John Dobberstein, Associate Editor
Organic farming is the production of crops, fruits, vegetables, livestock, poultry and other foods through natural methods while avoiding the use of chemicals, hormones or antibiotics used on many conventional farms.
In the field, organic farmers use a combination of compost, manure and cover crops
to fertilize and enrich the soil, and rely on tillage and crop rotation to break up weed cycles. Some organic farmers will resort to certain chemicals approved by the USDA for organic use.
Organically grown livestock is usually segregated from regular herds and must be given access to pasture and other natural surroundings. The animals must be given organically grown feed as well.
Organic farming is “much more than what you cannot use,” says the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) based in La Crosse, Wis. “It’s a proactive management system based on ecologically-sound practices in concert with allowed inputs. Soil fertility is managed not only to feed the current year’s crop, but to continuously build organic matter and improve soil tithe.”
Farmers who’ve switched to organic practices often say they did it because of “feelings of stewardship for the land, desire to avoid using chemicals for family and farm-worker health, and to avoid chemical use for environmental health,” the USDA says.
The USDA requires organic farmers and food handlers to meet a uniform organic standard. Certification by the USDA, or sanctioned private group, is mandatory for organic farms with more than $5,000 in sales annually. Farms with less than $5,000 in sales are “exempt” from mandatory certification.
To support organic farmers and processors, the USDA in 2002 implemented the National Organic Program (NOP), which harmonized differing standards among dozens of state and private certification organizations.
Previously relegated to natural food stores, organic food now occupies prominent shelf space in the produce and dairy aisles of most mainstream U.S. food retailers.
Retail sales of organic foods totaled $21.1 billion in 2008, up from just $3.6 billion in 1997, the USDA says. Nearly half of all organic foods were purchased in conventional supermarkets, club stores and big-box stores in 2008.
The USDA says the purchase of organic food is closely related to higher education levels, while race, age, ethnicity and children in the household have an inconsistent effect on sales.
Most U.S. organic producers sell their products locally, with 44% of sales taking place less than 100 miles from the farm. Nearly 83% of organic sales were to wholesale channels, including processors.
Just over 10% of sales were direct to retail operations, including supermarkets. Only 7% of sales were direct to consumers, via farm stands, farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture and other arrangements.
