Does Organic Valley Rely on Factory Farms?

"Over the past 20 years, Wisconsin-based Organic Valley has grown into the nation's largest organic cooperative, carving out a niche selling milk from small dairy farmers who treat their cows like members of the family.

So imagine the shock within the organic food world when an industry watchdog group recently discovered Organic Valley quietly has been getting some of its milk from a giant Texas dairying operation with more than 5,000 cows.

"Buying milk from this factory farm could potentially be catastrophic to our marketplace reputation," said Darlene Coehoorn, a longtime Organic Valley member from Rosendale, Wis., where she milks 50 cows with her husband, Dan.

Headquartered in La Farge, Organic Valley sells organic dairy and other food products in all 50 states under various labels. It now represents more than 1,200 organic farmers in 34 states, with sales rising to $432 million last year, a three-fold jump since 2003."

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