I attended farmers’ markets for years prior to 2002, the year the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) certification went into effect and prohibited the use of the word “organic”. There had always been vendors who had claimed to be organic farmers, but having never been members of an organic organization with guidelines and literature, and apparently never having done much reading on the subject personally either, seemed to have little real knowledge of all that was involved in organic agriculture. They just knew they didn’t spray “bad chemicals.” It would probably take another organic farmer to recognize the difference, however, and would not have been noticed by the average customer. So the need for clarification was there prior to 2002; and it still is.
Even today, organic produce seems to abound at farmers’ markets. Whether the produce is suitable for organic certification or not is hard to say. However, there is no denying the fact that there is a lot that can be said about how food is grown and what this means to you. Where does organic farming end and other similar farming techniques begin? What is organic? Is all organic the same? What does it mean when people say, “Beyond Organic?” Well, here’s a look at an “organic” spectrum of farming styles.
Locally Grown—This seems fairly easy to understand. Produce labeled as locally grown was grown somewhere quite close! Which means what (for Michiganders)? Some say that it was produced in the Midwest. Some say that it was produced in Michigan. Some say that it was produced within 100 miles (this tends to be the most recognized definition). And some, who want to be hyper-local, want produce only from the county they live in. Those who only eat what they themselves grow must be uber-hyper-local. Obviously, nothing in the previous statements addressed the type of farming practiced to produce this local food. Locavorism is said to decrease food spoilage, provide fresher (thus healthier) food for consumers, and decrease fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions due to transportation. It also aims for many community benefits by supporting the local economy, encouraging community interactions, and connecting farmers directly to consumers. All of this could certainly be achieved by a conventional (chemical) farmer just as it is done by an organic farmer.
Organically Grown—Organic agriculture uses fertilizers of organic origin, including composts, animal manure, green manure and rock minerals. Organic farmers aim to use crop rotation, companion planting, intercropping, and various biological pest management methods to produce healthy crops and maintain healthy soil. And there are certain naturally occurring compounds that are used as pesticides. In contrast to conventional farming, they do not use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, genetically modified organisms, or growth agents. Unfortunately, over the last number of years, many people seem to have distilled the organic/non-organic question down to a simple matter of no spray/spray. No doubt this is partly because chemical (pesticide) residues, which should not be present on organic produce, is a simple concept to understand and easy to test for. So it is the easiest difference to identify when discussing organic agriculture. But organic farming is more than what you do or do not spray on your garden. Organic farms are supposed to be integrated farming systems, designed with sustainability in mind, soil fertility as the objective, and ideally animal and plant production working together.
Certified Organic—How are certified organic farming techniques different from plain organic farming techniques? You pay for them. Standards for the certification of organic agricultural practices in the United States are governed by the USDA NOP, and are internationally regulated by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), established in 1972. Those who are organically certified keep good records and have their farm inspected and re-certified every year through a USDA accredited, third party certification agency.
Certified Naturally Grown—Like organic, yes! In fact, I think it is organic. Not so much a change of or refining of farming practices at all, but rather created as a response to government involvement. The NOP prohibited the use of the word “organic” (or even the term “non-certified organic”) by those who didn’t pay for it, at the same time increasing the cost and bureaucracy involved for those who did want to continue with/seek certification. Hello third-party inspectors (who have to be paid), goodbye farmer certifying farmer. Basically, a major blow to any family farmer who wanted to let their customers know what kind of food they produce. Created in 2002, the Certified Naturally Grown program has a certification process, and all CNG farms are subject to random pesticide residue testing. It is for those who follow the USDA organic standards but don’t want to go through a USDA accredited certifier and pay their price for the certification. After all, those who were in organic farming previous to USDA involvement didn’t have to pay so much for the privilege to use the word. They just farmed that way, and I expect still do. This certification is perfect for the small farmer who sells locally and directly to the customer.
Biodynamically Grown—A form of agriculture described as very similar to organic farming in some key practices. It makes use of manure and compost, and doesn’t use synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers, etc. What really sets biodynamics apart for many people is the inclusion of particular principles and practices created by Rudolf Steiner and put into practice by farmers like Ehrenfried Pfeiffer. This includes a focus on soil fertility, plant growth, and livestock health, of course, but greatly stresses that they are interrelated and all cared for as a whole, a single interrelated system. Absolutely no getting away from it with biodynamics. Additionally, there are spiritual and mystical components of biodynamic agriculture which leave some critics feeling that it is pseudoscientific and a touch too “magical” for the realm of agriculture. These include an emphasis on understanding planetary and low energy forces and the use of herbal preparations and mineral additives. It is interesting to note that the importance of local food production was emphasized in biodynamics from its very beginnings, which were in the 1920’s, some feel more so than in organics. Biodynamics also stresses the use and preservation of heritage animal breeds and heirloom plant varieties with a focus on selecting new local breeds/varieties from this diverse gene pool for your own region. There are certifying agencies for biodynamic agriculture (Demeter International is the name of the standards group to which they belong), so you can be “Certified Biodynamically Grown.”
Biointensive—Rather than certifying farming practices, with Biointensive Farming there is an educational process one must go through that involves taking courses and learning the methods. The individual pays for the classes and the person becomes certified, rather than paying for an inspection and review where the growing practices become certified. This is the method popularized by John Jeavons. The methods are very much like organic, although the emphasis is usually on smaller scale intensive production with limited tractor equipment.
Veganically Grown—I must admit I knew little about what this meant before I looked in to it. I had seen it on packages and of course I know what a vegan is—just not the precise extent to which this would apply to farming techniques. Now I know. Vegan gardening does not make use of many of the products that are freely used in the aforementioned farming techniques, such as bloodmeal, bone meal, numerous animal feces, and fish emulsion, for example. It is called stock-free farming, making no use of animals or products of the animal husbandry industry. No animals on the farm and no animal products used for the farming. Other techniques that veganic farmers do have in common with organic farming include using green manures, mulch, compost (of the purely vegetable kind), cover crops, and mineral supplements. There is also an emphasis on non-soil compacting surface cultivation, so I imagine a lot of hand hoeing and weeding and not many tractors. The term veganic was coined by Geoffrey Rudd as a contraction of “vegetable organic,” to stress that this style of farming was different both from chemical based farming and animal based farming of the organic variety.
Heirloom Varieties—Heirloom varieties are being mentioned a lot these days. A grower who uses heirloom seed has promised nothing about the farming practices used to raise their produce. Exactly what qualifies as an heirloom variety of produce may be confusing to many, probably because the definition differs depending on who you are asking. Some consider heirlooms to only be varieties strictly true to the definition of the word heirloom, as being handed down through a family. Others think any cultivar that is over 50 or 100 years old (one or the other, depending on who you ask) is an heirloom variety. Still others believe cultivars that predate 1945 or 1951 (again, one or the other) all have the right to heirloom status as they predate the hybrid seed era. However, there is some unchallenged common ground. Heirloom varieties come from seeds that are open-pollinated, not hybrids. They have been maintained over the years with traditional breeding and selection techniques. You will find no GMO’s here. Many heirloom varieties of produce are unique to specific ethnic groups or prized for their flavor, durability, or unique looks and not because they travel well cross-country, are favorable to mechanical picking, or simply produce well in conventional (chemical) farming systems. For one reason or another, heirlooms don’t have broad appeal and the large-scale agriculture and food industry have no use for them. Or at least they didn’t. With the increased interest in heirloom varieties of produce (unique and colorful and different) on the part of consumers, you can now find heirlooms popping up where you never would have before, from Walmart to Horrocks. But where and what did they come from?
And the Others—I was unable to find anyone who is certifying or even explicitly defining biologically, ecologically, or holistically grown produce. The implication seems pretty clear, though. Emphasis is being placed on living soil, biological interactions for pest control and improved crop growth, and integrated farming set-ups, for example. Is this emphasis being used to stand out as being better than organics? Or are phrases simply being used that suggest organics, but that won’t get you in trouble for using them? And what about sustainably grown produce? I have read definitions that describe sustainable agriculture as socially just, humane, economically viable, and environmentally sound. All agricultural attributes well worth pursuing, though perhaps difficult to pin down at points, not so much a farming method as general farming ideas that all should follow.
It really depends on why the words are being used. I recently asked a young man about his “biologically” raised crops. He was off, talking about nitrogen fixation, cover crops, and soil biology. He was enthusiastic and informed and I was impressed. I also asked a young woman about her “ecologically” raised produce. She said it doesn’t get sprayed with anything, and that was it. I was not impressed on this occasion. Additionally, I have heard some certified organic operations being referred to as “organic by neglect.” They simply do not spray, and they also don’t do anything to improve soil, foster beneficial insect population, implement buffer strips, etc.
Deep Organics/Beyond Organic—The emergence of “deep organics” and “beyond organic” terminology is probably a response to “organic by neglect” operations, to the USDA’s NOP certification, and to large-scale, agribusiness type organics. These farms hold themselves to stricter standards than the USDA NOP standards. They want to highlight that there is a difference between local, family farm organics and cross-country shipping of organic produce from large farming operations. Or perhaps they feel that even if the shaky letter of organic law is being followed in some situations, the spirit isn’t there. It just isn’t the same organics.
There is obviously a lot of farming going on out there. Whether it is being done certified organically, biodynamically, locally, with heirloom seeds and seed saving, or with some combination of various principles, it is clear that why it is being done goes a long way to explaining how it is being done. Wendell Berry said, “An organic farm, properly speaking, is not one that uses certain methods and substances and avoids others; it is a farm whose structure is formed in imitation of the structure of a natural system that has the integrity, the independence, and the benign dependence of an organism.” It should be encouraging to know that there are so many ways in which many people are doing their parts to foster and share in a healthy environment.
Leah Smith is a MOFFA member and a Michigan State alumna (B.S., Crop and Soil Sciences). She works at Nodding Thistle, her family’s farm, which has a history of organic gardening and farm marketing since 1984.
Source: MOFFA
