Berle Farm
| Rating |  |
| Farm/Brand Headquarters | Hoosick, NY |
| Products | Cheese, yogurt |
| Website | www.berlefarm.com |
| Market Area | MA, NY, VT |
| Total Score | 1650 |
Berle Farm has a twenty year history of diversified farming. The farm has evolved to a low outside input style with a beautiful little dairy herd of 10 cows. Our organic cattle graze 400 hundred acres of pasture. We grow open pollinated, saved seed corn, oats, rye and hay, as well as, vegetables and fruit.
| Criteria | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL (possible score is 1600) | 1650 | 5-Cow Rating | Top-Rated—Beyond Organic |
 Farmstead dairies who live on-site (or work their own dairy daily) receive top points for this category. No transparency and/or no answer receive no points. Ownership structure | 100 | Farmstead dairy |
| Farmstead dairies and well-managed cooperatives with only their own patrons get top points in this category. Fewer points go to brands that have less control over their milk supply. Milk Supply | 100 | Single farm |
| Brands that do not also market any conventional products receive top points in this category. Brands that are less dedicated to organics receive fewer points. Organic Production | 100 | Brand only markets organic |
| The best transparency toward Cornucopia investigators is rewarded by full points. Disclosure of Information for Verification | 100 | Full disclosure |
| If a top-rated organic certifier certifies this brand they receive full points. Certifiers with questionable practices receive fewer points. Organic Certification | 100 | Stellar Certification Services |
| If this brand has other third-party labels, particularly animal-welfare labels, that will provide them extra points in this category depending on the particular label and its standards. Other Labels/Standards | 100 | Biodynamic Certified |
| 100% Grass-fed with independent verification or independent standards to ensure compliance will receive full points in this category. Other points are attributed to how much forage composes the dairy cows’ diets. Grass-fed | 90 | Excellent grazing; markets "grass fed" |
| No point value – this information is offered for buyers interested in milk from cows without soy in their diets. Soy Free Ration? | Yes | |
| Rating based on (a) policies of brand, (b) enforcement/oversight (c) acreage available per cow, (d) average days on pasture (e) investigative actions. Pasture | 100 | Over 2 acres per cow, which is a superb ratio. |
| Where cows are milked one to two times per day they receive top points. It's standard organic protocol to milk two times a day. Dairies that milk three-to-four times a day is one indicator of factory-organics. Times Milked | 90 | Two times a day (standard protocol on legitimate organic dairies) |
| A cull and/or death rate under 10% annually receives full points. Cull/death Rate | 100 | Very low cull rate |
| Closed herd (meaning the brand raises all their replacement cattle) receives full points. If conventional animals are purchased, the brand receives fewer points. Replacements | 100 | Closed herd |
| If this brand has a unique way of managing calves they receive more points. If they remove the calf shortly after birth (the standard practice) they receive 70 points. Calves | 70 | Removed shortly after birth (standard practice) |
| When the brand prohibits all antibiotic use they receive full points. No answer receives no points. Antibiotic Use | 100 | No antibiotic use |
| When no hormones are used on farm(s) this brand receives full points. When the brand uses hormones therapeutically post-birth the brand receives 50 points. Hormone Usage | 100 | No hormones used |
| Farmstead dairies (lives on site) get full points and cooperative/corporations that set standards and have staff that visit the supplying dairies also receive top points. No direct supervision and/or personal relationship with farm(s) gets low or no points. Farm Support | 100 | Live on premises |
| Full control of any added ingredients (100% come from within organization) receives top points. Dairy ingredients purchased from a number of different vendors (with less direct control) receives fewer points in this category. Procurement of Ingredients | 100 | No outside ingredients used |
| Several questions were asked in addition to the original survey questions that would ultimately give producers “extra credit” points. Look for details in individual brand explanations. Extra Credit | 100 | This dairy produces 100% of their feed on-farm and does not purchase any non-domestic grain. |