Organic Farms use no chemicals, genetically modified organisms, or artificial fertilizers in their cropping. No antibiotics or growth promoters are used in raising their livestock.
To qualify as certified organic, a field of corn, for example, would have to:
* be free of commercial fertilizers for three years
* be free of herbicides for three years
* seed would not be from genetically modified seed
* include a buffer zone between organic plants and non-organic plants
In Canada, conventionally grown produce has a 4 digit PLU (Product Look Up) code on those small round labels you find on each piece of produce. Organically grown produce has a 5 digit PLU code prefaced by a 9, and genetically modified produce has a 5 digit PLU code prefaced by an 8.
Organically grown produce was higher in most minerals and vitamins and lower in potentially harmful nitrates, which result from nitrogen fertilizers. The greatest differences among all vegetables tested were in magnesium (organic was 29 percent higher), vitamin C (27 percent higher), and iron (21 percent higher). In fact, organic food had higher amounts of all minerals tested, although the difference was not always statistically significant because of small sample numbers. Organic crops had 15 percent fewer nitrates than conventionally grown foods and appeared to also have lesser amounts of toxic heavy metals.
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