Environmentally friendly reasons why you should opt for organic meat and dairy

Whatever your diet preference is, opting to go organic is a truly great decision for a variety of reasons, primary of which are personal and environmental health. Here are more specific reasons why you should go all-out organic for your dairy and meat. 

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One, organically grown foods offer more nutrients, from vitamins and minerals to enzymes and micronutrients. This is because, unlike commercially grown foods, organic farms manage and nourish the soil following sustainable practices. Consider this data: organically grown foods provide 21.1 percent more iron, 27 percent more vitamin C, and 29.3 percent more magnesium on average.

Choosing organic meat and dairy also helps us avoid harmful chemicals, most of which have been sadly approved for use by the EPA before extensive diet testing. Keep in mind that over 600 active chemicals are registered for farming use in the U.S. alone. This means that the typical non-organic food consumer gets an average of 16 pounds of chemical pesticides per year. 

Going organic likewise means distancing further from genetically engineered (GE) food and genetically modified organisms (GMO). Since organic food cannot be genetically modified, it is the only way to prevent future health and environmental risks from the lab-replicated genes of GMOs. GMOs are taken from other plants, animals, and even viruses to give plants new characteristics like better resistance to insects or extreme heat. But there has yet to be a definitive study which can prove that GMOs do not harm both people and the environment. 

Finally, organic foods taste much better, too, because well-nourished and well-balanced soil leads to healthier and tastier produce. There are even organically grown plants that are grown more for taste over appearance, particularly the heirloom varieties.

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Geoffrey Morell co-owns the P.A. Bowen Farmstead, alongside Sally Fallon Morell. He likewise co-founded the non-profit organization Weston A. Price Foundation, which does research on the best food source for farm animals. For more on alternative farming methods, drop by this blog.

Why Should Farmers Switch To Organic Farming?

The easy and quick answer would be profitability. In 2014, certified organic products have become an $80-billion industry. Recent studies have shown that organic farming is between 22 and 35 percent more profitable for farmers than conventional methods. 2017 projections should push these figures even higher.

The farmer has much to gain from organic farming since there’s no dependence on costly synthetic fertilizer and pesticides. Organic foods give more to the farmer for the produce, mainly because of the premium 21st-century consumers spend for them.

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Organic farming is the natural cultivation of plants, a process that uses biological materials and avoids synthetic substances, thus maintaining soil fertility and ecological balance while minimizing pollution and waste.

In organic farming, crops are grown and cultivated without synthetic-based fertilizers and pesticides, relying instead on ecologically friendly agricultural principles like using organic waste, biological pest control, green manure, and crop rotation.

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But more compelling than the profit is organic farming’s friendliness to the environment. At the heart of the organic farming principle is the conservation of natural resources and promotion of biodiversity. With the organic method, sources of water are uncontaminated. It creates less pollution, preserves sources of water, lessens the risk of cancer, and helps in pollination and care of domestic animals.

Geoffrey Morell, through his farm P.A. Bowen Farmstead, provides the community with the highest quality of farm products. More on the benefits of alternative farming here.