WHAT IS "ORGANIC"?
by Les Roggenbuck

More and more foods these days are finding there way to the grocery store with the words "organic" on the label. Some of you, I am sure, know what this means. For those of you who don't, I am here to shed some light on the subject.

To understand what organic means in relation to food, you have to take a look at how food is grown. Food, in general, is raised or grown on a farm using a variety of farming practices. In most cases, all farms use some type of tillage, fertilizer, weed and pest control, and, in the case of livestock, feed, mineral supplements and animal health care.

To help explain what is organic, we will first break down farming into two groups: The first group we will call conventional farming; the second group, organic farming.

Let me point out that many of the same farming practices and equipment are used on both conventional and organic farms. Tilling, planting, harvesting, grain handling and trucking methods are similar in both systems. The difference in both systems is in the area of weed and pest control, plant fertility and animal health care.

In conventional farming systems, manufactured or synthetic fertilizer is used to help increase crop yields. Weed and pest control are generally managed with the use of chemical herbicides, insecticides or fungicides. In many cases, farmers select seeds that are genetically modified (GMO) to withstand the application of a non-selective herbicide such as Round-up. Some varieties of corn are genetically modified (GMO) with a gene to inhibit damage of the corn from certain insects.

Conventional farming also allows for the housing confinement of animals, which allows a farmer to manage several hundred, and in some cases thousands of animals. In most confinement operations, a regimen of antibiotics is added to the feed supply to keep the animals healthy. Most conventional livestock operations also utilize hormones to increase production and growth levels.

In organic production systems, weed control is generally managed with mechanical tillage tools. Generally, a type of tine weeder or rotary hoe is used to kill weeds before the crop emerges. After crop emergence, a row cultivator is used to kill weeds between the rows.

Fertility is managed with the use of cover crops, composted animal and plant material and other organic minerals. Insects and other plant pathogens are inhibited by the use of crop rotations and in some cases organic sprays such as garlic barrier. The use of genetically modified seeds or organisms is not allowed in organic farming systems.

In organic farming systems, it is mandatory that animals are allowed to get fresh air and sunlight. Animals are not allowed to be confined, and there are minimums on space to animal ratios that must be utilized. The use of antibiotics and hormones are not allowed in the production of organic livestock.

So, how do you know if the food you are buying is organic or not? First of all, if the word organic is on the label, the ingredients by law under the USDA National Organic Program, must be certified organic. What does it mean to be certified? A farm is certified organic by following organic practices for a minimum of three years. The farm is annually inspected under the USDA organic farming practices rules to maintain compliance with all organic farming practices including the audit trail of all organic products from the seed bag to the grocery store shelf.

You can search the internet for more information on organic standards and organic farming practices by looking at the following websites: www.ams.usda.gov/nop, www.ocia.org and www.qai-inc.com.

Les Roggenbuck is an organic farmer from Snover and raises organic beef, produce and grains under the name East River Organic Farm. You may email Les at lesroggenbuck@starband.net