Lester Long wrote:
[...]
> Is the price much different?
According to the New York Times, it is indeed expensive.
This article is from nearly a year ago, but offers some applicable
info:
An Organic Cash Cow
By Kim Severson
<snip> a carton of organic milk does not come without complications. It
is expensive. Some brands are processed so that an unopened carton can
last for months. And an organic seal does not necessarily mean the cows
are grazing on pasture or that the milk is local.
[...]
Milk is considered a gateway to organic food. Along with produce it is
one of the first organic products a consumer will buy, according to the
Hartman Group, a research firm in Bellevue, Wash.
The ethos of organic milk - one that its cartons reinforce - conjures
lush pastures dotted with grazing animals, their milk production driven
by nothing more than nature's hand and a helpful family farmer.
But choosing organic milk doesn't guarantee much beyond this: It comes
from a cow whose milk production was not prompted by an artificial
growth hormone, whose feed was not grown with pesticides and which had
"access to pasture," a term so vague it could mean that a cow might
spend most of its milk-producing life confined to a feed lot eating
grain and not grass.
Exactly how much time cows should spend grazing before their milk can
carry the government's organic label is under scrutiny. Several hundred
farmers and organic advocates want organic dairy rules tightened so
that cows have more than what they call token access to pasture.
[...]
Milk from the Ronnybrook Farm Dairy in the Hudson Valley, which is sold
in bottles at Manhattan's Greenmarkets, is not certified organic. The
dairy uses no artificial growth hormones, but it treats sick animals
with antibiotics. In the summer the animals eat mostly pasture; in the
winter they eat hay with grain mixed in.
[...]
"We believe in the benefits of grass," Mr. Siemon of Organic Valley
said, not that all of the 534 farmers who sell the cooperative milk can
meet its pasture standards. Weather and other factors can mean cows'
diets must be supplemented with grain.
[...]
Ultrapasteurized milk can taste creamier than traditionally pasteurized
milk, but it can also take on a cooked or burnt flavor. Research is
still being done on how much the process compromises the milk's
nutritional profile. Because the nature of the milk protein is changed
at such high temperatures, ultrapasteurized cream can take longer to
whip and never quite achieves the same light, fluffy texture. With
either method, an opened carton will stay fresh for only about a week.
For the nation's top organic milk producers, ultrapasteurizing has been
a godsend. "The availability of ultrapasteurization has allowed organic
milk to enter markets it might not otherwise," Ms. McLaughlin of
Horizon said.
At Organic Valley, where almost two-thirds of the milk is
ultrapasteurized, its panels of tasters prefer it, Mr. Siemon said.
But for purists, unpasteurized, or raw milk, is the only way to go. It
can be delicious and more nutritious, but finding raw milk takes a lot
of work. In most states it can be sold legally only on the farm or
through clubs in which people buy shares of a cow and divide the milk.
And raw milk can pose a health hazard, especially for people with
weakened immune systems.
[...]
At Pathmark, a half-gallon of regular milk was $1.70. The same size of
Horizon Organic milk was $4.29. Organic milk is so expensive that most
state governments consider it a luxury item and will not pay for it
under low-income food programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants and Children.
Ann Lickteig, a mother of four in Burlington, Vt., stopped buying
organic milk when it reached nearly $5 a gallon. Now she goes to a
local store on Mondays, when milk from a local dairy is on sale for
$2.99 a gallon.
"I buy the milk that says no growth hormones, but I don't know that
that's the only thing to worry about," she said. "I don't want my kids
exposed to potentially harmful chemicals, but I haven't done the
research myself."
For some parents, cost does not matter. Nor do the intricacies of the
organic pasture rules. They search for the organic label and buy it, no
matter what.
"I look at what I pay for everything else, but I don't for the milk,"
said Ms. Gersten, the Long Island dentist. "Buying any other milk for
him is just not an option."
The entire article @:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/09/di...rssnyt&emc=rss
aka
http://tinyurl.com/dnh8c
--
Curt
Organic milk vs regular 
Part of the reason I did reasonably well as a
)
Linear Mode
