USDA unveils upgraded organic livestock standards

Oct 31, 2023

In a significant move, the USDA has rolled out its Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards (OLPS) final rule, ensuring an enhanced welfare standard for organic animals.

Tom Vilsack stated this rule would create a more transparent and competitive organic livestock market. It is a response to overwhelming feedback, with the USDA having received 40,000+ comments from the public.

Here's what the OLPS covers:

Outdoor Requirements: Organic poultry must have specific outdoor space, primarily comprising 75% soil.
Animal Comfort: Livestock shelters are designed to promote natural behaviors and ensure comfort.
Stocking Rules: Defined guidelines for poultry stocking both indoors and outdoors.
Health Measures: Emphasis on prevention. All necessary health interventions must be undertaken, even if it affects the organic tag.
Alterations & Euthanasia: Strict rules on physical changes to animals, with the focus on reducing pain. Euthanasia remains a final measure.
Transit and Slaughter: Regulations set for long-duration transport, emphasizing seasonal appropriateness.

The introduction of OLPS is a game-changer. It not only ensures fairness in the organic market but also builds upon consumer trust in the USDA organic seal.

Recognizing the willingness of consumers to pay a premium for organic products, this initiative assures them their values align with organic practices. This initiative reinforces the stature of USDA-certified organic products in both the domestic and international markets.

Source : wisconsinagconnection

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

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