1.1 Background

Organic agriculture is a rich, deeply rooted, yet evolving practice. This chapter gives some background on the history, science, and art of organic livestock farming and ranching. We’ll describe what motivates these farmers and highlight some researched benefits. We’ll also present the perspectives of veterinarians and non-conventional producers on working together.

In the past, all agriculture was organic. Since the discovery and availability of antibiotics, pesticides, and fertilizers in the 1940s, their use has become the norm.

American organic farming has its roots in the humus-farming movement of the 1920s to 1950s. Humus is the dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays. This takes place on farms that include livestock, food crops, feed crops, and green manures (Coffey & Baier, 2012).

The 1960s through the 1980s saw the growth of organic agriculture as public concern over pesticides grew. Third-party organic certifiers did independent assessments to verify compliance during this time. Sadly, they did not use consistent standards. This changed in 1990 when the Organic Foods Production Act was passed. Then, in 1992, the National Organic Program (NOP), a USDA program that makes and enforces the national standards for organic agricultural products sold in the US, was established. They also created an advisory board—the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). This board recommends new regulations and standards to the NOP. In 2002, the NOP started to accredit certifiers. More details are on organic rules and regulations are included in chapter 2.

Navigating organic and alternative food, farms, and products

Navigating the business of organic and alternative food is challenging. Some background is provided here to help explain some of the more convoluted topics such as certification and label claims.

Certification implies that someone oversees business practices and ensures compliance with company rules. This can be an employee within the company or it can be a 3rd party without ties to the company. Independent oversight through 3^rd party certifiers is the highest level of certification.

Many products make label claims with no mention of certification. Some companies make label claims that have no definition, standard, or are misleading such as “natural”. Research into the specific product, company or products is often necessary. Aside from 3^rd party certification, a good relationship with your local farmer can often provides the most trusted assurance.

What does “organic” mean

“Organic” can mean different things to different people. In this book, organic means products grown or raised under the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). In the most simple terms, that means organic livestock products are produced without

• conventional pesticides;
• petroleum-based fertilizers;
• sewage sludge-based fertilizers;
• herbicides; and
• genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Animals raised on an organic operation must

• meet animal health and welfare standards;
• not be fed antibiotics or growth hormones;
• be fed 100% organic feed; and
• be provided access to the outdoors (Coffee and Baier 2012).

The NOP describes organic agriculture as an approach that seeks to understand how all parts of the system work together. Organic farmers consider how soil, water, plants, animals, insects, bacteria, fungi, and any other parts of the system interact. Some examples of organic approaches alternative farmers might use:

• Cultural—raising livestock breeds adapted to the local climate.
• Biological—maintaining a dense pasture to prevent weed growth and rotational grazing with multiple species to reduce internal parasite problems.
• Mechanical—clipping weeds before they can go to seed in pasture.

The USDA oversees the NOP by certifying farmers who want to become certified organic and carry the organic label. They establish a list of allowed and prohibited substances used in organic livestock, accredit the certifiers, and require organic processing of carcasses, record-keeping, and regular re-certification. It is a land requirement to have no prohibited substances applied for 3 years before crop harvest. After certification, farmers can use the official USDA organic logo on their products.

Some USDA-certified organic products add other claims, such as “grass-fed” or “pasture-based,” to their label. Some USDA-certified organic products will add a redundant “non-GMO” label. Presumably, they believe customers are unaware that certified organic includes the guarantee of non-GMOs.

What do we mean by “alternative”?

All other label claims that include the use or non-use of antibiotics, pesticides, added hormones, and GMOs, regenerative, sustainable, or organic without the USDA-certified logo, are designated in this book as “alternative.” The term “alternative” also includes farms that may not seek USDA organic certification due to the heavy regulation and requirements to become certified but may operate wholly organic. Farms in the process of USDA organic certification but are not yet certified are called “transitional” and, for our purposes, are included under the term “alternative.” When discussed together, we will call these groups of farmers and ranchers organic/alternative (O/A).

Code of Federal Regulation-National Organic Program.