Organic Agriculture

1020 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Brief summary of organic farming

Organic Agriculture

Organic agriculture is the oldest type of agriculture there is. Many people don't know exactly what has to be done to say that you are farming organically, these days. Organic Agriculture has been increasing in size over the past few years as more people worry about what they are eating. Many people donít know what it exactly means to be farming organically.

The National Organic Standards Boards defines organic agriculture is ìan 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. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.î (NOSB, 1999)

Many farmers are switching to organic farming for many different reasons. According to Iowa State University, ìOrganic farmers hope to reduce the 240 million pounds of herbicides applied each year in the Midwest.î (February 2002) There are also large premiums paid for organic crops. According to Born and Sullivan, ìPrices for organic grains have been running at double the conventional prices, and organic oilseeds, particularly soybeans, at triple the conventional prices.î (2002)

In order to sell your crops as organic you must be certified. There are many different agencies that do this; the state of Iowa just started a certifying agency. In order for your crop to be certified you must follow certain rules exactly. According to Iowa State University, ìTo sell a crop as organic the crop must have been raised on land that no synthetic chemical ...

... middle of paper ...

...s want to try make more money.

Works Cited

Bowman, Greg (1997). Steel In The Field-A farmerís guide to weed management tools. Sustainable Agriculture Network, USDA, National Agriculture Library, Beltsville, MD.

Iowa State University (May 2002). Organic Agriculture. Retrieved November 12, 2002, from http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag/pubs/PM1880.pdf.

Iowa State University (February 2002). Weed Management for Organic Farmers. Retrieved November 12, 2002, from http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag/pubs/PM1883.pdf.

Born, Holly and Sullivan, Preston (February 2002). Marketing Organic Grains. Retrieved November 12, 2002 from http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/marketingorganicgrains.html

The National Organic Standards Board tells the definition of Organic (http://www.organic.org/7/guide/board.html). Retrieved November 12, 2002.

Show More
Related

  • The Benefits of FFA Membership

    3621 Words  | 8 Pages

    Sheshadri, T. (2001, December 26). Student recognized for agricultural acumen. The San Diego Union Tribune, N1-4. Retrieved on March 20, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (Newspapers) on the World Wide Web: http://www.lexisnexis.com/universe.htm.

    Read More

  • What Is DDT In Australia?

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    Organic fertilisers and natural pest control methods minimise the impact of viticulture on the environment. In recent years there has been a considerable movement by some growers towards an organic approach. This is as a result of consumer driven trends and pressure to minimise the environmental impact of viticulture.

    Read More

  • Organic vs. Non-organic Foods

    2300 Words  | 5 Pages

    Organic products and non-organic products have been a subject of interest to me for a great amount of time because I have often questioned whether there really was a difference between the two types of products. I always wondered what the nutritional, economic, laborious, and pollution differences were, if any, in the creation of the two types of products. Through research, I have found several sources of information that allow me to determine more than a physical difference between the two. To start, labeling something as organic is specific and determined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The regulations set are extremely specific and it is relatively difficult to meet the standards.

    Read More

  • Nobel Prize Laureates in the Field of Medicine and Physiology

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    James E. Rothman was born on the 3rd of November 1950 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Rothman is a professor at Yale School of Medicine for the Cell Biology department. Rothman was given the Nobel Prize for vesicle trafficking in the human body. In the late 1980s and 1990s Rothman began to study the transportation of mammalian cells. He discovered that there was “a protein complex allows vesicles to dock and fuse with their target membranes” (Altman). After his investigation he determined that the proteins on the vesicles and target membranes bind together completely. When Rothman was conducting his investigation he noticed the combination of the proteins which led him to conduce that the relation to allow the cell to reach to a particular location at a particular time was beyond belief.

    Read More

  • Quality And Safety In Nursing Essay

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Working in the health care setting, teamwork and collaboration are used frequently to insure that everything runs correctly and efficiently. According to qsen.org, teamwork and collaboration consists of functioning effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care. While assessing the patient a nurse can come into contact and work with many different individuals. These can include other nurses, doctors, therapists, and family

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Organic Farming

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    Organic refers to the way agricultural products, food and fiber, are grown and processed. “It is an ecological system that at its core relies on a healthy rich soil to produce strong plants that resist pests and diseases. Organic farming prohibits the use of toxic and persistent chemicals in favor of more “earth-friendly” practices that work in harmony with nature. In the case of livestock, antibiotics are prohibited, opting instead for preventative measures for keeping animals healthy and productive. Organic production also prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s).” (Ameriorganic) To find organic products one must only look for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seal. The seal certifies the product must be 95%

    Read More

  • Multidisciplinary Team Healthcare

    2385 Words  | 5 Pages

    The practice of using inter-professional teams in delivering care is not a new concept but current health policy requires professionals work within a multidisciplinary team Department of Health (2001) and entrenched in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) Code. The principle focus of this essay is to discuss the importance of inter-professional collaboration in delivering effective health care and what challenges and constraints exist. The integration of a case study will give an insight into inter-professional collaboration in practice.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Persuasive Speech On Organic Food

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sup Point B: Organic food is different from conventional food in several ways. Organic food uses natural resources like manure and compost in to enrich the soil where food is being grown. Any form of chemicals such as pesticides are not permitted to be used in any form. Organic farmers use crop rotation to preserve the soil. Organic farmersdo not ...

    Read More

  • Difference Between Organic and Conventional Foods and Farming

    1462 Words  | 3 Pages

    Organic foods are those grown without the use of growth hormones, antibiotics, synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizers. Genetically modifying crops is also not preformed in organic farming. Soil fertility can be maintained using crop rotation, cultivation practices, and cover crops. Natural fertilizers and pesticides are still considered to be included in organic farming (Winter & Davis, 2006). Products that are controlled with cultivation conditions rather than chemical-synthetic pesticides include organic products (Woese, Lange, Boess & Werner Bogl, 1999). The use of synthetic pesticides and materials falls under conventional farming. If the materials are on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, it can, however, be considered organic. A process that chemically changes a substance extracted from naturally occurring sources is considered a synthetic material (Winter & Davis, 2006).

    Read More

  • Why Do People Buy Organic Food?

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    “ The term ‘organic’ refers to the use of renewable resources, land management including maintenance of water and soil systems, limited synthetic chemical application and the absence of certain prohibited substances such as hormones, sewer sludge or bioengineered products. Additionally, farmland used to grow organic crops is prohibited from being treated by synthetic pesticides for at least 3 years prior to harvest” (USDA 2006, 7 CFR 205.2, 7 CFR 205.105) (Wunderlich, Shahla M., et al 2008).

    Read More

  • Organic versus Conventional Farming

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.

    Read More

  • Difference Between Conventional And Conventional Agriculture

    2223 Words  | 5 Pages

    A study of 362 datasets found that organic agriculture produces 80% of conventional yield with 21% standard deviation (Tomek et al. 2012). Second, organic farming requires less energy input which equates to less money spend from the farmers in addition to lowering carbon emissions. A study by the Department of Environment shows that organic agriculture uses 25 percent less than energy than their chemical counterparts, and certain crops like organic leeks and broccoli use 58 and 49 percent less, respectively (Bialis et al. 2013). Third, organic farming does not use pesticides. According to the World Health Center, 20,000 people die annually from the exposure of pesticides (Costa et al. 2014). Fourth, the methods that organic farmers use are better for the environment in the long run. And lastly, organic farming creates more jobs. A study done in United Kingdom shows 93,000 jobs could be created if Britain were to make a full scale shift to organic farming (Herro 2006). Although conventional agriculture is the primary producer for food currently, a large scale shift to organic agriculture is better suited to feed the world because organic agriculture can produce at adequate yield, requires less energy input, do not use

    Read More

  • Organic Foods vs. Non-organic Foods

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    First of all, the main reason that people choose organic food is that people think organic foods have less chemical residue, such as pesticide, and fertilizer. In the article “Organic foods contain higher levels of certain nutrients, lower levels of pesticides, and may provide health benefits for the consumer”, Crinnion indicated that organic foods just had 33 percent of the amount of pesticide and fertilizer residues that found in conventional foods, and conventional foods contain two or more types of chemical residues than organic foods (Crinnion, 2010). In addition, Crinnion used a study of Seattle preschoolers as an example to demonstrate organic foods have less pesticide residues. The study of Seattle concluded that children who ate more conventional foods had six times higher level of pesticide resi...

    Read More

  • Organic Farming Is Better Than Organic Farming

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    In our world today food is the most important tool for us to continue living in this world, but as our population continues to grow our food supply is going down rapidly at its highest point. The farmers today is finding new ways to sustain the supply of food and new practices are put into use. Inorganic farming are the main practice used by farmers to produce our crops, but now the farmers are using organic farming. Out of the two farming practices, we believe that organic farming is an alternative and better way in farming, preferred by the majority, producing healthier products, more environmental friendly farming methods and overall more beneficial for humans than inorganic farming. In order to prove

    Read More

  • Essay On Organic Farming

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are different levels of organic. For produce or other crops to be labeled 100% organic, it must meet certain criteria. It must be USDA certified and contain no less than 95% organic ingredients. To be labeled as being made with organic ingredients, it must be USDA certified and contain at least 70% organic ingredients.

    Read More

More about Organic Agriculture

Open Document