Seven Stars Farm

Rating
Farm/Brand Headquarters	Phoenixville, PA
Products	Fluid milk, biodynamic
Website	www.sevenstarsfarm.com/index.html
Market Area	East, Southeast, Midwest
Total Score	1571

Read Cornucopia’s Seven Stars Farm profile in our “Organic Innovators: Top-Rated Farmers You Can Trust” Dairy Campaign.

Note that the Seven Stars home farm is certified Biodynamic, but their yogurt is made with help of certified organic milk from their organic partner farms. This makes the final product certified organic, but not certified Biodynamic.

Criteria	Points	Comments
TOTAL (possible score is 1600 plus extra credit)	1571	5-Cow Rating | Top-Rated
Farmstead dairies earn the most points. Corporations that have a history of skirting the organic rules receive the fewest. Ownership structure	100	Farmstead dairy
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	Multiple farms around one main farmstead, closely knit
100% organic farms receive the most points. Split operations with conventional dairy on the same property receive the fewest. Organic Production	100	Brand only markets organic
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	91	Stellar Certification Services for two farms (and organic yogurts); Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) for three farms
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	100	Home farm is certified biodynamic and ROP Certified, Salmon Safe, some products certified non-GMO
100% grass-fed with independent verification of standards Grass-fed	75	Well exceeds usda percent intake requirements
No points are given for this but the information may be useful to certain consumers looking to avoid soy. Soy Free Ration?		No
Sliding scale based on policies, enforcement, acreage/cow, days/year on pasture, and permissible exemption. Pasture	90	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	60	Moderate cull rate and low death rate
Farms with closed herds receive the most points. Farms that sell organic calves and buy conventional replacements receive the fewest. Replacements	100	Closed herd
Standard practice is removing calves shortly after birth, with extra points given for unique ways of managing calves Calves	80	Calves raised with mothers for one week before going to group housing
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 antibiotic use
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	95	Staff visits farms frequently
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	100	No outside ingredients used
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	100	With respect to the concern of fraudulent grain imports, this dairy produces 100% of their own feed.