Access to pasture has been a controversial issue in the organic dairy industry in the US, and consumers and farmers have been encouraging the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to revise and clarify their pasture requirements for several years. NOP recently came out with their proposed revised rules.
The National Organic Program will hold a rare listening session to get farmer input on the proposed organic pasture rule. The session will be at 1:30 to 4:30 pm on December 2 at Organic Valley in LaFarge. Farmers are encouraged to attend.
The rules have the potential to have a significant impact on organic dairy and livestock farmers in Wisconsin. In addition to specifying the length of the growing season during which animals will need to be on pasture, there are other requirements. For example, the rule will require organic dairy and livestock farmers to provide access to pasture 365 days per year and to maintain a ’sacrificial paddock’ for periods when animals may damage pasture sod. It also appears to ban the use of feedlots for finishing beef cattle. These are some of the changes that Wisconsin farmers may want to comment on. A comparison between existing and proposed requirements is available here: Pasture Rule Comparison
Farmers and other interested parties are also encouraged to submit written comments at the following website before December 23rd: www.regulations.gov
Visit the National Organic Program website for more information: www.ams.usda.gov/