Oasis at Bird in Hand

Rating
Farm/Brand Headquarters	Ronks, PA
Products	Cheese, fluid milk, yogurt, grassfed
Website	www.oasiscreamery.godaddysites.com/
Market Area	PA
Total Score	1360

Products can be found at their retail store (60 North Ronks Road, Bird in Hand, PA); Millers Natural Foods, Community Natural Food Store in New Holland, PA; Lemon Street Market in Lancaster, PA; Lancaster Central Market in Lancaster, PA; Woodland Natural Food Store in Strasburg, PA; and five “Yes Organics” stores in Washington, DC.

Criteria	Points	Comments
TOTAL (possible score is 1600 plus extra credit)	1360	4-Cow Rating | Excellent
Farmstead dairies earn the most points. Corporations that have a history of skirting the organic rules receive the fewest. Ownership structure	80	Cooperative corporation with excellent track record and very close ties with farmers
Farms that produce 100% of their milk receive the most points. Milk from "open market" or known confinement dairies receive the fewest. Milk Supply	90	100% souced from small independent family farms with a close relationship
100% organic farms receive the most points. Split operations with conventional dairy on the same property receive the fewest. Organic Production	100	100% organic, with some excess organic milk being used to make non-certified cheese (due to processing at a non-certified facility)
Farms that completed the survey in detail received the most points. Disclosure of Information for Verification	100	Full disclosure
Points determined by integrity of the brand’s organic certifier. Organic Certification	85	Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO)
Animal Welfare Approved and Biodynamic certifications receive the most bonus points. Producers are not penalized for not having additional certifications beyond organic. Other Labels/Standards	0	None. Individual farmers may have other certifications.
100% grass-fed with independent verification of standards Grass-fed	90	Advertises as 100% grass-fed, without third party standards
No points are given for this but the information may be useful to certain consumers looking to avoid soy. Soy Free Ration?		Yes (but does not advertise as soy-free)
Sliding scale based on policies, enforcement, acreage/cow, days/year on pasture, and permissible exemption. Pasture	80	Excellent pasture compliance
One time/day receives the most points. Two times per day is standard. Times Milked	90	Two times a day (standard protocol on legitimate organic dairies)
Lower cull rate scores better, with under 10% receiving the most points. Cull/death Rate	90	Low cull/death rate
Farms with closed herds receive the most points. Farms that sell organic calves and buy conventional replacements receive the fewest. Replacements	100	Supplier farms all have closed herds
Standard practice is removing calves shortly after birth, with extra points given for unique ways of managing calves Calves	75	Removed shortly after birth (standard practice)
Farms that prohibit antibiotics receive the most points. Farms that allow young stock to receive antibiotics (under one year), receive the fewest. Antibiotic Use	100	No antibiotics used
No hormones is the standard, however some farms do use oxytocin for therapeutic purposes. Hormone Usage	100	No hormones used
Farmstead dairies (owner lives on-site) receive the most points. Fewer points are given as oversight declines. Farm Support	90	Brand representatives visit farms several times a year
All ingredients sourced from inside the organization or on the farm receives the highest points. Ingredients from confinement factory farms and/or imported ingredients receive the fewest. Procurement of Ingredients	90	Milk powder purchased from trusted sources
Various levels of extra credit given for 1) providing full organic systems plan, 2) providing details on all farms (multi-farm brands, details on largest five required), and 3) sourcing feed on-farm or domestically. Extra Credit	0	Pending