Dairy farmers reap the rewards of going organic
BAINBRIDGE – In 2006, after more than 30 years of traditional dairy farming, Barry and Nancy Rusweiler went organic.
Making the transition was all his son Adam’s doing, according to Rusweiler. “It was his idea to go organic,” he explained, but he, too, has embraced the organic philosophy.
“We believe, as far as the health of the children in this country, they all should be drinking organic (milk),” said Rusweiler.
The family had always valued quality and taken great pride in the milk they produced, he said, which made the transition of their Bainbridge farm a smooth one. Especially since they found a distributor who appreciates quality as much as they do and which, according to company literature, happens to be “the nation’s leading brand of certified organic milk” – Horizon Organic.
According to the Horizon Organic website, more than 80 percent of the milk they sell comes from family farms like that of the Rusweilers. More than 440 dairy producers across the country are “on the truck” with the company, a quarter of which are in the eastern portion of New York State.
That number includes six Chenango County farms, including the Rusweiler’s Bainbridge farm and the one operated by his son Adam in Sherburne, according to Peter Slaunwhite, a regional field representative for Horizon Organic.
According to Rusweiler, the relationship has been beneficial. One of the things that he said he appreciates the most about Horizon Organic is that they pay premiums for quality, which can add up to $3 or 4 more per hundredweight of milk.
“It doesn’t take much to capitalize on these things,” explained Rusweiler, saying he does it by keeping his operation clean.
It’s not just those premiums that are contributing to Rusweiler’s bottom line. He’s also saving money because Horizon pays for the transportation of the milk they buy from him. Most farmers have to absorb that cost, he explained.
Now, even though he is milking fewer cows (around 22, rather than the 135 animals he once had spread over two farms), he said is better off financially.
“I like Horizon,” he said. “They’re good people.”
It looks like the feeling is mutual.
Each year Horizon Organic recognizes the top 10 percent of producers in each state based on the quality of the milk they produce. On March 4, the Rusweilers traveled to Little Falls where both the Bainbridge and Sherburne farms received 2008 Quality Awards.
“They love organic and do an excellent job,” said Slaunwhite of both farm families.
According to the regional Horizon representative, there are opportunities for other local farms to “get on the truck” with the company. They are specifically looking for farms which are either certified organic or interested in transitioning and located in eastern Chenango County.
Contact Slaunwhite for more information at peter.slaunwhite@horizonorganic.com.
Making the transition was all his son Adam’s doing, according to Rusweiler. “It was his idea to go organic,” he explained, but he, too, has embraced the organic philosophy.
“We believe, as far as the health of the children in this country, they all should be drinking organic (milk),” said Rusweiler.
The family had always valued quality and taken great pride in the milk they produced, he said, which made the transition of their Bainbridge farm a smooth one. Especially since they found a distributor who appreciates quality as much as they do and which, according to company literature, happens to be “the nation’s leading brand of certified organic milk” – Horizon Organic.
According to the Horizon Organic website, more than 80 percent of the milk they sell comes from family farms like that of the Rusweilers. More than 440 dairy producers across the country are “on the truck” with the company, a quarter of which are in the eastern portion of New York State.
That number includes six Chenango County farms, including the Rusweiler’s Bainbridge farm and the one operated by his son Adam in Sherburne, according to Peter Slaunwhite, a regional field representative for Horizon Organic.
According to Rusweiler, the relationship has been beneficial. One of the things that he said he appreciates the most about Horizon Organic is that they pay premiums for quality, which can add up to $3 or 4 more per hundredweight of milk.
“It doesn’t take much to capitalize on these things,” explained Rusweiler, saying he does it by keeping his operation clean.
It’s not just those premiums that are contributing to Rusweiler’s bottom line. He’s also saving money because Horizon pays for the transportation of the milk they buy from him. Most farmers have to absorb that cost, he explained.
Now, even though he is milking fewer cows (around 22, rather than the 135 animals he once had spread over two farms), he said is better off financially.
“I like Horizon,” he said. “They’re good people.”
It looks like the feeling is mutual.
Each year Horizon Organic recognizes the top 10 percent of producers in each state based on the quality of the milk they produce. On March 4, the Rusweilers traveled to Little Falls where both the Bainbridge and Sherburne farms received 2008 Quality Awards.
“They love organic and do an excellent job,” said Slaunwhite of both farm families.
According to the regional Horizon representative, there are opportunities for other local farms to “get on the truck” with the company. They are specifically looking for farms which are either certified organic or interested in transitioning and located in eastern Chenango County.
Contact Slaunwhite for more information at peter.slaunwhite@horizonorganic.com.
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