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Organic Farming Principles and Practices Organic Farming Principles and Practices John A. Biernbaum Department of Horticulture Michigan State University Introduction available and renewable resources, marketing locally, and the quality of food is also seen as a key Farming is both challenging and exciting. We have part of personal health and wholeness. compiled knowledge about how things grow and why some growing methods might be preferred over What does organic mean? The legal definition or other methods. The following information is organic certification offered to help expand awareness of methods of organic farming and sustainable agriculture. There The Organic Food Production Act of 1990 are many concerns about how long farming will established a national program and guidelines for continue using current conventional methods. the production of certified organic crops or products. Within this program there are national, What does organic mean? The philosophical regional, or state wide independent, privately characterization of “organic” agriculture operated agencies, which define the acceptable practices and the limits and boundaries of acceptable In the simplest terms, organic growing or farming is or certifiable practices. The primary emphasis is on based on maintaining a living soil with a diverse careful historical documentation of all farm population of micro and macro soil organisms. A practices and routine inspection of the farm, farm common phrase used to characterize organic records, and farming practices by certified organic growing that will be explained in detail is “feeding inspectors. Materials such as nutrient sources are the soil, not the plant”. Organic matter is reviewed by the Organic Materials Review Institute maintained in the soil through the addition of (http://www.omri.org/) and if approved placed on a compost, animal manure, and green manures and the list or acceptable products. In the past, very small avoidance of excess tillage and nitrogen farms have not been required to be certified to use applications. Another common aspect of organic the term organic. agriculture is growing plants without synthetic fertilizers or pest control chemicals. For more information about the process of organic certification, the web sites of two agencies On a broader scale, it seems there are some that certifying organic growers in Michigan can be perceive organic growing as requiring some spiritual visited: the Organic Growers of Michigan (OGM) or religious commitment. While this is far from the (http://www.michiganorganic.org ) and the Organic truth, it is true that many people committed to Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) organic agriculture are committed to some important (http://www.ocia.org ). In June 1999, a report social principles as well. These usually include the issued by the Organic Advisory Committee of the desire for organic agriculture to be economically, Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) environmentally and socially sustainable and based recommended development of organic standards on integrated production systems. Most people (http://www.mda.state.mi.us/prodag/organics/index. committed to organic production for social and html) for Michigan. In November 1999, governor environmental reasons, as opposed to economic Engler accepted the recommendation and publicly opportunists, expect to be operating within and as called for MDA to begin developing certification part of the ecological system or web of life as standards (http://www.mda.state.mi.us/). In 1998, opposed to dominating and subjugating the system. the federal government (USDA) released a draft There often is an emphasis on using locally document for national standards. Public comment Biernbaum, Organic Farming Principles and Perspectives, 1/2003, pg 1 reached record levels due to the proposal to accept The Michigan Organic Food and Farming Alliance genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), the use of (MOFFA), Michigan Food and Farming Systems sewage sludge, and irradiation treatment of fruits (MIFFS), and the Michigan Association of and vegetables to reduce post harvest and storage Sustainable Agriculture (MASA) are examples of losses. March 2000, the USDA announced the organizations that support the organic ethic and or revised federal standards for organic certification sustainable agriculture. Each of these organizations which exclude the use of GMO’s, sludge and have a web site with detailed information. irradiation (http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/ ). (www.moffa.org, http://www.msu.edu/user/miffs/) Michigan and Federal Standards were completed For more information about sustainable agriculture, and passed into law in December 2000. The new just type the term “sustainable agriculture” for a federal law does not require farms with less than web search. Many sites are available including the $5000 in gross sales to be certified, but the The Sustainable Agriculture Network (sare.org), Michigan law will require all producers using the The Leopold Center( www.leopold.iastate.edu), and term organic, to be certified. http://www.msue.msu.edu/misanet/ for examples of sustainable agriculture programs and research at The standards provide a framework for the future Michigan State University. evolution of commercial organic growing, processing and marketing. Conventional farmers What does organic mean? Organic Farming is can learn both the letter and the intent of the common sense standards while learning to transition to more sustainable if not certified organic practices. (Also The organic ethic and survival of small farms is see: Organic Farming Research Foundation important. Our goal is to keep people and the http://www.ofrf.org and see http://www.ota.com environment as healthy and happy as possible. Organic Trade Association, Facts About Organic, Eliminating exposure to poisons intended to kill for the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) things is common sense. Recognizing that you can’t 1995 definition of organic) . kill one part of a tightly coupled cycle and interdependent food chain without causing problems What does Organic Mean? The Organic Ethic somewhere else in the food chain is common sense. Eating the most nutritious and freshest food is While legislation will help standardize practices and common sense. expectations, there is grave concern regarding maintenance of the organic ethic and survival of Some Historical Perspective - The Evolution of small farms that have depended on the organic label Conventional (Chemical) Agriculture and ethic to mean more than what is included in the Understanding why a process or practice is done a current legislation. It is clearly possible to meet certain way, or why we think the way we do can organic certification standards as currently written often be accomplished by looking at the historical without protecting the soil or farmland for future evolution of human learning and perception. The generations. There is concern that conventional history of agriculture and the human perception of farmers will substitute an organic spray or fertilizer how plants grow are both well documented and can in place of current sprays or fertilizers. The goal is help us be better farmers. to eliminate sprays and fertilizers. It is also possible for factory farms to obtain organic certification and Let’s start with observing the growth of a seed. We produce large quantities of certain crops for lower plant a little seed and in a short time we have a large costs and lower prices than is possible for small plant. The seed weighs a fraction of an ounce and farms. The success of organic standards cannot only in a short time the plant weights several pounds. be measured by economic or ecological standards, What makes up this weight and were did it come but must also take into account the long term from? Based on what we can see with our eyes and sustainability of small family farms. conclude based on observation, what is necessary for a plant to grow? Biernbaum, Organic Farming Principles and Perspectives, 1/2003, pg 2 Based on observing a seed germinate and grow in a What happens if we grow the plant in a giant plastic garden, we can say the plant needed soil, water, bag or air tight glass case or greenhouse? After a light, and a reasonable temperature. A seed on poor while the plant doesn’t grow very well if at all. ground will not grow very well. A seed without What if we pump some fresh air into the bag or water will not grow. A seed without light will only case? Suddenly the plant starts growing better. Is grow a short time. And the seed will not grow for there something in the air that the plant needs? We very long if it is too cold or too warm. Where did know the answer is yes, because now we know the the mass or weight of the plant come from? We air is made up of not one gas but several gasses, know that some of the plant is made up of water. including nitrogen (~78%), oxygen (~20%), and We know that the plant required light, but we don’t carbon dioxide (~0.034%). The identification of have any evidence just looking with the human eye oxygen and the purification ability of plants were that light energy was transformed into solid matter. identified around 1800 (Priestly and others.) Soil and nutrients were required, but did the weight come from the soil? An animal in a closed, airtight container dies and a plant in an airtight container may survive but will We could observe that a seed growing in soil that not grow. Put them together and they both can has decaying plant material or animal manure will thrive. The animal gives off something that would usually grow larger and faster than one growing in make the plant grow and the plant gives off soil without organic matter added. It is not that something the animal needs. Carbon dioxide from long ago, about 150 years, that the main theory of the animal to the plant (respiration) and oxygen plant growth was the “humus” theory.
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