There are good people who are in the USDA Certified Organic program who faithfully follow the organic standards set by the government. There are also good people who faithfully follow the original philosophy of organic but are not in the USDA’s certification program.
I dislike the USDA Organic certification program because, among other reasons, it allows the claim of government sanctioned Organic Certification even in Confinement Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO a.k.a. Factory Farms) wherein animals are locked up in small spaces and never experience pasture, fresh air, sunshine and natural behaviors. Big Ag and the USDA have stolen the term Organic and made it into something that is not what people think of when they think of organic. The result is consumers end up buying 'Organic' certified meat that is ‘Organic’ because it was fed 'Organic' commercial processed grain feeds but that is not true organic in the original sense of the word nor is it happy chickens or pigs out on pasture which is what people envision. In reality, on those ‘Organic’ CAFOs the animals are kept in cages, in crates, in confinement housing, in pens and feedlots where they don’t get real pasture, they don’t see the sun and they can’t socialize normally and behave naturally. This has diluted and is a perversion to the meaning of organic!
Beyond Organic
Our animals are truly outdoors on our mountain pasture in the fresh air where they can socialize with others of their species , where they can feel the sun warm their backs and the cool winds ruffle their fur and feathers, where they can drink fresh water from clear mountain springs, swim in the ponds and laze in the brush, where they can graze green pastures and play on the winter snows. We do not ring our pig’s noses nor do we cut tails or teeth. We don’t use gestation crates or farrowing crates. Our animals are free to move around. They forage in our field throughout every season and live a happy healthy life!
I dislike the USDA Organic certification program because, among other reasons, it allows the claim of government sanctioned Organic Certification even in Confinement Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO a.k.a. Factory Farms) wherein animals are locked up in small spaces and never experience pasture, fresh air, sunshine and natural behaviors. Big Ag and the USDA have stolen the term Organic and made it into something that is not what people think of when they think of organic. The result is consumers end up buying 'Organic' certified meat that is ‘Organic’ because it was fed 'Organic' commercial processed grain feeds but that is not true organic in the original sense of the word nor is it happy chickens or pigs out on pasture which is what people envision. In reality, on those ‘Organic’ CAFOs the animals are kept in cages, in crates, in confinement housing, in pens and feedlots where they don’t get real pasture, they don’t see the sun and they can’t socialize normally and behave naturally. This has diluted and is a perversion to the meaning of organic!
Beyond Organic
Our animals are truly outdoors on our mountain pasture in the fresh air where they can socialize with others of their species , where they can feel the sun warm their backs and the cool winds ruffle their fur and feathers, where they can drink fresh water from clear mountain springs, swim in the ponds and laze in the brush, where they can graze green pastures and play on the winter snows. We do not ring our pig’s noses nor do we cut tails or teeth. We don’t use gestation crates or farrowing crates. Our animals are free to move around. They forage in our field throughout every season and live a happy healthy life!