Organic Report Fall 2021 - Flipbook - Page 29
T H E O RGA NIC CE NTE R
Adding up the benefits of organic dairy
C
hoosing organic at the grocery
store helps prevent the use of
pesticides, synthetic fertilizer,
and animal drug treatments, but it’s
easy to feel like each gallon of organic
milk or cup of organic yogurt is only a
drop in the bucket when it comes to
making a stand against dangerous
chemical use. However, when you take
each of those organic choices and add
them up, the impact is huge!
Every time consumers choose
organic, they are reducing the number
of synthetic chemicals that get used.
Because synthetic fertilizers, pesticides,
and drugs can’t be used in organic food,
choosing organic helps keep those
chemicals out of our farms, waterways,
and air — and out of our food!
This is especially true for dairy,
because dairy production doesn’t just
have impacts from the cows that make
the milk. It also includes the food those
cows eat, and how that food was grown. In organic systems, cows
are required to graze on pasture at least 120 days per calendar
year. The pasture they graze on can’t be sprayed with toxic
synthetic pesticides or synthetic fertilizer. When the cows do get
feed, that food also needs to be 100% organic, meaning any grain
they eat can’t contain growth hormones, antibiotics, genetically
modified feeds or ingredients, or slaughter by-products from
mammals or birds.
Choosing organic milk eliminates nearly
165.M pounds of fertilizers
and almost 3M pounds of pesticides
each year in the U.S.
WHAT’S IN ORGANIC DAIRY?
The good news: Choosing organic dairy is an easy way to avoid
pesticide, antibiotic, and synthetic growth hormone residues.
A study from Emory University conducted in collaboration
with The Organic Center tested conventional and organic milk
from store shelves across nine regions of the U.S. and found that
a majority of conventional milk samples tested positive for
residues of antibiotics and controversial pesticides. Two of the
detected antibiotics have been entirely banned from U.S. dairy
CALCULATING THE BENEFITS
The Organic Center has developed a calculator to look at the production, while one sample contained levels of amoxicillin
magnitude of organic dairy purchasing across the country to that exceeded the Food and Drug Administration’s allowable
show how individual choices for purchasing organic add up to limits. Pesticide residues of pesticides chlorpyrifos, atrazine,
permethrin and more were found in 26 to 60 percent of
big impacts. For example, current annual U.S. organic milk
production avoids 164.5 million pounds of fertilizers and 2.8 conventional samples but none of the organic samples. Finally,
residues of growth hormones in conventional milk were 20
million pounds of pesticides. That would be equivalent to
around 30 Olympic swimming pools full of fertilizer and over times higher than in organic. The results of this study indicate
organic milk is a clean and safe choice for those interested in
ten thousand bathtubs full of pesticide. The organic milk
produced each year in the U.S. also avoids the use of multiple avoiding synthetic chemicals in dairy products.
The calculator not only figures out the current impacts of
drugs, including 204 thousand ounces of antibiotics and 3.7
organic
milk production, but estimates how many chemicals we
million drug treatments. In addition, the calculator estimates
could
avoid
if more dairy were organic. It includes models
the amount of land in organic production, now over 874
looking
at
if
all U.S. milk, yogurt, and cheese were organic, and
thousand acres for organic milk production.
if all milk pints served in school lunch programs were organic.
The numbers really drive home the importance of each
individual’s choice to choose organic for their family!
*
Check out the calculator at
Organic-Center.org
Organic Report • Fall 2021
Dr. Jessica Shade is
Director of Science Programs at the Organic Center.
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