Organic farming brings farm practice back to the essentials; it’s purity from the first step onward. For a conventional farm to become certified organic, it must first pass through a four-year transitional phase. The land, the livestock and the crops need to adjust from conventional farming practices, and all of the chemicals and fertilizers need to work their way out of the environment. In the meantime, organic farmers have to keep meticulous records of their progress, and manage the farm responsibly and in accordance with sustainable, earth-and-animal friendly farming practices.

Once certified, an organic farm needs to be inspected annually to ensure that everyone and everything involved is functioning organically.

This means:

• No synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or insecticides.
• Livestock cannot be fed or treated with synthetic antibiotics, growth hormones, genetically modified organisms, colouring agents, animal by-products or medicated feed.
• The manure must be composted in a way in which it is not detrimental to the soil, water, air and ecological environment of the farm and surrounding area.
• Sustainable crop rotation must be practiced. This means that the variety of crops grown must change from year to year, and it keeps the soil rich in nutrients.
• There must be a minimum 25 foot buffer between organic and conventional crops, and a larger one must exist between genetically modified crops and organic crops.
• Livestock breeds should be selected with preference to species which are adapted to the local environment.