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organic milk: letter to Nytimes editor



November 10, 1996

To the Editor of the New York Times

Our family dairy, a relatively-small farm near San Francisco, completed
the four-year 
transition to certified organic in 1994.   Although excellent, "Developing
A Taste for 
Organic Milk" (Oct 30, 1996) largely overlooks an a major underlying
issue:  the interplay 
of family farming, food production and the organic movement.

Organic farming is a reaction by small farmers to the demands of an
urbanized population 
which is increasingly disconnected with the source of their food.  The
fabled "small family 
farm" is dying, being replaced by large-scale and often chemical-intensive
agriculture.  
Fewer than 1.5% of the American population is involved in agricultural
production, down 
>from  around 50% just sixty years ago.  Prime agricultural lands become
suburbs; water 
tables are contaminated - and tremendous demands are placed on a
diminishing 
agricultural-base.  

Organic farming is one alternative for small farmers who are struggling to
compete against 
cheap international imports, while maintaining environmentally-sensitive
land practices.  
These farmers are risking everything on the hope that people will
understand and support 
the connection between the land, food quality, and the tangible
environmental benefits of 
sustainable agricultural practices.


Sincerely,

Michael Straus
Straus Family Creamery
P.O. Box 768
Marshall, CA 94940
Tel:  415/663-5464
Fx:   415/663-5465
Email:  StrausMilk@aol.com