Stonyfield Yogurt - Moos From The Farm

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Here’s all the “moos” that’s fit to print

June 2006

In this issue:

From the President’s Pasture: Organics’ next big step
Offset the CO2 produced by your computer use
See you this summer in MOOville!
Profits for the Planet profile: Audubon Expedition Institute
Celebrate Dairy Month organically
A calf named Clover
Healthy substitutions: Use yogurt, instead!
Grilled lamb Kabobs recipe

Gary Hirshberg

From the President's Pasture:
Organics’ next big step

You've probably heard a lot lately about large supermarket chains and food processors dramatically boosting their organic food offerings. You may’ve also heard that some people think “big organic” is going to damage our industry. While there is some risk to the big companies’ new enthusiasm for organic food, we believe this enthusiasm is a good thing, overall, a sign that organic has finally arrived.

The three biggest concerns are that when large players go organic, they can (a) disrupt the market by eating up supply, (b) drive farmer-pay prices down, putting many farmers out of business, and (c) try to water down the organic standards so as to shortcut the real intent of organic legislation.

The first point certainly is merited. A few years ago, when several large companies bought-up organic strawberries to put in their cereals, the price of organic strawberries skyrocketed and the supply became scarce. On the other hand, this can be very good for farmers, for scarce supplies will mean that they will be protected on price. We are working hard to combat these risks by continuing to purchase direct from as many farmers as possible and by attempting to offer long-term contracts that protect them and us.

The benefit of big companies’ investing in organic foods will be that more and more farmers will have an economic incentive to convert to organic practices. This will mean more land converted to organic farming and more organic food for more people. In the big picture, our goal has to be to reduce the amounts of toxic chemicals and fossil fuels being used in agriculture.

For those of us who are committed to the spirit of organic, the key will be to hold everyone to high organic standards. We’ll need to make sure our organic labels continue to mean what they mean today. For our company, this vigilance will be nothing new, as we’ve been protecting organics for years. I often remind people that the organics food industry is the only one I know that has fought to have greater amount of government regulation. Stonyfield is a proud backer of the Organic Trade Association, which has been at the center of the efforts to maintain high standards and the integrity of the organic seal.

We were the first company to pay farmers not to use the synthetic growth hormone, rBGH. For years, we were actively involved in the organic labeling standards the USDA passed in 2002, standards now heralded as the strictest in the world. Most recently, we’ve been participating in the USDA dialogue on organic pasture standards, a key component of organic. In other words, we’ve been looking out for your interests for years, and we aren’t about to stop now.

Gary Signature

Ask our Nutritionist

Question: Can I eat too much yogurt?

Answer: Only at the exclusion of other nutritious foods. You can eat yogurt in place of milk and other high-quality proteins. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Americans recommends that you consume 3 servings per day of fat free or low fat milk products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese. If you occasionally substitute yogurt for a significant protein source, you can include another serving.

-Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN

Offset the CO2 your computer use produces
A $3 EarthCooler™ will offset the CO2 produced by a year’s worth of computer use.
For just $3, you can now offset 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s about the average amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced by one year’s worth of computer use.*

Of course, reducing our energy use is our primary means of fighting climate change. Energy efficient vehicles, homes and factories minimize the amount of damaging carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere. But carbon dioxide offsets are an important secondary means.

Offsets – like the $3 EarthCooler now offered by NativeEnergy and RenewUS – are investments in projects that either absorb greenhouse gases or prevent their emission.
Click here to learn more about EarthCooler and other ways to offset the carbon dioxide produced by your energy use. [http://www.nativeenergy.com/ec.html]

*According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average desktop PC uses 318 kWh per year. According to the EPA, the average CO2 emission rate for electricity in the U.S. is 1.392 lbs. per kWh. Add 7% to account for energy lost during transmission and distribution, and that puts your annual CO2 “footprint” for your desktop at 474 lbs.

See you in MOOville
Haven’t been able to visit our Yogurt Works in New Hampshire? That’s okay. We’ll be bringing the farm to you this summer with our all-new MOOville mobile tour. MOOville is full of interactive exhibits and games that will teach the whole family about organic farming.

Come meet Gurt, our museum-quality, exhibit cow that teaches kids about the organic lifecycle, and makes them laugh, too. Do some gardening at our organic seed-planting table. Play a game that emphasizes healthy food choices. And, of course, don’t forget to sample some of our MOOlicious yogurts and smoothies!

The MOOville tour, which began at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Arts Festival on June 2nd, will include 14 eastern-U.S. cities over the next four months.

To find a summer MOOville event near you, click here.

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Audubon Expedition Institute students traveling to a bio-region.

Profits for the Planet Profile:
Audubon Expedition Institute

Through our Profits for the Planet program, we give 10% of our profits to organizations that help to protect and restore the earth. One of our fund recipients, the Audubon Expedition Institute, offers an environmental education program through Leslie University of Cambridge, MA.

Through the Audubon Expedition Institute, undergraduate and graduate Leslie students travel to “bio-regions” such as Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, the Four Corners and other Southwest regions, the Gulf Coast, the Adirondacks, the Atlantic Coast and Hawaii. The program allows students to gain ecological awareness through experiential learning.

Environmental education is vital to the protection and restoration of the earth, so we’re happy to help fund programs like the Audubon Expedition Institute.

Click here to read about other Profits for the Planet recipients.

Celebrate Dairy Month organically
Seems like there’s a national awareness month for just about everything these days. But how could we not remind you that June is National Dairy Month?

Yup, it’s time to make sure everyone in your family is getting enough of the calcium and nine essential vitamins and minerals in dairy. And why not celebrate Dairy Month organically? Did you know that we offer four varieties of delicious, wholesome organic milk – fat free, low fat (1%), reduced fat (2%) and whole milk – in addition to our organic yogurts and smoothies?

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Our Organic Milk comes fresh from cows raised on organic family farms. The cows graze on pasture during the growing season and eat only 100% organic feed, grown without toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. No antibiotics or artificial growth hormones are allowed, and the priority focus is on good nutrition and minimal stress.

Click here to learn more about our organic milk.

A calf named Clover
Some weeks ago, a few of us Stonyfielders took several friends from Clover Dairy to visit one of the organic farms that provides us with milk for our yogurt. Clover Dairy is South Africa's leading processor and distributor of dairy and dairy-related food products. Several Clover managers visited us this spring to learn about organic farming and the ways we do things at Stonyfield Farm.

Our farmer hosts, Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative members Regina and Brent Beidler, gave us a great tour. And when we all walked out to the pasture, the Beidlers noticed an extra cow in the herd! Yup, a little calf was just struggling up onto wobbly legs for the first time in her life. In honor of the South Africans’ visit, the Beidlers named her “Clover,” right then and there. It was hard to tell who was more pleased – the South Africans for having an organic calf named after their dairy, or the Beidlers for having visitors from so far away!

Use yogurt, instead.
For fewer calories and great taste.
When you’re in the kitchen, don’t forget that yogurt can be a delicious, healthy substitute for cream, sour cream and mayonnaise.

Substitute plain yogurt for sour cream on a baked potato
Use yogurt in place of heavy cream in stroganoffs and stews
For dips and dressings, add yogurt instead of mayonnaise or sour cream
To thicken a sauce, try yogurt instead of heavy cream. (To keep the yogurt from curdling, add a tablespoon of flour to each cup of yogurt before adding to your sauce.)

Recipes: Grilled Lamb Kabobs (Mmmm.)

Hey, it’s time to heat up the grill and throw on the kabobs. Yogurt is an excellent marinade. For this recipe, it helps tenderize lamb chunks to make a delicious and easy meal.

Ingredients
1 cup Stonyfield Farm lowfat plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Juice of one lemon
2 pounds lamb steaks, cut into large cubes
1 vidalia onion, cut into pieces
1 yellow pepper, cut into pieces
1 red pepper, cut into pieces
1 green pepper, cut into pieces
1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
In a large bowl, mix the yogurt, mint, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Place the lamb cubes in the mixture. Cover and marinate at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.

Place the marinated lamb cubes and vegetables on skewers. If you are using wooden skewers, be sure to soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes so that they do not burn while cooking. Grill or broil over high heat, turning occasionally for 15 minutes or to desired doneness.

Yields:
6 servings

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 340; Calories from Fat 210; Total Fat 23g; Cholesterol 85mg; Total Carbohydrate 11g; Fiber 2g; Protein 22g

Browse through hundreds of yogurt recipes on our web site!

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