Organic vs Conventional Farming Methods Understanding The Growing Process And What It Means To Be “Organic”

USDA Organic Qualifications The US Department of Agriculture has specific requirements that must be met and verified before anything can be labeled as USDA organic. These standards ensure that organic production allows for biodiversity, uses only approved substances, and protecs natural resources.

USDA Organic Qualifications USDA Organic Standards: Crops Prohibits the usage of irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms Livestock Producers must meet animal health and welfare requirements, ban the usage of antibiotics and growth hormones, use 100% organic feed, and allow animals access to the outdoors Multi-ingredient foods The product must have 95% or more certified organic ingredients to earn the USDA organic seal

Conventional vs Organic Practices Growth Promotion Chemical fertilizers Natural fertilizers: manure or compost Pest and Disease Reduction Synthetic insecticides Pesticides originating from natural sources, beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption, or traps Weed Management Synthetic herbicides Environmentally produced plant-killing compound, crop rotation, till, hand weed, or mulch Prevent Disease Hormones, antibiotics, and medications given to animals Use organic feed and give animals access to the outdoors, balanced diet, and clean living environment

Conventional Farming Environmental consequences linked with industrial style farming practices: Water: Agricultural runoff was reported to be a main cause of negative impacts on water quality in rivers and lakes Second largest source of damage to wetlands Large contributor to the pollution of estuaries and groundwater (National Water Quality Inventory)

Conventional Farming Soil: Monoculture- a common practice in industrial farming- depletes nutrients in the soil and loosens soil particles, making it more prone to erosion. Continual usage of fertilizers makes soil more acidic and destroys the top layer of humus which binds soil particles together.

Conventional Farming Biodiversity: Industrial farming promotes the large production of a single crop, known as monoculture, and places biodiversity at risk. This makes monocrops vulnerable to extreme losses from pests and diseases.

Organic Farming Environmental benefits resulting from organic farming: Water: The risk of water pollution is reduced with organic farming because the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, a major cause of water contaminations, is prohibited.

Organic Farming Soil: Crop rotation, organic fertilizers, and other soil building tactics are common practice in organic farming. These practices create a more stable soil system, increase the water and nutrient holding capacity of the soil, and increases overall soil productivity .

Organic Farming Biodiversity Scientists at Oxford University estimate that organic farms support an average of 34% more plant, animal, and insect species than conventional farms. Abstaining from the usage of pesticides and fertilizers promotes biodiversity through promoting a natural balance with the ecosystem and discouraging the dominance of one particular crop.