MAY 2008

GOING ORGANIC

"Organic" is a widely used term in the food and agriculture industry that refers to an emphasis on land management that aims to ecologically achieve the balance between animal life, the natural environmental and food crops.  Organic farmers do not use pesticides, herbicides, genetically modified foods, growth promoters or hormones.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  As a result, produce that is produced through organic farming is at its most natural form. The term "organic" can also be used loosely in the industry to mean partial or fractional compliance with the above description. So buyer beware!

Here are 10 more reasons to go organic:

1. Stringent Standards

Organic certification is the public’s assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without persistent toxic chemical inputs.

2. Great Taste

It’s common sense – well-balanced soils produce strong, healthy plants that become nourishing food for people and animals.

3. Reduced health risksMany

EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases.  Organic agriculture is one way to prevent any more of these chemicals from getting into the air, earth and water that sustain us.

4. Respects water resources

The elimination of polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching, done in combination with soil building, protects and conserves water resources.

5. Builds healthy soil

Soil is the foundation of the food chain.  The primary focus of organic farming is to use practices that build healthy soils. 

6. Works in harmony with nature

Organic agriculture respects the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem: wildlife is encouraged by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fence rows, wetlands, and other natural areas. 

7. Research

Organic farmers have led the way, largely at their own expense, with innovative on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticide use and minimizing agriculture’s impact on the environment. 

8. Biodiversity

The loss of a large variety of species (biodiversity) is one of the most pressing environmental concerns.  The good news is that many organic farmers and gardeners have been collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties for decades. 

9. Keeps rural communities healthy

USDA reported that in 1997, half of U.S. farm production came from only two percent of farms.  Organic agriculture can be a lifeline for small farms because it offers an alternative market where sellers can command fair prices for crops. 

10. Organic abundance

Now every food category has an organic alternative.  And non-food agricultural products are being grown organically – even cotton, which most experts felt could not be grown this way.