Meadowsweet Farm

Rating
Products	Fluid Milk
Website	http://meadowsweetfarm.com/
Market Area	Northeast
Total Score	1115

Meadowsweet Farm in Hawley, Massachusetts is a diversified grass-fed, organic farm. They offer 100% grassfed, organic, raw milk, beef, and lamb. They also have soy free eggs, soy and corn free pork, pasture raised organic broiler chicken.  Meadowsweet Farm products can be purchased at their farm store.

Rubric	Points	Comments and Notes
TOTAL (possible score is 1100 (plus extra credit))	1115	5-Cow Rating | Top-Rated
Transparency and Disclosure	100	Full and open disclosure with a history of reliability
Brands that rate highest have a close relationship to their milk suppliers. Those that buy milk from industrial or unknown organic suppliers rate lowest. Milk Supply and Ownership Structure	100	Supplies own milk and sells raw milk in farm store and wholesale to yogurt company
Brands that only produce organic products make the biggest investments — in time and money — in the organic systems that benefit us all. Commitment to Organic Label	100	Committed to organic with brand initiatives and Real Organic Project certification (see website)
Pasture management refers to how outdoor areas are managed, with top-rated brands utilizing multiple strategies to maintain high quality pasture, providing environmental and animal welfare benefits. Pasture Management	100	Superb pasture management, exceeding minimum organic requirements
The grass-fed percentage category reflects diet, with top-rated brands far exceeding the minimum requirements laid out in the organic pasture rule. Grass Fed Percentage	100	NOFA Certified Grassfed and meets a high % DMI (100% grassfed during grazing season)
This category focuses on the sourcing of feed, supplements, and any added ingredients in the diet. The category also accounts for brands that source organic dairy from other operations. Top-rated brands produce all feed on farm or buy inputs locally. Supplemental Feed and Ingredients	100	High quality ingredients sourced locally
Industry standard is to immediately remove calves from their mothers and individually house them. High scores in this area show that brand suppliers use group housing or otherwise promote calf socialization. Calves	100	Raised with mothers for_24/7 for first month and then the next_5 months they go out at night period of time
High scoring brands milk only once or twice per day, allowing maximum time for cows to be outside exhibiting natural behaviors. Times Milked Per Day	100	2x a day
Lower cull and death rates receive more points (with some exceptions), as it is one indicator of high animal welfare. Deaths & Culls	100	Low deaths and culls; do cull herd to produce beed
Brands that closely monitor environmental factors, including soil and water quality, native species, and wildlife, receive the most points. Brands with specific policies and programs to boost environmental sustainability also receive high points. Environmental Impacts and Stewardship	100	Makes signifigant efforts to boost sustainablity, including soil testing, native species, support wildlife, etc.
Brands with specific policies and practices to support animal welfare score best. Brands may lose points in this category if they have a history of animal welfare concerns. Animal Welfare	90	Superb baseline for animal welfare with no history of animal neglect found
This category is non-scoring and provided for information. Organic Certifier (Informational)		Unknown
Third-party labels carried by individual brands or product lines are listed here for more information. These are not scored, but some third-party labels may receive extra credit. Add On Labels (Informational)		Real Organic Project and NOFA Certified Grassfed
Herd size refers to the number of adult cows in the milking herd. The general denotation for herd size (large, medium, and small) is based on the legal definition of “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation”. Herd Size(s) (Informational)		Small
Brands may receive extra credit for practices and polices not reflected in the scorecard (see notes for details). Extra Credit	25	Real Organic Project certification offers extra credit
The adjustment section is where any notes and adjustments to the score are indicated, such as penalties for non-compliances. Adjustments & Notes		None