Applegate Farms is buying milk from Kalona Organics and paying farmers a premium for the milk, which is being used to make Non-GMO Project Verified cheese. The U.S. dairy market has been brutal for American dairy farmers with low milk prices and an oversupply of milk. Hundreds of dairy farms nationwide have closed. It has gotten so bad that, for the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is using a 1935 law to buy $50 million worth of milk surpluses to support dairy farmers. Fortunately, there is a ray of hope in a unique partnership to help small dairy farms. Applegate Farms, a manufacturer of natural and organic meat, is working with a network of Iowa dairy farmers to buy their milk at a premium price and process it into non-GMO verified cheese products. The partnership is helping to preserve Amish and Mennonite family dairy farms and support the community around them, while offering a model that could be replicated in other states. “Wanted to have a unique story for our cheese” Applegate Non-GMO Project cheese made from Kalona Organics milk The idea for the partnership arose in 2016 when Gina Asoudegan, Applegate’s vice president of mission […]
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