Conventional vs Organic and the Organic Movement in the United States

The difference between conventional and organic farming is the way in which the land is managed and food produced. Typically on a conventional farm, the farmer uses synthetic inputs like herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilizers as well as the use of genetically engineered crops and animals to make food production more efficient. While organic faming practices apply age old agricultural practices such as composted animal and green manures, compost, crop rotation, and prohibits the use of genetically engineered crops and animals. Organic farming also practices reduced soil tillage and applies a number of other practices that help to maintain environmental equilibrium.

The modern organic movement began as a philosophical and scientific reaction to the industrialization of the agriculture industry post World War II, where farmers witnessed a massive influx of industrialized synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides like DDT. Out of this early movement sprang impactful figures such as J.I. Rodale and Rachel Carson. J.I. Rodale, who published the Organic Gardening and Farming Magazine, and is known today as the "father of theAmerican Organic Movement". And Carsonʻs influential book "Silent Spring" became a cultural breakthrough book, documenting the environmental damage caused by pesticides, causing a shift in public sentiment towards natural alternatives launching the contemporary environmental movement.

As the organic movement grew in the 1970ʻs there was a sort of identity crisis. The movement needed to define what "organic" meant. During this period Oregon became the first state to pass a law that defined the term "organic" followed by California in 1979, becoming the first organic labeling law in the United States. This law was the first law to define early organic labeling and legal usage of the term "Organic" in marketing.

By 1979 the USDA developed the very first major federal acknowledgment of organic farming with its report. The report provided the results of the USDAʻs research into organic farming practices in both the United States and Europe, providing recommended research and extension support for organic producers.

By the time 1990ʻs rolled around the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) as part of the 1990 Farm Bill, allowing the USDA to establish the National Organic Program (NOP) and the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). And in 2002 the USDAʻs USDA Organic Sal was established and implemented and for the first time in the United States, any product sold as "Organic" had to meet uniform, legally enforceable federal criteria. This move transformed the organic sector inot one of the fastest growing economic sectors of American Agriculture.

1. Organic sales grew from approximately $1billion in 1990 to over $60 billion today

2. A documented increase in soil microbial biomass (up 84%) and reduced nitrogen leaching (26% drop) when compared to conventional production systems.

3. Now modern organic farming uses high-tech precision agricultural practices, including robotic weeders and satellite-guided tractors to manage weeds without chemical herbicides.