect the nutrition of organic milk.

Last requirement for organic milk is that organic farms must have adequate space for graze, called “access to pasture”.

The main subject of much controversy is a term “access to pasture”. It’s very unclear term that can give loophole to confine a time of pasture, so in that way cows eat not fresh grass but still produce so-called organic milk.

After all saying I think milk is an important product for us but there are other healthful foods we need pay attention, for example, fruits, vegetables and fish.

Hope this information will be usefull for you.

Horizon has own two farms and buys milk from more than 300 independent farmers. Market share of Horizon is 55%. The other one giant is Aurora Organic, which has two farms and has relationships with numerous stores through all country. Market share of Aurora Organic is 10%.

Now we can say with all confidence organic milk is one of more attractive product of dairy industry because of damand of this product much higher than supply, that’s why organic market with big steps and that’s why the largest food corporations are trying to squeeze in to this niche. In one side we have wide choice of organic goods but from an other side lure of high profit margins leads to lower quality so-called organic products.

It’s need to make a note that usual organic farm has between 50 and 100 cows, but, for example, the Horizon’s farm in Paul, Idaho has 4000 cows, besides they buys between 5 to 10% from Vander Eyk’s farm, which has 8000 cows. In 2001 the USDA accept the decision that cows must have an “access to pasture” and get part of nutrition from fresh green grass. That decition was realized in USDA’s standards.

But these standards just sow confusion, because it permit to confine cows in case illness, lactation, birth and slaughter. Well known fact is that in Horizon lactation lasted approximately half of cow’s life, in this period cow must be confine. But it’s interesting another fact that the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which is advisory body of the USDA have already known about this in 2001. This loophole can be succefully used by other big players of organic market.

Of couse Horizon and Aurora have farms with arid lands and extensive grazing can spoil land, but this is lame excuse. Another point of view is that these companies just save their money.

Since then organic dairies continued growth rapidly and in 2005 representatives of the Cornucopia Institute decided don’t wait any more, they gethered all nessesry information with photographs of employees and confined cows and make a request to the USDA to compel Horizon, Aurora and Vander Eyk meet one’s engagements that concerning pasture requirements.  4700 consumers signed a petition that was presented in February 2005 by OCA. This event engrossed attention of farmers from all parts of the country. After this NOSB offered some changes in rules that would have  made things concerning “access to pasture” clear.

But in August the USDA have refused the NOSB’s suggestions calling them equivocal and without plain regulatory intent.

Of couse  the USDA has own favourites. Jim Riddle, says “It’s business as usual. That’s the way USDA works at higher levels”.

That’s why we’ve applied for information to the Danish Institute of Agricultural Research. Resent researches have shown that organic milk is realy better for our bodies.

But let’s try to find the reasons why organic milk is so good for us:

The first reason is that organic milk contain less pestecide residues than regular milk. This fact can confirm the USDA Pesticide Data Program (PDP). This organization is testing various types of food for pesticide residues. Long time the researches showed that organic and regular milk have approximately equal level of pesticide residues.  But time is not stay in one point, and during last decade new testing equipment come in to the world. So in 2004 tests of PDP have shown that in 24% of conventional samples were synthetic pyrethroids, also in 8.8% was found insecticide carbofuran that result in breakdown, but oganic samples didn’t contain this pesticides.

The second reason is that organic milk is richer on vitamins. Organic milk contain 50% more vitamin E and 75% more of  beta carotene (source of vitamin A). It’s become possible because of organically-reared cows eat more fresh grass and have enough space for pasture.

The third reason is that organic milk contain two to three times more of the antioxidants than regular milk. Such antioxidants as zeaxanthine and lutein are very usefull for our eyes and prevent a lot of eye diseases.

The fourth reason is that organic milk contain more Omega-3s. It is an important fatty acid that need our body for healthy growth. This component is usefull for our brain and also helps to prevent heart disease, eczema, arthritis, cancer, etc.

The fifth reason is that organic milk contain six times more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which reduces cholesterol and  abdominal fat,  improve our immunity, metabolism, and helps to grow muscles. One more thing that need to mention is that our bodies can not create CLA, so we replenish our supplies

of this component through the dairy products.

The sixth reason is that organic milk increases on 50% level of rumenic acid in breast milk. It will be interesting to know for perents that rumenic acid (like Omega-3s) prevent arthritis, heart disease, asthma and cancer.

It’s important to note that organic milk has a lot of advantages and this advantages are possible due to special diet of the organically-reared cows. Organic milk contain more usefull vitamins and asids that are nessesary for development of our body and helps to prevent numerous diseases.

What does it mean “organic milk”? How to define it?

In 1933 have come into the world the book of Lord Northbourne “Look to the Land”. In this book author describe certain methods haw to produce organic food. He looked at organic farm as an organism that is self-contained and self-sustaining. Opposite to organic farming he considered unsustainable “chemical farming” which is based on fertilizers and chemical pesticides.

Green Revolution that happened in the middle of 20th century gave widespread chemical-farming methods that still have a place in our days.

So organic food are producing without genetically modified ingredients and inorganic farming techniques.

According to the FDA, food can be defined as organic if it contains 95% or more organic components.

USDA’s standards say us, we can get an organic milk if:

• the cows are fed by organic feed
• the farms have adequate space with green grass, fresh air and sunlights for grazing of cows
• the cows that gave us milk didn’t get any medications to prevent illness
• milk doesn’t contain synthetic hormones and  harmfull pesticides.

Other question that is warried costumers: Does nutritious of organic milk more than regular milk?

The answer is next: according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture the nutitious of organic and regular milk are same.

But there is an other point of view, according to to the Danish Institute of Agricultural Research organic milk contain  vitamin E,  beta carotene, conjugated linoleic acid, Omega-3s acid more than regular milk.  Any way you can check these facts if you compare carton or bottle of regular and organic milk. Also you’ll see that both types of milk contain such usefull components as calcium, potassium, vitamin D. That’s why milk plays an important part in healthy lifestyle.

And one more question about safety: What type of milk is safer?

All kind of food products pass strict testings according to government safety standards. Milk is not exclusion. It is checked for pesticide and antibiotic residues. That’s why both types of milk are safe, in other way you’ll not see that type of milk on counters of grocery store.

All people are different, they have different personal preferences in food, but in our days we have grocery stores with all kinds of products. So it easy for us to meet the dietary recommendations.