Is it organic or not?

July 2018 — Until the mid-1800s traditional American farmers only used natural fertilizers like compost, manure, green manure and bone meal. But in the early 1900s, in an effort to cut labor costs and to increase production, they began using tractors, other mechanized farm equipment, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides; more recently, injected hormones and genetically modified crops and animals followed. By 1940 questions about the healthfulness of the soil and its harvest followed, and the organic movement began.

The difference between traditional American farming and organic farming is in the approaches to make the farm sustainable. Organic farming protects the soil by crop rotation and companion planting; it protects the harvest with biological pest control like mixed crops and insect predators. Unlike industrialized farming it avoids genetically-modified and nano- materials, sludge, plant growth regulators, hormones and antibiotics. Although most organic farms use natural pesticides, they can use some synthetics as a last resort.

Since 2002 the U.S. Department of Agriculture has required commercial farms to be certified at the 100, 95 and 75 per cent levels. The expensive fees charged are the same for all organic farms despite their size; hence, many small farms are not certified even though their harvests meet USDA organic standards. If they become non-profits, they can obtain private certification from Certified Naturally Grown. Then they can sell their crops to share holders as community supported agriculture (CSAs) and their small excess to the public.

The irony is that locally grown organically produced harvests that are not certified organic may contain less chemicals than certified organic commercial farms that use preservatives before shipping their harvests. The best way to know is to ask local vendors at stands how they produce their crops.