U.S. Organic Dairy Politics

Bruce A. Scholten is Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Geography, Durham University, UK. He writes on agricultural policy for a variety of international publications, and his research focuses on the political economy of family farming and cooperatives. He grew up on a dairy farm near Lynden, Washington, USA.

• Foreword by C.S. Sundarensan 1. Introduction: What is Organic Dairying? 2. Agricultural Revolutions: Winter Was Bleak Before Haymaking 3. USDA Organic Pasture War: Where Have All the Cow Herds Gone? 4. Animal Welfare: From Rudolf Steiner to the St. Paul Declaration 5. Stewardship in the Northwest: Dutch Stewards, Vets, and Researchers Discuss US, Canadian, and European Rules 6. Antibiotics And Health in the Northeast and Beyond: Experts on US, Canadian, and European Rules 7. Family Farms and Megadairies: Effects on Cows, Land, and Society 8. Conclusions and Outlook: Agribusiness, Coops, and Power to 2050

“Scholten’s book puts forward a new perspective on current trends in the American food system, and thus makes a significant contribution to geographies of food, political economy, and political ecology literatures. … the book is appropriate for graduate students, academics, and farmers alike who are interested in the political landscape of the organic dairy industry in the USA and agricultural politics more generally.” (Jennifer Mateer, Human Geography, Vol. 10 (1), 2017)“The book begins with an introduction to organic dairying, highlighting its inception following a trend that began in the last half of the 20th century of decreasing dairy farm numbers and farmers, increasing farm and dairy herd size, and the proliferation of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). … is informative for graduate students, academics, and farmers interested in the politics andplayers within the national organic dairy industry.” (Nicole E. Tautges, Agriculture and Human Values, Vol. 32 (3), September, 2015)