Organic Farmers have a great responsibility to produce crops and livestock in a way that is free of chemical fertilizers, synthetic pesticides and synthetic herbicides.
Though all of this is quite good, the process is quite labor intensive.
Certified Organic Feed must be used when raising livestock and the use of synthetic hormones and food additives are generally prohibited.
Organic Farmers must understand the ecological relationship between the types of soils and crops to be harvested and how it relates to the livestock to be raised.
Now in order for an Organic Farmer to make their land declared Organic takes a period of three years.
The first two years, the Organic Farmer spends their time building up the fertility of the land where the produce will be grown.
Any produce grown within the first year cannot be labeled as organic as the soil has not yet achieved peak fertility.
Any produce harvested in the second year can be labeled as ‘In-Conversion’.
In the third year, produce may be declared fully organic because now the soil has completed the conversion process and achieved total fertility.
This three year process is vital to the Organic Farmer because it is this fertile soil where crops are planted and grown that give the harvest its nutritional value.
According to the USDA, there are three label categories for organic products:
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100% Organic means that the consumer is buying a product made with 100% organic ingredients
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Organic means that a consumer is buying a product made with at least 95% organic ingredients
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Made With Organic Ingredients means that a minimum of 70% organic ingredients are in the product and the remaining 30% include heavily restricted ingredients, but must include ZERO GMOs.
Products made 70% or less organic ingredients may list the organic ingredients on the side of the package but must not make any organic claims on the front of the packaging.
During this three year fertility-build-up-process, the Organic farmer must take great care of the land by composting, companion planting, mulching, and monitoring earthworm population while maintaining ground cover and moisture levels to prevent erosion from wind and water.
Organic farmers must abide by strict rules and regulations when selecting seed, choosing the variety of crops to plant, or livestock to raise.
The Organic Farmer has to take into consideration, not only profits, but also disease to crops, pest control, and when it comes to livestock, reproductive health.
On top of all of this, the Organic Farmer must maintain strict adherence with local governmental rules and regulations.
Since Organic Farmers expend 25 to 30% more in labor costs, they must be savvy marketers and quite shrewd when it comes to bringing their organic crops to market.
Rather than distributing their organic products through large discount stores, they opt for the cooperative markets, health food stores and specialty supermarkets to target the ideal Health Minded Consumer.
The more the public becomes aware about the benefits of organic products, the more the demand will increase for organic products, which in turn, will bring the cost down for the consumer.
We encourage you to visit your local farmers market and get to know the people that work there.
Organic Farmers work hard and take great care to bring good food to market, the way it should be.
