Certified organic in 1994, our farm in Paul, Idaho was the first large certified organic dairy in the country. The practices pioneered there proved the viability of organic dairying, and paved the way for hundreds of other dairies to convert to organic.
Since its opening, our Idaho dairy has helped prompt the conversion of nearly 30,000 acres of organic land in the state of Idaho.
More than 80 independent farms have converted to organic to supply our Idaho farm with organic hay and feed grain.
Because no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, like nitrates, are used on the ground, and no added growth hormones or antibiotics are given to the cows, the Idaho farm is dramatically more sustainable and earth-friendly than a conventional dairy farm of the same size. This is especially critical given the farm's location along the important Snake River aquifer.
When we started back in 1994, our Idaho farm was the first large certified organic dairy in the country. That's a huge achievement - and a huge responsibility. Today, we're investing more than $10 million to expand and improve our farm. We're adding almost 2,500 new acres of pasture, and building a new, state-of-the-art dairy
We've got about 4,500 milking cows in Idaho. When the new dairy is ready in 2007, we'll split the herd in half. One herd will be housed at the existing dairy, while the other will move to the new facility nearby. With the new pasture in place, we'll have 3,700 acres for grazing - so all the cows can get out there at the same time during good weather.
With help from our partners at Holistic Management International, we're growing more pasture grass in Idaho than ever before. We're also composting all of our dairy manure - and it's the only fertilizer we use on the farm. Just this fall, we started raising our own heifers on-site at the dairy, too.
All this change doesn't come easily. Our team works very hard to make the farm successful, because with organic there are no shortcuts. Doing things right takes time, patience, foresight and a lot of hard work. I'm proud to be with a company that doesn't walk away from that kind of challenge.
Thanks for getting to know us.
—Shawn Raff, General Manager
Holistic Land Management (HMI) is an industry leader in whole farm management and pasture planning for arid regions. Since 2005, Horizon Organic has worked closely with HMI to develop a holistic grazing and land management plan to optimize animal health and productivity at our Idaho farm.
Holistic Management is a planning and decision making framework that helps farmers and ranchers increase the natural productivity of their pastures, and their entire operations. Farms of all sizes have used Holistic Management to achieve improved land health, profit, and quality of life through environmentally, socially and financially sound decision making.
With support from HMI, Horizon Organic is working toward a gold standard in understanding and managing the relationship between animals, land and overall dairy health and productivity. At Horizon Organic's Idaho farm that means improving grazing practices and reducing livestock stress at every opportunity. Achieving sustainable harmony between animals' nutritional and behavioral needs and optimum pasture plant health is a balancing act that Holistic Management International's planning tools have proven to address. We're also making critical contributions in staff training, making sure that every team member involved in the Idaho dairy understands and uses Holistic Management tools and practices.
By working with Holistic Management practices s over the long term, Horizon Organic will improve biodiversity on the irrigated pastures and the non-irrigated Idaho rangeland and increase the permeability and water retention capability of the soil. Ultimately, this benefits the land, the animals and the long-term productivity and prosperity of the dairy overall.
—Shannon Horst, Executive Director, HMI
To learn more about Holistic Management International, please visti their website at www.holisticmanagement.org.
Holistic Land Management (HMI) is an industry leader in whole farm management and pasture planning for arid regions. Since 2005, Horizon Organic has worked closely with HMI to develop a holistic grazing and land management plan to optimize animal health and productivity at our Idaho farm.
