We understand that the apparent benefits of certified organic dairy appeal to many people. Early on, our co-op declined to pursue organic certification for two main reasons.  First, organic certification is a prohibitively expensive process for independent farmers, meaning that we’d have to pass on those costs to consumers. We strive to provide the highest quality and nourishing dairy products at a price that everyone can afford.  Second, we don’t agree with some of the practices on organic farms, such as the use of antibiotics for a sick cow. In a certified organic dairy, farmers are not allowed to use antibiotics, meaning that any sick cows receiving antibiotic treatment will be permanently removed from the milking herd.  By contrast, if one of our cows has pneumonia or another severe infection (which is very rare!), we will absolutely give her penicillin to make sure she will not suffer, recover swiftly, and rejoin our milking herd when she is completely healthy again. While the cow is being treated her milk is disposed of, and we test her milk to ensure it is free of any antibiotic residue.  We can assure you that our cows are just as cared for and as healthy as those on organic dairy farms.