Aurora Organic Dairy Donates $200,000 for Facility Construction

The nation's leading producer of private-label and store-brand organic milk and butter, AOD contributed a company gift matched with individual donations from Chief Executive Officer Marc Peperzak andPresident Mark Retzloff.

13/10/06 Aurora Organic Dairy (AOD), Boulder, Colo., continues to demonstrate its commitment to organic dairy education and livestock research by donating $200,000 to the Organic Dairy Research and Education Farm at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham. The nation's leading producer of private-label and store-brand organic milk and butter, AOD contributed a company gift matched with individual donations from Chief Executive Officer Marc Peperzak andPresident Mark Retzloff.

Bill Trumble, dean of the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, said that the AOD donation to the university's organic farm will help to build the infrastructure necessary to support ongoing organic dairy research projects. The AOD gift is one of the largest donations earmarked for the first-of-its-kind research farm, which carries an estimated $1.5 million price tag. The new research dairy farm, located on a 200-acre parcel of certified-organic land at the university's Burley-Demeritt Farm in Lee, N.H., commenced operations in December 2005.

The university is allocating a significant portion of AOD's gift for the construction of a maternity barn for the farm's organic cows and their newborn calves. "This generous donation from Aurora Organic Dairy allows us to continue construction of our research and education farm, which is vital for both organic farmers and students learning sustainable agriculture practices," Trumble noted. "And, the timing couldn't be better for UNH to lead the region in organic dairy education and research. There's a great need for science-based research in the organic industry," he added.

"Teaching sustainable agriculture methods to the next generation of farmers is critical work -- especially since our nation needs more organic farmers to continue the success of our industry, as well as to help preserve our natural resources and to protect our environment," Trumble said.

According to Dean Trumble, the Organic Dairy Research Farm is directed by a diverse and well-respected board of advisors, including dairy farmers, veterinarians, grazing consultants and an animal nutritionist. The farm will serve as an applied research facility for organic dairy production and management, as well as a regional organic-education headquarters to help support organic dairy farmers, farmers transitioning from conventional to organic production, and students of sustainable agriculture.

"The Organic Dairy Research Farm at the University of New Hampshire will spur important contributions to the organic industry," AOD's Retzloff said. "The program and facility will encourage growth and development among organic businesses and consumers in New England, as well as throughout the rest of the country, and even globally," he added.
  
Juan Velez, M.V., M.S. D.A.C.T, large-animal veterinarian and vice president of farm operations at AOD, emphasized that science-based research -- especially studies related to herd-health and animal-welfare research -- is needed to move the organic dairy industry forward. "Developing new, and updating and tightening existing dairy-related U.S. National Organic Standards based on scientific-research results will help assure consumers around the world that the term 'organic' is quantifiable, and not merely a simple, sentimental marketing concept," Dr. Velez said.

Gary Hirshberg, president and CEO of Stonyfield Farm and the lead donor on the UNH project, recognized the importance of organic-industry collaborations to support ongoing organic-dairy research. "I'm thrilled that Aurora Organic has joined us in providing significant financial support to the UNH Organic Dairy Research and Education Farm," stated the organic yogurt company co-founder. "Both Stonyfield Farm and Aurora Organic are committed to excellence in organic research. We encourage other organic-industry leaders to join us in supporting this inspiring new initiative."

The gift to UNH is part of AOD's ongoing company support of organic education and research. Previously this year, AOD granted $1,000 scholarships to all students enrolled in the inaugural organic agriculture program at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.

Additionally, Retzloff, an organic industry veteran and a former president of the Organic Trade Association, helped create the first endowed chair in organic agriculture in the United Kingdom, at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth. "Supporting academic institutions and their work in organic-agriculture training and research is a clear testament to Aurora Organic Dairy's commitment to leadership in dairy science, animal welfare, sustainability practices and the promotion of organic agriculture," Retzloff explained.