Organic foods are widely available today. Most people that switch to organic only foods report a boost in their energy levels. They also report that they are in better health. They get fewer allergies, cold, and when they do catch an illness they recover a lot quicker. Some families do not have the option to switch to organic only diets because of the costs of the products. A lot of people say this can actually afford it though. If they are eating a lot of processed foods they can cut these items out of their grocery budget and put towards organic only items. Processed Food are not only expensive they are very bad for your boy because of the chemicals used to process them. Organic foods are all natural. What is the difference between organic farming and conventional farmers?

Organic farmers only use natural fertilizers such as manure to feed the plants. Conventional farmers use chemical fertilizers to feed the plants and those fertilizers are passed on to the food. Organic farmers use beneficial insects and birds and traps to reduce pests and the diseases they cause. Conventional farmers use insecticides to reduce pests and the diseases they cause. To manage weeds, organic farmers, till and hand weed as well as rotate crops. Conventional farmer’s chemicals to manage weeds. Organic Farmers use all natural ingredients to feed the animals while conventional farmers give growth hormones and antibiotics to increase the quality of their meat. Always read labels on food to make sure that they are 100 percent organic and not just made of organic ingredients.

A lot of people are making the switch to organic cleaning products as well. They have major health and environmental advantages. When using regular products you are exposed to all kinds of chemicals that are bad for our environment as well as our health. Organic cleaning products do not have chemicals and they are safe for everyone to use while protecting our environment as well. Many major retailers are stating to carry these protects. Look at Clorox and the new products that they are making. They are just about the same price as regular cleaning products and they are all organic and so much better for our nation.

One area that is difficult to find is organic baby products. Organic baby products are getting easier to find. At many high end retailers you can find organic baby clothing, crib bedding and bath products. They are high end items that are made from organic materials.

Organic clothing is getting easier to find as well. Wal-Mart is starting to carry organic clothing. Cotton farming is very hard on our environment. Statistics state that every t-shirt made with regular cotton require ¼ cup of chemicals. With organic cotton no harsh toxins or synthetic fertilizers are used .Natural fertilizers are used to produce organic cotton. A wide variety of organic cotton clothing is now available, t-shirts, socks, pants, underwear, skirts, blouses, sheets, pillowcases and towels. A lot of high end retailers are also making organic clothing.

Organic living is not only being concerned about our environment but changing your lifestyle to a healthy lifestyle!!!

Everywhere you look, someone is telling you to eat organic, wear something organic etc, but for those of us on who are new the idea it can be very difficult to learn how to integrate more green living into our every day lives. If you are already doing a little but want to do a little something more to reduce your carbon footprint; here are some easy and fun ways to go organic and get greener. In most cities and towns usually between May and October, there are Farmer’s Markets. An afternoon at the Farmer’s Market can provide you numerous opportunities to find and buy organic products. Check your local free papers, city websites for dates and times . Bring your own tote bag and stock up on organic seasonal fruits and vegetables.

And remember foods aren’t the only organic things you can get your hands on. If you look through your own pantries and cupboards you probably have lots of household cleansers right? Some careful shopping can open a whole world of toxic chemical free organic based household cleaning products. Imagine, no more headaches from the noxious fumes while cleaning your kitchen or bathroom. No more worrying about young children or pets putting their mouths on things you’ve just cleaned. Another great way to get some organic into your life is to start drinking teas. You might be surprised to find that you don’t have to buy high-end bulk teas to get quality organically grown teas.

There are many name brand and reasonably priced teas that have organic ingredients. You may be asking yourself where to find these things? Many grocery stores have their organic items in their own aisles. You might even be able to find organic and “green” items at your local drug store. Very nearly any personal toiletry you might want or need, there’s a safe bet you can find that very same thing made with all organic ingredients. Supporting our organic farmers and companies is one small thing you can do to make this world a better place for all of us. If you want to go a step further than what goes in your belly or on your skin, start looking for clothing made from organic materials. A simple web search can provide you with many companies specializing in producing apparel made from organic and Fair Trade materials.

One thing to remember when buying clothing made from organic materials is to make sure you check the care labels and treat your garments accordingly. With just a little bit of effort on your part, you can incorporate organic foods, toiletries, cleaning supplies and even clothing into yours and your families lives. A few extra minutes in the grocery store, maybe a few minutes on the Internet between checking your email and playing solitaire and voila you’re living a greener life.

When those irritating insects start to annoy us in warmer weather rub a mixture containing jojoba oil, eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender and rosemary essential oils, on to your skin or if you prefer, burn numerous citronella candles. Take care of your skin using products which are healthier and do not cost a fortune. Remove eye makeup using a cotton wool swab which holds a few drops of virgin olive oil. Wash your skin using glycerin soaps, which will not strip the natural oils from your skin. For a moisturizer, rub jojoba oil into your skin. Your skin will not feel oily or too dry. Ever thought of sodium bicarbonate or baking powder/soda as having multiple uses? Apart from being used in baking etc., it is a convenient, economical housecleaning and personal care tool. Make a solution of baking soda and warm water and use this to wipe down household surfaces which include steel, fiberglass, chrome, plastic and tiles. For surfaces that need a mild abrasive, sprinkle the powder directly onto a damp sponge or cloth and scrub. Baking soda is also a wonderful deodorizer and removes offensive odors. Merely place an opened box in your fridge and freezer. So you forgot to buy toothpaste, baking powder offers a great substitute, as it is mildly abrasive and non-toxic. Use a simple mixture of vegetable oil with a little lemon juice as a wood furniture polish or simmer a mixture of cloves and cinnamon as a safe air freshener. Ever thought of cleaning your mirrors using a little vinegar and water? These are just a few examples whereby an organic home relies on simple products and certainly costs a lot less, providing a safer environment for our families.

History

The organic farming movement was born in the twentieth century as a response to the concerns of some agricultural ecologists that so-called conventional farming practices were causing environmental harm, and that in the long term were basically unsustainable. Concerns that organic farming practitioners have with conventional farming include contamination of ground waters with fertilizers and pesticides, loss of genetic crop diversity, eutrophication of aquatic habitats, and depletion of soil fertility. Organic farming proponents used production techniques that built upon those long used by traditional farmers prior to the discovery of agricultural chemicals. In fact, even today, millions of small farmers in the developing world continue to follow chemical-free production techniques. Most of these subsistence farmers, located in tropical areas, follow chemical-free practices by default, because they lack the capital or access to relatively expensive synthetic products. In the developed world, organic farming increased rapidly in popularity in Europe, Japan, Oceania, and the United States, beginning in the second half of the twentieth century. Even though organic farms still represent less than 5 percent of all the agricultural acreage, their popularity continues to increase in both developed and developing countries. Despite the fact that the acreage under organic farming is rapidly increasing, to date the demand for organic produce has actually outpaced the available supply. Because of the real or perceived safety of organic produce, the appeal and demand for organic products are expected to continue to increase exponentially in the foreseeable future.

Organic farmers normally undergo a rigorous on-farm certification process before they can label their products as organic. This process, created to protect the consumer, simply certifies the production process, but the organic label itself makes no claims as to the safety or chemical composition of the labeled product. The recently established federal organic standards in the United States, and similar standards already established worldwide, will further facilitate the expansion and trade of organic products on a global basis.

Production Practices

One of the fundamental principles of organic farming is the goal to maintain and improve soil quality. Proponents believe that having a healthy soil is the basis for having a sound crop production system. According to this perspective, crops grown on healthy soils will grow faster, will better tolerate or resist pests and diseases, will have better quality, and will result in adequate yields, year after year. Important tactics to improve soil quality include increasing the organic matter content of the soil, crop rotations, and growing a diversity of crops on the farm. Organic matter is added to the soil by applying composts, using organic mulches, or by growing cover crops as part of the crop rotation program. If the soil suffers from a nutrient imbalance or lacks a particular nutrient, this can be rectified by applying accepted natural materials such as lime, rock phosphate, or sulfur. A healthy soil is also believed to result in crops that better resist or outgrow pest invasions. Other important cultural practices used to minimize pest attack include crop rotations, field sanitation, planting resistant varieties or cultivars, crop diversification, and the conservation of natural enemies. When pest outbreaks occur, as a last resort, organic farmers may apply naturally occurring pesticides (such as sulfur), use botanicals, release beneficials purchased from a commercial supplier, or use other tactics approved by the organic certification guidelines.

Historically, organic farmers have received little support from established research universities, as the overall research focus to date has been to increase yields of conventionally grown crops. However, as the demand for organic products continues to increase worldwide, more and more research resources are gradually being devoted toward improving organic systems. Thus, in the foreseeable future, research will improve our knowledge of how organic systems function, revealing new alternative methods to maintain long-term fertility of the soil, and ways to manage important pests and diseases.

Risks and Benefits of Organic Farming

Farmers throughout the world have adopted organic farming mainly because of a concern about the environment, to protect the health of the family farm and its hired labor, and with the goal of marketing crops that are free of pesticide residues or genetically modified products. However, the label of an organically certified crop only makes claims about the production process, and not about the quality or nutritional composition of the crop being sold. While organic produce sold in the marketplace is, for the most part, considered safe for human consumption, critics point out that organic produce may pose a health risk due to the possible presence of biological contaminants (such as E. coli), or toxic botanical pesticides. Other real or perceived problems with organic farming include a higher cost of production, lower relative yields, lower quality due to a greater incidence of blemishes in the produce caused by insects and diseases, and the general lack of technical information currently available to manage large-scale organic production systems to supply a large consumer base with high-quality produce on a year-round basis.

Future Trends and Opportunities

The organic farming industry is currently undergoing a fast transformation from a relatively small niche market, into a part of the mainstream global produce production and distribution system. As the demand for organic produce continues to increase at about 20 percent annually, the supply cannot currently keep up with the growing demand. As the size of the organic industry grows and as the international markets develop, the industry will grow in sophistication from a production and marketing standpoint to meet the quality and service standards expected by consumers. Thus, the organic industry will need the support of universities and government agencies to continue to develop the technological know-how and marketing infrastructure needed to establish a dynamic and competitive world-class organic produce industry.

Definitions

Eutrophication. Oxygen depletion in aquatic habitats due to excessive nutrient leaching (especially phosphorus) from agricultural runoff, resulting in the death of aquatic biota.

Community supported agriculture (or CSA; also termed subscription farming). Members of the community purchase “shares” from local growers, “investing” in the current production season, and thereby sharing in both the risk and bounty of agriculture. Produce from the farm is distributed to members on a weekly basis during the harvest season.

Soil quality. In general terms soil quality refers to a combined number of physical and biological soil attributes that result in optimal crop growth. The particular attributes that affect soil quality may vary across locations and by the crop being grown. Some traits that promote soil quality include high organic matter content, good texture, no compaction, good drainage, optimal temperature, and a deep soil profile.

Natural enemies, or beneficials. The typical farm is a host to a wide number and diversity of macro-and microorganisms living both above and below ground. Only a very small percentage of these organisms is considered harmful to crop growth—and thus categorized as a pest. Organisms in the soil or in the plant canopy that feed on, or that in some way antagonize, crop pests are called natural enemies or “beneficial” organisms.

Organic certification guidelines. Written guidelines have been established for growing crops organically in many parts of the world. Farms that follow these guidelines can become certified, which allows farmers to label their products as organic in the marketplace. Federal organic standards in the United States will facilitate the global expansion and consumer awareness of this growing eco-industry.

Cultural Practices Typical of Organic Farming

• Increased soil organic matter through organic amendment applications
• Rotations
• Use of cover crops and green manures to break pest and disease cycles and to improve soil fertility
• Increased vegetational diversity
• Enhanced biological control
• Alternative marketing techniques such as Community Supported Agriculture or direct marketing to health-food stores.
• Use of organic fertilizers and organic pesticides approved by the Federal Organic Standards list of approved products.

Organic Farming: Can It Feed Us (Part 1)

Special Organic Farming: Can It Feed Us? Part 1 Karl Grossman Chief Investigative Reporter examines Organic Farming on Eastern Long Island. What is organic farming? Organic VVH-TV News Special
Organic Farming: Can It Feed Us? Part 1

Karl Grossman Chief Investigative Reporter examines Organic Farming on Eastern Long Island.

What is organic farming?
Organic farming can be defined as an approach to agriculture where the aim is to create integrated, humane, environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural production systems. Maximum reliance is placed on locally or farm-derived renewable resources and the management of self-regulating ecological and biological processes and interactions in order to provide acceptable levels of crop, livestock and human nutrition, protection from pests and diseases, and an appropriate return to the human and other resources employed. Reliance on external inputs, whether chemical or organic, is reduced as far as possible. In many European countries, organic agriculture is known as ecological agriculture, reflecting this reliance on ecosystem management rather than external inputs.

The objective of sustainability lies at the heart of organic farming and is one of the major factors determining the acceptability or otherwise of specific production practices. The term ‘sustainable’ is used in its widest sense, to encompass not just conservation of non-renewable resources (soil, energy, minerals) but also issues of environmental, economic and social sustainability. The term ‘organic’ is best thought of as referring to the concept of the farm as an organism, in which all the component parts – the soil minerals, organic matter, micro-organisms, insects, plants, animals and humans – interact to create a coherent and stable whole.

The key characteristics of organic farming include:

protecting the long term fertility of soils by maintaining organic matter levels, encouraging soil biological activity, and careful mechanical intervention;

providing crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble nutrient sources which are made available to the plant by the action of soil micro-organisms;

nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock manures;

weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring, resistant varieties and limited (preferably minimal) thermal, biological and chemical intervention;

the extensive management of livestock, paying full regard to their evolutionary adaptations, behavioural needs and animal welfare issues with respect to nutrition, housing, health, breeding and rearing;

careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the wider environment and the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats.

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Organic Dairyman: Birdhouses

swallows that feed on flies, using nature to control insect pests naturally.…organic milk dairy farms sustainable agriculture cows jerseys advertising commercials entertainment news performing A long string of pink bird houses line the Bansen dairy farm. Not merely for decoration, these bird houses provide nesting grounds for the swallows that feed on flies, using nature to control insect pests naturally. (more) (less)

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Organic Dairyman: The Farmer

Jon Bansen believes that since he converted his farm over to being organic and sustainable, he’s becomes a much better farmer, and built a better business. In Jon Bansen believes that since he converted his farm over to being organic and sustainable, he’s becomes a much better farmer, and built a better business. In this story, there may be important lessons for both farmers and the American Public. Recipe from the episode: Egg Enchiladas (more) (less)

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What about the soil itself? Over time, synthetic fertiliers acidify the soil and damage the structure of the soil, causing it to compress into a lifeless brick. That spells trouble because the soil can no longer hold — and deliver — water, air and nutrients to your plants. Oh, and then there’s water pollution; and our food is less healthy, especially for kids who are most affected by pollution.

Bottom line: Synthetic fertilizers provide impressive results in the short term, but once you start using them, like an addiction, you have to keep using them.

During the night, a small door on the side of the wooden horse opened. One by one, enemy soldiers climbed out of the horse’s hollow belly.

Trojan Horse story

You know the rest of the Trojan Horse story. The lesson is that you can’t always take things at face value. The following, real-life Trojan horse story doesn’t have a gruesome ending, but it taught me a valuable lesson — and one you CAN take at face value.

Last August I received an email from a company rep that sells garden products. A couple days later, the phone rang. “You’re a garden writer who lives in Alaska, right?” the lady with the 20-something voice asked.

“Well, yes, I am? What can I do for you?” I replied after a long pause caused by the satellite phone link.

“We’d like you test our tiller. If we send one to you, would you try it out and send us your thoughts on how it worked for you?”

“Sure thing,” I said absentmindedly, thinking that if someone wanted to send me a piece of equipment all the way to Alaska they must really want my opinion.

The Trojan Horse tiller arrives

Weeks passed. One day, I returned home after running errands to find a large, heavy-duty cardboard box blocking the front door.

“What the heck is this?” My memory kicked in as I scanned the words “Wizard Tiller” on the side of the box.

The promised tiller had landed. Ugh. I liked using a roto-tiller in my garden about as much as I liked dropping a refrigerator on my foot.

It’s not that I have anything against the machines. And surely it has nothing to do with the display ads in gardening and home improvement magazines showing a model — usually a young lady –smiling while operating a tiller with one hand. Like you, I believed the ads and figured roto-tiller, like drill bits, solved problems. They made short work of turning the soil and preparing a garden for planting, right?

Thankfully, science and common sense is showing us The Way. (Keep reading, and you’ll learn how Jethro Tull fits in all this.)

Why is deep tilling a bad thing?

Before I answer that, deep tilling doesn’t apply to hoeing a row or using a pitchfork to turn over the first few inches of soil. Nor does it apply to tilling in, say, prairie sod to establish a new garden. Deep tilling means repeatedly cutting up soil with a roto-tiller.

Happy worms in organic garden
What can I say? Healthy worms are happy worms!
You see, soil is alive. In fact, it’s like the New York City of the plant world — a complex mix of fine rock particles, organic matter, water, air, microorganisms and other small critters. In fact, healthy soil is chock-a-block FULL of living things such as plant roots, animals, insects, bacteria, fungi and other organisms. It’s a jungle down there.

“Managing your soils to keep this living system thriving can make the difference between gardening success and failure,” says Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening — An excellent reference. You can buy inexpensive, used copies through Amazon.com.

Organic gardening book

What makes good soil? Texture and structure are as important as the foundation of your home. You need it to enjoy and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Soil is more than dirt!

Soil is more than dirt. In fact, it’s 50 percent minerals and 50 percent water and air. Let that sink in for a moment. Half of soil is minerals, and the rest is water and air. The spaces between the minerals (made of tiny rock fragments) are the holding areas for soil water and air, the super highways by which nutrients travel and connect everything in the soil.

Ideal soil is friable, which means the various particles form little clusters with air pockets between them. Having said that, try this simple soil test, which happens to be the same sort of test that early pioneers used to sample the land as they moved west across the United States in search of good land.

Here’s what you do: Squeeze a handful of your garden soil. Now loosen your grip and study what’s in your hand. Does it stick to your fingers like clay, all wet and soggy-like? Or does it spring back a little, have some give and fluff to it? Now take a sniff. How does it smell? Sour, like old cheese, or earthy and sweet?

Smell soil with your nose
Follow your nose!

Fluffy and earthy smelling is what you want. To get there, you can choose from numerous gardening practices that support healthy soil. For example:
+ Raised beds
+ Topping with mulch
+ Turning compost in the top 4 to 6 inches

On the flip side, here are some things that actually harm soil structure:
+ Walking on the soil
+ Using chemical fertilizers (they kill friendly organisms and acidify the soil over time)
+ Deep tilling or roto-tilling

I turned to my garden-writer friend Jeff Lowenfels, who lives in Anchorage, Alaska. Jeff, a recent anti-tiller convert, writes a column for the Anchorage Daily News, which happens to be the longest-running garden column in the United States.

“Jeff, I have a roto-tiller sitting on my front porch. Lots of folks roto-till their gardens. What’s so bad about it?” I asked.

Roto-tilling and organic gardening don’t mix
This man should NOT be smiling.
Studies show that deep tilling damages soil.

“Roto-tilling destroys the network of fungal hyphae that gives soil structure,” he explained.” This includes the mychorrhizal network that is so important to plants.”

Mycorrhizal (MY-coh-RIZE-ul) fungi are multi-celled organisms that form special “I’ll scratch your back if you’ll scratch mine” relationships with plant roots. As recent electron microscope images have shown, these organisms develop into long chains called hyphae (HIGH-fee) and get energy from the plant and help supply nutrients to the plant. In other words, they depend on each other for survival.

Roto-tilling, says Lowenfels, dislocates and chops up small invertebrate animals (such as insects, worms and spiders), and bacteria, and it kills worms and destroys aeration and drainage. “The soil looks nice and smooth, but it quickly looses structure, especially in places like Kodiak Island, Alaska where you get lots of rain.”

Organic gardening does not include roto-tilling

According to Lowenfels, whose company Alaska Humus is all about healthy soil, rototilling is an addiction, like lawns and coffee. “We till because early American’s fell under the spell of an English country lawyer, Jethro Tull, who thought that roots eat soil particles and the smaller you pulverize soil, the easier it is for roots to eat it.”

This was back in the days of Thomas Jefferson. “No one knew about the need for fungi to provide soil structure or about the soil foodweb and how rototilling completely disrupts it. We’ve come a long way!”

For more information about the soil foodweb, a term coined by Dr. Elaine Ingham, visit her informative www.soilfoodweb.com web site. Her business mission statement sums it all up: “To grow healthy, productive plants you need healthy, productive soil. It is the organisms in the soil that provide the food plants need, in the form they need, when they need it.”

What about breaking up sod?

When it comes to gardening efforts, Lowenfels advocates that less is more. He says there is one time when using a tiller is okay: when breaking up sod-grass. “Just do one pass to break up the sod. One pass only.” Jeff then adds “The less energy you can use when planting, the better,” he says. “Control weeds with mulches, in the case of annuals and vegetables, green mulches and in the case of perennials, shrubs and trees, brown mulches.”

“All plants–grass, trees, shrubs, agricultural crops–depend on the food web for their nutrition.”—-Soil and Water Conservation Society

The idea is to avoid compacting and deep-tilling the soil, which harms the structure. It would be trying to survive after tearing down the walls of houses, damaging the streets and other transportation networks, destroying water lines and other utilities, and limiting access to food. Living would be tough. Some people would get sick and die. Plus, it would take a long time to rebuild. See what I mean?

Supporting soil structure “is just good science that couldn’t be explained before,” says Lowenfels. “Roto-tilling is definitely, out. The only time it is acceptable is when you want to plant vegetables and annuals in areas just claimed from forests. You want to increase the bacterial dominance and rototilling does that. The fungal structure will return if organic fertilizers are used.”