GOODING, Idaho β Dairy is a major part of Idaho's agricultural industry, accounting for a third of all agricultural revenues in the state. At Turner Dairy in Gooding, a fourth-generation farming family made the switch to organic operations to survive economic challenges and discovered unexpected benefits along the way.
"So far, I guess that would be the fourth generation on this piece of property here. And my kids be the fifth," said Cody Turner, who operates the dairy from the same home his grandparents once lived in.
Turner's dairy cows spend their days grazing in large green fields, a sight that might surprise visitors familiar with conventional dairy operations. This pastoral scene reflects one of the most fundamental requirements for organic dairy farming: cows must spend a minimum of 120 days per year on green pastures, with at least 30% of their feed coming from organic grass.
"So on our organic dairy, you'll see the cows on grass every day throughout the summer," Turner said.
The three generations before Turner had been conventional dairy farmers. After the 2009 economic downturn, Turner began exploring organic farming as a way to keep the family operation viable. He started conversations with Horizon Organic, seeking more stable pricing for his milk.
"The price was a lot more stable than what I was used to, and so I thought - well, I don't know anything about organic farming, but I'm going to figure it out, otherwise as a young farmer I don't know if I'll survive another downturn like that," Turner said.
The first step involved learning the complex rules of organic farming, which Turner describes as an ongoing process.
"That's been an ongoing process learning how to go back to our roots of farming before we had all the tools that we now have as far as conventional fertilizers and synthetic herbicide and pesticides, we have to be able to live without all of that stuff and be successful without it," Turner said.
The transition wasn't immediate or easy. Turner admits the first year was a disaster, but now, 10 years into organic operations, the effort is paying dividends beyond just stable pricing.
"The health of our cows and our crops are pretty noticeable compared to what we had dealt with in the past, and I would have to tell that that all starts from the soil," Turner said.
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