Certifying your soil and farm as organic has its advantages and disadvantages.
Farmers who wish to market their products as certified organic must be certified by a state organization or by the United States Department of Agriculture. Because consumers rarely buy their food from a farm they know, especially when shopping in a store as opposed to a farmers' market, it is important to know what type of farm the food came from. Does this Spark an idea?
Soil Health
The health and fertility of the soil is the foundation for all organic farming. A fertile soil provides nutrients to plants and helps support a diversity of life on a microbial level. Organic farmers do not use pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Instead, organic farmers rely on soil-building methods like green manures, animal manure (from animals fed organically), crop rotation and compost. The soil must be routinely tested to check for nutrients as well as any banned substances.
Certification Process
A farm that wishes to be certified organic must submit an application and the appropriate fee. There is a lengthy questionnaire that asks about farm details such as soil fertility planning, seeds and seedlings and weed and pest management practices, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. The farm is then inspected, including a soil test and a final review done.
Disadvantages
Whether you choose to grow your foods organically, certification can have its disadvantages, too. Farm inspections will happen at least once a year in most places. If you are near other farms that use chemicals, you will have to manage fences and other ways to prevent chemical "drift." If, for some reason, you ever need to use a chemical -- or get manure from animals that were chemically treated in a significant quantity -- you could lose your certification. Some farmers choose to grow organic and simply market their food as "grown without chemicals," rather than as "organic."
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