The organic option: how to decide

What’s the deal with organic foods?

Sure, more farmers are growing organic and you see them in grocery stores like never before. And on a larger scale, Alberta producers are now supplying organic malt barley, sprouted wheat and canola oil to an expanding Canadian and international marketplace.

Yet many of the unconverted have questions about organics. Like what makes organic produce different from that conventionally produced? Why does it cost more? Is it safe? What standards and guidelines are in place for producers to follow? Is organic farming pointing the way to the future? An organic specialist from Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and three large-scale organic growers help us sort out fact from fiction.

Conventional versus organic

The majority of farmers still rely on conventional farming practices because by using today’s crop protection products, they are assured they can root out weeds, control disease and manage insects in a way that goes easy on the environment.

“Today’s crop protection products have fewer active ingredients than ever” says conventional no-till crop producer Greg Porozni.  “These products, used responsibly, let us grow more quality food per acre, moreover, with developments in bio-technology, we’re using less herbicides.”

That’s good news for consumers and landowners because it means lower cost food that is produced without using more land.

Put theory into practice

Allen Graff, a Vulcan area organic farmer, president of the Canadian Organic Advisory Board, explains what organic means to him. “The term organic refers to growing, processing and manufacturing produce in a fashion that is consumer conscious and environmentally friendly.”

Environmentally friendly, says Graff, means that all parts of the growing or manufacturing process have to be done with benign products. “Because organic growing philosophies are based on the theory that soils and plants have a symbiotic relationship, no synthetic chemicals can be used.

“Understanding the biological equation requires an investment by everyone,” suggests Graff, “but it is not regressive. It’s more like going back to the future.”

15 years of wisdom

Steve Snider of Little Red Hen Mills is one of those farmers who took the leap and made the investment in organic farming. With his parents, Robert and Rosemary, he farms 13 quarters of certified organic land at New Norway, south of Camrose.

Organic farming is an entire system of crop rotation, tilling techniques, seeding techniques, weed management and variety selection, says Snider. But with 15 years of hard won organic knowledge behind him, he says his input costs are now lower and his financial risk is less. Added to that, with fully half of his land uncultivated, his quality and yield has also increased..

“When farmers call me about organics, I emphasise it’s not about a fast buck,” says Mike Dolinski, organic specialist with Alberta Agriculture. “I tell them they need total dedication to the philosophy of organic growing because when they see the weeds coming up in their first or second crop, and reducing their yield and income, they are going to need it.”

Organic standards on the way

Today, a number of different bodies certify organic produce in Canada, but Graff says, from a consumer perspective, they have always had more similarities than differences. However, a new national standard authorised by the Standards Council of Canada has been initiated. And the Canadian Organic Advisory Board recently set up an arm’s length organization called the Certification Secretariat which is being tested under an ISO scrutinised system. “Once this is in place,” says Graff, “consumers will know that all produce stamped with the Canadian ‘Certified’ logo complies with the world standard.”

The extra cost of organic produce reflects the actual cost of production, says Graff. Initially, input costs are higher for farmers and the learning curve is steeper, but once the understanding is there, cost of production can decrease. There is also an ideal within the industry to maintain the shortest possible chain from farm gate to plate, he says, to maximize quality and nutritional value.