Based on our practices we would be considered organic. Is our meat certified Organic? No, (but, more on that in just a minute). The information on Organic is overwhelming, and with the modifications made over time it becomes somewhat contradictory. Here are a few clips to help explain:
From the USDA web-site:
- USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) definition, April 1995
- “Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.
- “‘Organic’ is a labeling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole.
- “Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water.
- “Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.”
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2008 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture will publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register on Oct. 24 that proposes to amend the National Organic Program (NOP) livestock standards to clarify the role pasture plays in the production of organic ruminants. Highlights of the proposed rule include:
*A definition of “growing season,” and the requirement that all animals over the age of six months must be on pasture throughout the growing season.
*Animals must receive 30 percent of their dry matter intake (DMI) from pasture.
*A definition of “temporary confinement,” and clarification of periods of temporary confinement.
*A pasture practice standard that addresses the management of pasture as a crop.
From Wikipedia: Since the organic food movement has been increasingly industrialized and often forced to undergo processes similar to those of conventional agriculture (such as monoculture plantings on massive scales)due to market pressures, many members of the what was originally the organic food movement are demanding that new standards be established for sustainable organic foods. Many ardent supporters of organic foods are frustrated that the integrity of what constitutes “organic” foods and farming methods have been compromised by FDA legislation that allows for synthetics to be introduced into organic processed foods and other unsustainable industrial attributes associated with “organic” foods.[
From grass-fed 101:
While some grass fed is organic, not all organic or natural meat is grass fed or finished. Many of the organic and natural products are grain fed, in confined feedlots; it’s just that the grain that is fed is certified organic or natural.
The demand for organic foods has produced many industrialized organic farms, most of which do not practice the original sustainability practices of organic. Although organic is not the silver bullet, it’s a good start. Our local grocery store just put in an organic section; it is filled with organic pop-tarts, cookies and TV dinners. As stated earlier, we are not certified organic; however we follow all of the sustainable organic guidelines and then some.