They had three questions: Was there a real demand, or just the wishful thinking of a few? Were there herds among Alberta’s 600-plus dairy producers and their 78,000 dairy cattle that could be certified organic? Finally (and most important), even if enough milk could be found, who would step up to do the processing and distribution?

The last question was the trickiest. Most organic dairy products were being imported from B.C., with smaller amounts coming from Ontario and Quebec. Alberta’s only organic dairy with product in the marketplace was Vital Green Farms at Picture Butte, with a small 50-cow herd.

According to Denise Brattinga of Alberta Milk, a series of meetings around the province in early 2007 got things rolling. But going organic is an arduous process involving at least three years of sweat equity and red tape to certify the farm (pastures, hay, feed crops), so it wasn’t exactly a quick fix.

Nine farms (out of 600) began the transition process to organic, says Brattinga, and the last of them was certified just a few months ago.

A major boost for this tiny, struggling sector of the dairy industry came in October 2010, when Jonathan Avis, president of Edmonton’s Saxby Foods, well-known for dairy-based desserts, stepped into the picture. Saxby Creamery began processing organic milk: skim, one per cent, two per cent and whole milk, now available in Safeway under the O Organics label (the Saxby Creamery label is used for independent retailers). Chocolate milk, sour cream, cream cheese and yogurt are soon to be added to Saxby’s product list.

Avis has his own reasons for taking what many considered to be a huge gamble. “I firmly believe that producing and processing regional food to regional consumers will be the way of the future, for both economic and nutritional reasons,” says Avis.

“This economy is putting great financial pressure on regional Canadian food processing companies from cheaper U.S. imports. For long-term survival, we need to focus on niche, value-added products that are in demand regionally. Dairy fits our core strengths, and organic fluid milk adds value to our dessert manufacturing.”

The relatively small (but growing) number of consumers who demand organic dairy products is looking for an alternative to what they see, rightly or wrongly, as a compromised food system. With a perceived increase in food sensitivities and allergies among North Americans, they turn to organics for themselves and their children.

According to Rob Avis, Jonathan’s son and president of Verge Permaculture Inc., an organic consulting business in Calgary, “it’s probably true that the nutritional values, protein, calories etc., are substantially the same in organic and conventional milk, but that’s not the whole story. Organic milk is more about what isn’t there than what is.”

So what isn’t there?

“GMO (genetically modified) feeds, pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers,” he says.

Adds Jonathan Avis: “Organic is primarily a commitment to the sustainable production of wholesome food, with minimal impact on the soil and groundwater systems.” He worries that in the effort to produce cheap food, we’ve spent decades poisoning our land and our water.

“Now we’re trying to reduce our carbon footprint,” he says, referring to his own processing plant. “We must change our thinking, for the general good of humanity and the preservation of the food supply system.”

Still, price is a factor. Retailers are well aware of consumers who talk organic but buy conventional because they balk at the premium organic price. However, Saxby Creamery plans to narrow the gap between organic and conventional products, at least at wholesale levels. (Retail prices are set by the retailers themselves, based on negotiated wholesale price plus their own profit margin.)

“We want to help make the transition from conventional to organic products more affordable for consumers,” says Avis.

Organic dairy products are currently being shipped thousands of miles to market, with huge transportation costs that can only increase. Local production will take advantage of that, “because the organic premium is less than their transport cost to market,” says Avis, ever the optimist.

“As costs and selling prices continue to come down, and the public continues to be educated on the merits of organics, a bigger market will evolve.”

Judy Schultz is a freelance writer and author who divides her time between Alberta and New Zealand. You can reach her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

By Judy Schultz. Article from Edmonton Journal & Calgary Herald