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Organic Vegetable Seeds Are In Demand

June 24th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Consumers are very much aware that traditionally grown produce is subject to huge amounts of chemical fertilizer, pesticides and preservatives and are concerned about the implications for their health.

 The organic vegetable market is exploding due to the consumers’ knowledge and need for organically grown produce. Traditionally produced vegetables are now on a downswing due to the high demand of organically grown food.

 Because of this demand the organic vegetable seed industry has grown dramatically in order to fill the need. The increase in varieties and selections of vegetables in restaurants and supermarkets has also supplied the need for these organic seeds.

 The process of supply and demand goes right down to the small organic farm producing the organic vegetable seeds and then to the small farm that buys and grows the organic vegetables. The smaller seed companies are producing the majority of the organic vegetable seeds, but the commercial seed giants are starting to get their noses right into the fray and providing a more diverse selection of its seeds to the consumer. The FDA has now required a special certification label which must be present on the produce; therefore, the buyers are going directly to the smaller organic vegetable seed farms to be ensured they are getting the quality organic produce.

 Seed Production

 The commercial organic vegetable seed production in the United States largely occurs on the west coast in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California. The weather conditions in these areas of the country are ideal for high quality seed production. There is low humidity, excellent soils and warm, sunny dry climates during the summer. These good growing conditions allow for a lower incidence of disease and pest problems and there is a longer growing season.

 Organic vegetable seeds need longer growing seasons than the traditional vegetable seeds. The northeast and Midwest are now also into the organic vegetable seed production. This is a new area for these seed companies as they normally only produce conventional vegetable seeds. But with substantial experimentation their climates are now producing a large amount of seeds.

 Florida is one state that has virtually no seed production of any kind. Its climate is only conducive for a few select varieties of produce and there are currently no organic vegetable seed suppliers whatsoever in Florida.

 Organic vegetable seed growers must be certified by a USDA certification agent in order to label or sell their crop as organic. Organic vegetable farms must use only organic vegetable seeds in order to become certified. They have to use organically grown vegetable seeds, annual seedlings and planting stock. Organic vegetable seeds only must be used in order to grow edible sprouts.

 Organically grown produce is very good for all of us to eat. It is healthier and helps to provide us with a longer life span because it lessens our chances to develop disease which is caused by the pesticides and chemicals used on conventional produce. Organic food is a way of life we should all be getting accustomed to in our everyday lives.

 

Organic Beef Farming Information: Organic Labels Can Often Be Misleading

June 24th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Let us clear up a few questions you may have concerning product labeling in our supermarkets.

 If you are one of those that shops regularly at the supermarket you may be quite concerned about the ‘dead’ foods being marketed and may wonder whether to change you’re eating habits and opt instead for natural as well as organic foods. If such is the case with you, there is a need for obtaining organic beef farming information before you consider the switch to organic foods and you need to know what you are getting from changing to organic foods and the difference that it is going to have on you and your health.

 Make Informed Decisions

 And, when you come across labels like ‘sustainably farmed’ and ‘free range beef’, you must be wondering what these terms mean and whether you are indeed going to benefit from making a change to organic foods such as these. What you need to do is to find out all about organic beef farming information so that you are not in the dark and also because it will help you make better and more informed decisions.

 Today, organic foods is a big industry and contrary to what you may expect, many big business houses are actively engaged in producing organic foods with networks spread far and wide that help make this, it is believed, eleven billion dollar market grow even more. You may be surprised to know that the organic beef farming information you just read up on tells you that the organic beef that you are contemplating buying is the result of cows being confined to a dry lot and which were fed on organic food grains and nothing more.

 It may be, according to this organic beef farming information that the grass did not matter and no mention is made about its pastures. Such organic beef farming information that you find displayed on the product may show grass and also pastures that are not even really organic food in the true sense of the word ‘organic’.

 So, you should be aware that there are relatively few instances when the organic beef that you see on the supermarket shelf has been produced from cattle that were actually raised on sun burnt pastures where the grass was organically grown. To have a better idea about organic beef farming information, you may even need to visit the websites of farms that produce or claim to produce organic beef where you can find out more about the type of organic farming going on. Mostly, such organic beef farming information will deal with grazing livestock farms, and cow-calf systems which show how organic beef is produced.

 Armed with this information you can discern what product best suits your needs and don’t be shy ask the hard question and demand to know how organic is the beef you are consuming.

 

What Is Organic Food And How Do You Know If It Is Organic

June 24th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

By just asking yourself this question you are obviously concerned about the food we consume. Do producers use chemical means to produce their crops and livestock and are these toxins accumulating in our bodies and those of our loved ones to the detriment of our health. Hence your question “What is Organic Food and How Do you Know It Is Organic?”

 During the nineties the fastest growing segment of United States agriculture was organic farming. In 2005 the estimated value of organic food sales was over twenty billion dollars. And the Food Marketing Institute found that more than half of Americans now buy organic food at least once a month. So why exactly is organic food gaining in popularity? First you need to consider what is organic food and along with this the history and purpose behind organic foods. Once you learn what is organic food you will like also need to learn the pros and cons of choosing organic and how to tell if you are buying organic.

 What Is Organic Food?

 It wasn’t until December 2000 that the National Organic Standards Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture started a national standard to define the term organic. This helped with the definition of what is organic food and the definition ended up being more about how it can be made rather than how it can’t. Organic food must be produced with fewer fertilizers, most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, genetic engineering, growth hormones, irradiation and antibiotics. There are several products in the agriculture business that can be grown organically including produce, grains, meat, dairy, eggs and processed food products.

 However, it is important that when you consider what is organic food you don’t confuse the terms natural and organic. There currently is no legal definition for natural food. Although the term natural food can be used to mean food that is minimally processed and is preservative-free. Not all natural foods are organic and only organic labeled foods meet the official USDA organic standards.

 How Do You Know It Is Organic?

 The first clue would be looking for the organic label on vegetables or fruit, this can be easy in some supermarkets since they have a sign above the display saying organic produce. You may also find the term organic on a package of meat, a carton of milk or eggs, cheese and other foods that have only one ingredient. If food is labeled “100 percent organic” then it must have only organic ingredients according to the legal standards. Anything with at least 70 percent organic ingredients has to be labeled “made with organic ingredients”. A simple organic label means an item has at least 95 percent organic ingredients by weight or fluid volume without water and salt.

 There is a civil penalty of up to ten thousand dollars for anyone who knowingly sells or labels a product organic without it matching the regulations. Those grown and processed according to federal standards will usually have the label “USDA Organic”, but it is a voluntary label that some companies may not choose to display. A “Transitional” label is rare but it means that a farmer produced it during a three-year conversion period in which they were changing from conventional to organic.

 Buyer be ware, look for the lable USDA Organic and reap the benefits of organic food.

Organic Food Research Facts

June 24th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Organic foods are those that are grown within a certain standard. Organic food research has grown by leaps and bounds since many people have started going organic. Organic food research has to find new ways to develop and bring to the consumer the different food stuffs that they need.

 Organic Food Research

 Organic food crops are those that are grown without the assistance of common pesticides and artificial fertilizers. These crops are usually grown minus the human wastes and sewage that some producers use to make their crops grow bigger and better. The produce is also processed in a way that does not utilize ionizing radiation and other additional products that might add to the produces shelf life. 

 For livestock, organic food research has given us livestock that are grown without the aid of growth hormones and antibiotics to safeguard the animals. Genetic modification is also not included in foods that considered organic. Organic food research may include GMO’s but they are frowned upon by most countries and therefore the produce that has undergone genetic modification does not pass the organic sea of approval.

 Consumers that are picky with their food may need to check the labels in supermarkets to be able to know if they have acquired organic food or not. Usually, some markets have fresh produce sold by farmers and these are usually where consumers get to buy most organic produce. Organic food research has also taught most conglomerates how to produce organic foods. Due to the high demand for organic food, many food producers have switched to organic or have included organic foods in their product listing.

 Organic food research has also helped farmers and other big time conglomerates in the direction of which their farming must go. Some bigger companies have also started funding their very own organic food research staff and manpower to be able to fully meet the demands of the consumers. It is the desire of the consumers to be healthier that drives the organic food research and the organic food market.

 Without any organic food research, food producing companies would have still been churning out artificially produced foods and foods that have been protected by chemically laden pesticides and fertilizers. Right now, organic food research is still going on to produce healthier and more beneficial food for the consumers. As long as the consumers demand a high standard from the foods they consume, you are assured that organic food production is still going on to make our food healthier.

 

Organic Fruit: Is It Really Better For You?

June 23rd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

As they say “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”

 Organic fruit is very popular today and, indeed, it is very good for you. This fruit is grown without the toxic chemicals and pesticides that most of our fruit has been grown with over the years. Many of these chemical residues are left behind on the fruit even after it has been cleaned by the farmers that grow the fruit. Natural pesticides and fertilizers are used in growing organic fruit; therefore, the harm the immune and central nervous system may suffer from when using chemicals and pesticides on fruit are immense, as is the threat of cancer. By growing organic fruit these health risks are eliminated. This, of course, makes organic fruit much safer for the population, especially our children.

 Children At Risk

 Our children are at a higher risk of becoming sick when eating non-organic fruit. The United States Department of Agriculture, which monitors the pesticide levels in foods, states that 73% of the items tested have measurable residue levels. Even baby food contains residues from pesticides. In one test of eight different baby foods, it was found that these baby foods contained residues from 16 different pesticides. This is very alarming. It is as if we are poisoning are children from their onset in life. Children are more at risk because they eat the foods that contain many of the pesticides such as strawberries, blueberries, apples, grapes, green beans, spinach, cherries and apricots. So it seems natural and fitting that there are more and more organic fruit farms cropping up across the nation and the world.

  Reducing Pesticide Exposure

 Buying organic fruit is a good way to begin reducing pesticide exposure in your lifestyle. Organic fruit is not completely pesticide free; however, it is much less toxic. Standards vary from state to state on growing organic fruit, but in general it is grown with much fewer toxic pesticides and herbicides than conventional fruit. This does not mean that organic fruit tastes any better or is even more nutritious for you. It simply means that by lowering the toxicity in the fruit your chances at a healthy life have been maximized.

Organic fruit is also slightly more expensive than conventional fruit. The reason for this is the farms which grow organic fruits are smaller than the larger farms that grow conventional fruit.  Their volume is not as great and their profit margin suffers, therefore, they have to price their fruit accordingly to stay in the market. But the few cents more you pay for an apple or apricot makes it worth the health risk in the long run.Natural must be best, ask yourself “Do I really want to consume all those chemical toxins and is it really the best for your families health or would you prefer to do without some of the so called artificial delights rather than reaping the benefits of organic fruit ?”

Organic Food Stores:

June 23rd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Beware of the fakes, like anything good imposters soon appear.

 Due to the heavy use of pesticides in agriculture, a lot of people have switched to organic food in the past years. As the demand for organic food increases, many organic food stores sprouted all over the country. Although many of these organic food stores do sell good quality organic products, there are some organic food stores that do not really live up to their claims of selling only organic foods. Unfortunately, for many people who are not really very familiar with the organic food products, one product is just as good as the other thus; many of these so called organic food stores continue to proliferate around the country. To make sure that what you are buying is indeed 100% organic food, do not just buy in any stores that claim to be an organic food stores. Find out first where the products of these so called organic food stores come from to avoid ending up with a product that is not really 100% organic.

 What Are Organic Food?

 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines organic products as those that do not use pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, bioengineering, growth hormones, synthetic fertilizers and ionizing radiation in its production. This means that if you are buying fruits and vegetables from well known organic food stores, you get something that has not been tainted with toxins and chemicals. As for organic animal products, these are products that come from animals which have not been fed with any chemical laden substances, have not receives any antibiotics, growth hormones and other chemicals.

 Most animals that are organically raised are given access to the outdoors. Although there are some people who objected to the idea of eating free ranged animals reasoning that free range animals may have contracted diseases in the environment and may have eaten some toxins while they were grazing, these objections are not really well founded.

  The quality of organic animals and their by products are controlled by the USDA. Companies that are producing organic products have to comply with the standards set by the government before they are certified. These products are made to undergo strict compliance with government standards before they are released to the market thus you can say that they are safe to use.

 Since there is a proliferation of fake products in the market today, the surest way to know that you are buying a real organic product is to look for the seal of the USDA. If the products sold in an organic food store do not bear the approval or the seal of the USDA as a certified organic product, this means that such product is a fake and you should stir away from it.

 It is easier than you think to find the real deal and the benefits you will derive will amaze you, search out the genuine organic food store near you.

 

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Credits: Work From Home | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund