“GOING ORGANIC”—WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

In order for a farm to be considered “organic”, there are some basic guidelines that must be followed. First and foremost, a farm must be certified to be free from the application of commercial pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers for three years. Documentation to that effect must be provided, and certification is provided by either state or USDA inspectors. Just because you say a farm is organic doesn’t mean it IS organic. It must be so certified by government inspectors, and records must be kept to document that status.

Organic Barley Farm In early 2009, at the time of this writing, the rules of organic farming are still evolving. Beef producers, dairy farmers, vegetable farmers, fruit growers, and grain farmers are still working out the definitions of “certified organic”. A farming practice that may be considered organic today may not meet the standards in two or three years.

In the case of livestock cultivation, organic certification can be more difficult to attain. By the time a steer, lamb, dairy cow, or goat has been raised to milk production or slaughter status, there have been many different sources of feed, water, vaccination, and maintenance. Some of these products are considered organic—such as vaccinations, believe it or not—and some are not, such as growth hormones and antibiotics.

Just because a farm is organic doesn’t mean it’s not fertilized or pests aren’t controlled. A vinegar application might deter worms from an apple crop. Liquified chicken manure might be an excellent fertilizer for hayfields. You can still kill worms with natural pesticides and boost your production with fertilizer, but the products you use must be organic herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers—and get ready to open your wallet. Sometimes you get into the tricky questions—when you’re applying chicken manure for fertilizer, were the chickens fed commercial feeds, and were they exposed to antibiotics and growth hormones? If so, is the manure from these chickens an organic fertilizer? You’d better research it before you use it.

Another ranch real estate broker and I once queried a farmer about the organic status of his alfalfa fields, knowing that we had a buyer for his $13 million farm if his farm could provide organic alfalfa to a large organic dairy. Indeed, every aspect of his operations was organic—except his new alfalfa fields had been planted with seed that had been coated with a fungicide. Not organic. Wait three years. Do not pass go, do not collect $13 million. You should have seen the look on his face when he realized his mistake.

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