Note: Ecto FAIL. This post was supposed to go up at 8 am tomorrow, which Ecto apparently thinks is 4 pm today. So, you are getting it a day early! Don’t miss the post I published 60 seconds before this one decided to go up: Sick Day.
Before I accept any products for sampling or giveaways, I make sure that they are from companies that I stand behind. You all know that I have my own thoughts for how we eat ethically in our home, and I will not give product away on my blog that don’t meet my standards.
So when Cabot Creamery Cooperative contacted me about doing an informational post + giveaway, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to find out more about their farming practices! Their cheese is definitely Savvy Eats approved. 
Answering my questions was Cabot food & nutrition consultant, Regan Jones, who is also the former Assistant Food Editor at Cooking Light magazine. More about the giveaway after the interview!
Savvy Eats: I love that Cabot is a co-operative and owned by the farmers, each of which is highlighted on your site. How many farms are members of the co-op, and how were they selected?
Regan Jones: Cabot Creamery Cooperative has been in continuous operation in Vermont since 1919 and is owned by 1200 dairy farm families located throughout New England and upstate New York. The cooperative was founded in 1919 when 94 farmers banded together – at the cost of $5 per cow plus a cord of wood (to fuel the boiler at the village creamery). In 1992, Cabot’s farmer owners merged with Agr-Mark, a southern New England co-op dating back to 1918. Today, the cooperative boasts 1200 farm family owners, four processing plants and a growing line of dairy products with it’s “World’s BestCheddar” leading the way.
SE: What is the average size of the dairy farms involved in the co-operative?
RJ: The average size of Cabot’s farm family owned farms is 100 cows per farm.
SE: Cabot is very open about the co-op’s belief that quality cheese comes from healthy, happy cattle. What steps does Cabot take to ensure that the cows are well cared for on all the farms?
RJ: Cabot and our parent cooperative, Agri-Mark, go to great lengths to ensure the safety, health, and happiness of our cattle. This not only benefits the animals that provide our livelihood, it results in a better quality product for the community at large. Almost all of our Board of Directors are active dairy farmers and members of the Cabot family. They all rely on each other to provide high quality, safe milk that is in turn converted to various world class cheeses and other dairy products, and they know you can only achieve top notch results if your cattle are healthy and happy.
What exactly do we do? Cabot has twenty field representatives who visit our farms every day. They test milk for bacteria count; they look at safety procedures on the farms; and they visually inspect the herds. They check feed and cattle diet, and they make sure there is no mistreatment of any animals. Not ever. We also work proactively to ensure a cruelty-free environment for our cattle, and our farmers enroll in a national cattle welfare certification program to ensure the humane treatment of our animals.
Our twenty field representatives are experts in such areas as herd health, milk safety, proper care and nutrition of cattle, and more.
They visit our farms and review procedures with our farm families on a daily basis. They ensure that Cabot gets the highest quality milk that cows can deliver, and they know you can only achieve these results when the cattle are safe, well cared for, receive regular veterinarian attention, and are on a reliable schedule. They work with our farms, who are experts themselves, to make sure our herds are healthy and happy.
Fourteen of our fifteen members on our Board of Directors are full-time dairy farmers and members of the Cabot cooperative. They know what it takes to run a dairy farm, and they know the importance of humane treatment for our cattle. To emphasize the matter even more, the Board recently directed that our farmers enroll in program called FARM, Farmers Assuring Responsible Management, and that our farm families become formally certified in the techniques required to ensure the welfare and best health for our herds. Cabot has written formal rules of conduct, promulgated by the National Milk Producers Federation in Washington, D.C., that are posted on every Cabot farm.
These rules address the proper and humane treatment of our animals, and we keep them on constant display to emphasize the matter.
SE. Are the dairy cows fed a diet of grain or grass?
RJ: Cabot’s dairy farmers make sure their cattle get top notch feed that typically consists of a mix of grains and grass, and ensure each head receives high-quality veterinary attention and lives as stress free a life as possible to prolong their time in the milking herd.
SE: Cabot Creamery pursues “context-based sustainability.” Can you explain to my Savvy Readers what this approach means?
RJ: Our goal is to continue the nearly century-old tradition of collaboration among our farm families and our employees to offer “World’s Best” quality dairy products. A key component of this is to ensure the sustainability of our cooperative, from cow-to-creamery-to-customer. To do this, we must assiduously measure and manage our economic, environmental and social impacts. We advocate a method of sustainability measurement called “context-based sustainability” – an approach which compares actual impacts on vital resources to standards of performance based on the sufficiency of those resources. Take water use as an example: one can’t judge whether an organization is using water sustainably just by knowing how many gallons they use. One needs to understand how that volume compares to the availability of water in the areas where the organization operates. Without context, two organizations with identical water use might look similar, but if one is located in the desert and one is located where water resources are abundant, a true indication of their sustainability may be very different. We are developing measures that use this lens to help us assess the sustainability of our impacts.
GIVEAWAY TIME
Cabot is being kind enough to give away a gift pack of 6 blocks of Cabot Cheddar to ONE Savvy Reader. To enter, read the interview and/or visit Cabot’s site, and tell me the most interesting or informative thing you learned about Cabot!
For an extra entry, tell me what you’d make with the cheddar if you won. Some roasted veggies, perhaps?
I’ll choose a winner on Monday. Good luck!
All pictures courtesy of Cabot.
Wow! I’ve always loved Cabot cheeses – simply because of how delicious they are. And now I have even more reason to stick with Cabot! I never knew that Cabot was a co-op! It’s nice to know that all of the cattle are treated really well. (Also “wow” that I’m the first comment!)
loving all your giveaways! i have a passion for cheese! I never knew large companies such as Cabot used a co op system- that makes me want to support them more.
What a fun giveaway!
I had no idea Cabot was a co-op!! That’s so awesome, I already love their cheese but now I will definitely buy it more often. I loved hearing about the cows selling for $5 plus wood in 1919 – I love hearing about old prices and what people would trade for items a long time ago, it’s so interesting!
Oh, and if I won the cheese I would definitely use it for some type of dip and cheese plate for an upcoming party!
I think it’s great that Cabot uses small farms…under 100 cows each. That really makes me think all of those cows are loved and treated the way they should be…which, of course, makes better cheese.
If I won, I would definitely have to make some sort of cheddary soup…perfect for fall.
I often buy Cabot because I consider anything made in New England “local” food. I had no idea that they had a co-op and many of the farmers were from Massachusetts! This makes me happier to eat their cheese!! I would make stuffed chicken breasts with stuffing and cheese. Mm hmmmm!!!
What a great giveaway Julie! Seems like a really awesome company.
What I learned:
“To emphasize the matter even more, the Board recently directed that our farmers enroll in program called FARM, Farmers Assuring Responsible Management, and that our farm families become formally certified in the techniques required to ensure the welfare and best health for our herds.”
Never knew this program existed!
I might make some cheese dip… definitely use it in quesadillas… and probably do a fancy baked potato bar!
I buy Cabot products religiously. It is one of the few vegetarian cheeses on the market and it’s 100% lactose free. The jalapeno cheddar is my favorite, hands down.
I love the section on “context-based sustainability”. I mean seriously, it sounds like another way companies can “lie” with numbers, and am so intrigued that Cabot does NOT do this.
I’m currently trying (despite my lack of cooking expertise) to develop a lower-calorie more nutrient rich version of macaroni and cheese- having top quality cheese to utilize would I’m sure go a LONG way to helping towards that goal.
I honestly had no idea that Cabot was a co-op or was anything other than a conglomerate farm! Definitely will keep that in mind the next time I am buying cheese. I do love me some cheddar!
Cabot people are out there everyday counting bacteria!
Thanks for the interview – I love Cabot products! The fact I found most interesting was:
“Fourteen of our fifteen members on our Board of Directors are full-time dairy farmers and members of the Cabot cooperative.” – this goes to show their dedication to their company and products.
And I would have friends over for a mexican feast with all of that cheese!
I really appreciate all the effort that goes into keeping the cows happy — especially the 20 representatives who come and check on the cows. I like that a lot. Happy cows = tasty cheese
If I had that much cheese I would make a giant pot of my friend’s famous corn and cheddar chowder. Mmm… I might even send her some so she could make a giant pot as well!!
I thought it was interesting that 70 percent of Americans don’t meet their 3 servings of dairy a day. I wouldn’t have thought that with the amount of milk being purchased in stores!
And one of the first things I’d make with the cheddar would be Roasted Leek Macaroni and Cheese!!
You know I love cheese!!!
I really appreciate that the milk comes from small family-run farms, not a huge factory.
I’m glad that Cabot uses small farms – I feel as though more care goes into the product. I would make a grilled vegetable and cheese sandwitch! Yum!
I learned I probably should have bought that block of Cabot cheddar I was debating at the grocery store the other day!
The idea of context-sustainablity is a really interesting one to me. I’ve never thought about sustainability like that, but it makes a lot of sense.
I would definitely make a grilled cheese sandwich to go with the can of Amy’s tomato soup currently hanging out in my pantry. MMMMM……
I didn’t know that Cabot was that old. I thought it was mid-20th century.
I would love to use Cabot in our favorite mac and cheese recipe: Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese.
A co-op of farms! That’s so awesome! Especially since it unites so many small farms. I had no idea this company had been around for so long!
I would make a cheese quesidilla to go with some roasted veggies!
If i won i would invite friends over and have a cheesy potluck,
The Cabot guy said their cows are fed a mix of grain and grass. What is the percent of each? Do the cows actually get to walk around in the pasture, or are they kept in a “stress-free” barn or yard with the food brought to them? The answers you got to your questions are straight from their website, and are pretty nebulous and could be hiding what I think of as unethical while calling it “stress-free”. You could do some more questions that are a little more in depth?
Thank you for your comment!
I think it is difficult for them to give a more precise answer, as the farms are a part of the co-op and contribute their cow’s milk to Cabot to be turned into cheese. I was of the understanding that each farm operates independently, so they don’t all have the exact same practices. I imagine that the field representatives do their best to ensure that each farm is acting ethically, on a case-by-case basis.
sorry to burst your bubble but if you look into the facts you will find that Cabot is now a Michigan corporation incorporated in 1992, wholly owned by Agri-mark, a Delaware stock corporation.
the farmers who ship milk to the company are simply operating on a yearly contract.
the reason they get away with claiming to be farmer owned is that the board of directors are farmers, they are the ONLY farmers who own a share of stock and are therefore owners
I know this from first hand experience
you will also find that many of the products with the Cabot brand name are in fact made by other companies.
Thank you for your comment. I realize that Cabot is now owned by Agri-Mark, which is actually another coop, I believe. I still appreciate the fact that Cabot gets their milk from small family-owned farms, rather than one big factory farm (And we’ve actually met one of the local farmers who sends their milk to Cabot).
I’m not aware of other products that have the Cabot name and aren’t made by Cabot, so I can’t speak to that portion of your comment.
not so – agri-mark calls itself a co-op but if you do your homework you will find that it is actually a Delaware stock corporation, incorporated in 1980 with 200,000 shares of stock – of which only one share is issued to each director, the farmers never get a share
I know because I was a founding member and was kicked out after 17 years for telling the truth, that agri-mark was not segregating rBGH milk as they claimed
as for small farms, yes there are some small farms left but there are also megafarms which get paid a ‘quantity premium’ which small farms cant compete with
BTW – the Cabot plant disposes of its tocic cleaning water by dumping on local farm fields whence it proceeds to run off into our rivers and lakes
I would be happy to send you supporting documents – email me
I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I plan on doing my own follow-up research. thanks!
Windy,
I could find Cabot listed on the Cornucopia Institute’s Score card, so I was glad to find your expanation of the Dairy. I won’t buy their butter again. If most of their farms are mega farms then they can’t be humane.
Please follow up this story with the real one done by the undercover PETA guy who found scores of abuse at agrimark and cabot farms. You will see it all over the place if you search cabot cruelty! It would be nice to show these companies that people follow their moves so if you are bad, we will know!