Organic: Is It The Pinnacle?

If I asked most consumers what their idea of organically raised proteins was I believe I would get an answer similar to this: “a cow loafing around on picturesque pastures with all the lush green grass they could want available to them, clean meat with no antibiotics, added hormones, or vaccines and just generally happy and healthy.” If I asked what that looked like for a chicken or pig I’m sure I would get a very similar answer, “chickens free ranging across the landscape scratching and chasing all the bugs and other morsels they desire, pigs frolicing through the woods, rooting and wallowing until their little piggy hearts are content.” This sounds great, right? Definitely a product you would promote and buy to feed your family.

…what if I told you that's not the case for most organically produced meats?

The following article is meant to educate the consumer on what it really requires to sell a package of meat with an organic stamp on it. This isn’t meant to knock organic producers at all, some of whom do a fantastic job of promoting animal welfare and go above and beyond the minimum standards in place, but instead to prompt you, the consumer, to ask more questions.

Organic is not created equally!

You have a right to know how your food was raised and handled, and if it fits into the methods you feel are important to you. I encourage you to do your research, ask questions, and know exactly how that cut of meat was produced. 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines organic production as, “A production system that responds to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biological diversity”.

What can we immediately infer here?

First, this definition focuses on organic agriculture as a production system. This is important because soil, water, plants, animals, insects, bacteria, fungi, and all other parts of the system can interact to cause harm or prevent it. The difference is how we manage these things and whether they hurt us or help us. The regulations in place for organic agriculture focus on working to harness all of these factors and promote them in a way that is beneficial to the whole system, in other words, using them to help us in our production. 

Secondly, we can notice that nowhere in that definition does it say anything about how we use animals to achieve the defined production system. It leaves a lot to interpretation, and this is where I say you as the consumer, should be asking questions about how these animals were raised, even though they’re certified organic. Animals raised in an organic system are definitely raised in better situations than their conventional agriculture counterparts, but what are the requirements to be certified organic? 

• Appropriate housing that permits natural behavior, including outdoor space

• Certified organic feed, including pasture

• No antibiotics, drugs or synthetic parasiticides 

• Organic processing of meat and eggs 

• Record keeping system to allow tracking of poultry and products 

• Organic system plan including description of practices to prevent contamination, monitoring practices and lists of inputs 

• Production that does not contribute to contamination of soil or water 

• No genetically modified organisms, ionizing radiation or sewage sludge.

Now that you’ve read the requirements to be certified organic, I’d like to bring your attention to something. The first bullet point, “appropriate housing that permits natural behavior, including outdoor space.” This one bullet point leaves a lot of questions as to what is appropriate housing that permits natural behavior, and in fact, this is not defined by the USDA for organic producers. If we dig further into the USDA “Guide for Organic Livestock Producers” handbook we do find some clarification on this topic. 

In terms of pigs and poultry (the animals we produce on our farm) to be certified organic the USDA prohibits continuous total confinement of pigs and chickens and these animals must have access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air, clean drinking water, and direct sunlight. However, the regulations do not require that pigs or poultry be raised on pasture, or in a pasture system, and that pastured poultry and pigs often meet or exceed the regulation requirements. In terms of beef, the USDA states that ruminant slaughter stock be maintained on pasture during the grazing seasons but can be moved into finishing systems so long as there is no overcrowding and competition. Furthermore, the finishing period shall not exceed one-fifth of the animal’s total life or 120 days, whichever is shorter. 

What should you take from the above regulations?

First, you can and probably are buying organically produced pork and poultry that was raised on concrete and allowed access to a yard of some kind, not necessarily pasture, and beef that is not grass finished but was finished in a feedlot type of setting and fed organic grain. Keep in mind, there are no regulations on how big of an “outdoor” area pigs and poultry have to have access to so long as it provides clean air, clean water, and the ability to get up and exercise. The same goes for beef. In a finishing system, there needs to be enough room to limit feeding competition and stress.

Very lacking regulations if you ask me.

The bright side of this article is that these are the minimum requirements to be certified organic, and most organic producers far exceed these production minimums and produce very nutritious and high quality products. However, you never know unless you ask. I encourage you to ask questions about how your products are produced, and furthermore to do your own research on this topic and formulate your own conclusions.

So, is Organic the pinnacle?

Is it the standard everyone should strive for? I don’t know, but I can tell you here at Born & Grazed we aren’t certified organic. Our pigs, broilers, and laying hens are all raised on pasture 24/7 and are permitted a large amount more than “adequate” room to roam and express their natural behaviors. We do not use hormones or antibiotics; we do not heavily vaccinate, and we allow our animals to carry out their natural, instinctive behaviors in a way that is beneficial to our land and our overall health.

My intention for this article was to bring to your attention the need to ask questions and do your own research when it comes to the food you put in your body. Many people see a certified organic label and never give it a second thought. Please do not take things at face value. Ask the appropriate questions: how producers raise their animals, what kind of production model they follow, do their animals have 24/7 access to fresh pasture, do they rotationally graze, etc… This may be difficult when grocery shopping, but you can often search the brands and get the clarification you seek.

At the end of the day I encourage you to find a local farmer who follows the production methods you find important, and give them your business. Organic is great and is far superior to conventional ag, but not all organic is created equally, and as a consumer you have the right to know how your food was produced so you can purchase and consume with complete confidence. 

James Coto 

Owner Operator Born & Grazed Farming Co.