Horizon announced it now works with nearly 600 certified organic family farmers nationwide to supply organic milk to consumers. In addition to the 531 certified organic family farmers currently providing organic milk to Horizon, there are 61 additional farms under contract with the company that will begin supplying milk during the next several months after all transition steps have been met.

“The fact that we added 100 family farmers to our network in 2010 reflects the consumer demand for organic milk, which has been steadily climbing,” said Mike Ferry, Horizon president. “Our family farmers are the heart of our business, allowing us to provide the highest quality organic milk to our customers.”

Family farmers supply about 93 percent of Horizon’s organic milk. The remainder comes from two company-owned farms in Idaho and Maryland, which were certified organic in 1994 and 1998. The average size of Horizon’s family farm partner is 91 milking cows, and 95 percent of the farms have fewer than 100 milking cows.

In 2010, Horizon also continued its Horizon Organic Producer Education (HOPE) program, which supports and ensures its family farmer partners remain at the forefront of developments in the industry. The HOPE program includes college scholarships that encourage children of its family farmers to enter the field of organic agriculture, as well as an annual award to recognize its farmers for creating positive change for their communities by practicing and serving as a model for organic agriculture. PD

—From Horizon news release