USDA surveyed U.S. organic dairy farmers in 2005, prior to implementation of these requirements, and found that pasture - based feeding was more common on smaller dairy farms and that 4 % of
organic dairy farms never used pasture (McBride and Greene, 2007).
All of the
dairy cows from the nine family
farms are treated according to USDA
organics standards, which guarantee they are raised certified
organic, have access to pasture and the outdoors (weather permitting), are
never treated with antibiotics or hormones, and may not be fed with Genetically Modified (GE) feeds.