Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, has decided to go organic.

Wal-Mart announced that its store-brand milk will come from cows not treated with organic growth hormones.

"It's reached the tipping point," said Ronnie Cummins, director of the Organic Consumers Association, who was quoted in this story in Toronto's Globe and Mail. "Even Wal-Mart's customers are demanding milk free from genetically engineered hormones."

EVEN Wal-Mart's customers? It's a slightly judgemental statement, though I don't happen to shop at Wal-Mart so I am not personally offended. But I know what he means -- even bargain-conscious shoppers who are not likely to be bringing their own bags to Whole Foods are concerned enough about hormones in milk to demand organic products.

When it comes to milk, I'm personally agnostic. I buy organic sometimes, and sometimes not. My daughter goes through it so quickly that, if I have to stop at a CVs or a 7-11 on my way home to get a gallon, all I'm checking is to make sure it hasn't expired yet.

I'm just bummed that Horizon Organic closed the farm they had in Gambrills. When I covered that area, it was one of my favorite places to go. So gorgeous, and you can imagine what the land looked like in the 1800s. But it's good to see that organic products are still doing well -- Maryland has several organic farms, and perhaps Wal-Mart's shift will help keep them in business.