Bleckenstad: A European organic point-of-view

In the United States, the organic milk market holds just over 2% of the total market. In Sweden, the Johansson brothers of Bleckenstad farm estimate that between 15-20% of milk produced is organic. We recently had the opportunity to visit Bleckenstad Farm in Mjolby, Sweden as part of a DeLaval Smart Farming Seminar. The farm is owned and operated by brothers Magnus, Gunnar, and Mats Johannson (pictured above) and home to just over 300 cows. The brothers operate their farm and raise all of their cows in the European form of organic. But that hasn’t come without assistance. The European Union currently subsidizes approximately $592 per acre annually for farmers using organic practices. Organic standards in Europe versus the U.S. are not parallel either. Cows with mastitis can be treated with antibiotics, unlike the U.S., but farmers voluntarily have doubled a milk withdrawal period. In Sweden, all cows are required to be on pasture for three months per year while organic farms are required to offer four months of pasture. When Bleckenstad first transitioned, the process took 1 year compared to the three-year transition period for United States farmers. And while some may associate organic with little use of technology, the Johansson brothers won’t be part of that assumption. The farm is home to 320 cows and uses the DeLaval Voluntary Milking System (robots) along with automatic feeders. The farm also has an on-farm store in which they sell their own cheese, homemade preserves (their popular carrot variety is shown above) as well as traditional Swedish crafts. Bleckenstad is happy with their transition and says their cows are lasting longer and they are receiving about 20 percent more for their milk.