Keeping organic dairy traditions alive

Next time you feel as though you’re tied to your current job and in need of a break, spare a thought for your local organic dairy farmer. Organic dairy farming is a year-round undertaking that requires real dedication. While many of us are aware of the benefits of consuming organic dairy products and even the research confirming these benefits, unless you hail from a dairy farm, you may not appreciate the extent of the commitment required to deliver high quality organic dairy products.

In a wonderful two-part short film entitled Organic Dairyman: A Family Tradition, Cooking Up a Story – a site dedicated to breathing life into authentic stories about food – provides us with an insight into the life of Jon Bansen, an organic dairy farmer.

Interestingly, it all starts with the happiness of the cows. By ensuring their needs are met, the cows are capable of producing high quality milk. It’s simple and it makes a lot of sense. And as Jon points out in the film, his grandfather was - albeit unknowingly - an organic farmer too. It’s only in recent times that we’ve grown accustomed to the idea that our farms require chemical inputs to drive efficiency gains.

It makes me happy to know that there are people like Jon Bansen involved in farming today. Organic dairy farmers like Jon are responsible for keeping alive the traditions of previous generations and delivering us with food the way it should be produced.

If you enjoyed this short film as much as I did, I strongly encourage you to visit Cooking Up a Story, where you’ll find more high quality short films looking at food - its origins and the people who bring it to us.