Dairy farmers fighting Big Agriculture over pasture issue

Organic dairy farmers recently gathered in Washington, D.C. for the semi-annual meeting of the USDA's National Organic Standards Board to press the department to enforce the requirement that organic dairy cows be pastured and receive most of their food through grazing. At issue is the practice by some factory farms of using confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) -- or penning of organic dairy cows -- in violation of the requirement. Some farmers at the meeting were angered at the USDA's National Organic Program Staff's refusal to adopt language drafted by the NOSB that would have curtailed the practice.

Read more about the proposed language at the Cornucopia Institute.