About Goats

General Information

The domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep, both being in the goat antelope subfamily Caprinae. Domestic goats are one of the oldest domesticated species. For thousands of years, goats have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world. In the last century they have also gained some popularity as pets. Female goats are referred to as does or nannies (or, less frequently, as mishas), intact males as bucks or billies; their offspring are kids. Castrated males are wethers. Goat meat from younger animals is called kid, and from older animals is sometimes called chevon, or in some areas mutton.    Read more general information about goats.   Getting your first dairy goat Dairy goat production guide for beginners Dairy Character Defined Breeders Directory

Dairy Goats

The American Dairy Goat Association recognizes eight breeds of dairy goats in the USA — Alpine, LaMancha, Nigerian Dwarf, Nubian, Oberhasli, Saanen, Sable, and Toggenburg. There are also many minor breeds found here and abroad, including Golden Guernsey, Kinder, Stiefelgeiss, and others. They range in color from light to deep red with black stripes down the forehead and black legs below the knees. The Alpine, Saanen and Toggenburg breeds originated in the French and Swiss Alps and are often referred to as the "Swiss" type breeds. They are very similar in conformation, all having upright ears, straight or slightly dished faces and an alert, graceful, deer-like appearance.

Alpine

The Alpines are composed of several varieties including the most popular French Alpine and the less numerous British, Rock and Swiss Alpines. They are medium to large in size, with color variations from pure white through shades of fawn, gray, brown, black, red buff, and combinations of these colors in the same animal.

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Golden Guernsey

The Golden Guernsey is a rare breed of goat from the Bailiwick of Guernsey on the Channel Islands. They were first brought to Great Britain in 1965 and a sub-breed has evolved known as the British Guernsey. The exact origin of these animals is uncertain but since goat bones have been found in dolmens (a type of Megalithic tomb) as old as 2000 B.C. on the islands, it is likely that the breed began to evolve into its current form about this time.

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LaMancha

The LaMancha is a type of dairy goat noted for its apparent lack of, or much reduced, external ears. The LaMancha breed is medium in size, and is also noted for a generally calm, quiet, and gentle temperament. The LaMancha face is straight, with ears being the distinctive breed characteristic. A Roman nose, that is typically a characteristic of a Nubian goat, is considered a moderate to serious breed defect of the LaMancha goat.

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Nigerian Dwarf

The Nigerian Dwarf is a miniature goat of West African origin. Their small stature means they do not require as much space as their larger dairy goat counterparts and their gentle and friendly personalities make them good companion pets. They are easy to handle; even small children can be at ease with these little goats.

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Nubian

The Anglo-Nubian, or simply Nubian in the United States, was developed in Great Britain of native milking stock and goats from the Middle East and North Africa. Its distinguishing characteristics include large, pendulous ears and a "Roman" nose. Due to their Middle-Eastern heritage, Anglo-Nubians can live in very hot climates and have a longer breeding season than other dairy goats.

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Oberhasli

The Oberhasli is a breed of dairy goat from the eponymous district of the Canton of Berne (Switzerland). The name loosely translates as 'highlander'. Oberhasli are a standardized color breed, with warm reddish brown accented with a black dorsal stripe, legs, belly, and face. Occasionally a black Oberhasli appears as a result of recessive genes.

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Saanen

The Saanens are white or light cream in color with white preferred. Spots on the skin are not discriminated against. Small spots of color on the hair are allowable, but not desirable. They are medium to large in size with rugged bone, plenty of vigor yet feminine throughout. The ears should be of medium size and carried erect. A tendency toward a roman nose is discriminated against.

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Sable Saanen

Sables are Saanens that are not white. They come in many colors and combinations and have been a part of the Saanen heritage for as long as there have been Saanens. The first Sables in the US arrived on the same ship with the first Saanens and have been here ever since.

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Toggenburg

The Toggenburg is a breed of goat, named after the region in Switzerland where the breed originated, the Toggenburg valley. Toggenburgs are medium in size, moderate in production, and have relatively low butterfat content (2-3%) in their milk. The color is solid varying from light fawn to dark chocolate with no preference for any shade. They are the oldest known dairy breed of goats.

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Help us grow! If you know your goats, and would like to help us expand the information about any of the listed breeds, or any other dairy goat breed, please contact thewebmaster@dairygoatjournal.com. Thank you!

Bitter Melon (Bitter Gourd)

Nutrition Information And Facts

Bitter melon is one of the best vegetable-fruit that helps improve diabetic and toxemia conditions.

(Juicing for Health) The bitter melon (also known as bitter gourd or Karela (کریلا) in urdu) looks like a cucumber but with ugly gourd-like bumps all over it.

As the name implies, this vegetable is a melon that is bitter.  There are two varieties of this vegetable:  One grows to about 20 cm long, is oblong and pale green in color.  The other is the smaller variety, less than 10 cm long, oval and has a darker green color.

Both varieties have seeds that are white when unripe and that turn red when they are ripe.  The vegetable-fruit turn reddish-orange when ripe and becomes even more bitter.

Bitter gourd thrives in hot and humid climates, so are commonly found in Asian countries and South America.

Westerners may not be so used to bitter melons, so may find them more difficult to consume.  But if you can generally take bitter taste, you may be able to take this too.  Try it, at least for all its healthful virtues

Nutritional Benefits

Bitter gourds are very low in calories but dense with precious nutrients.  It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, and has high dietary fiber.  It is rich in iron, contains twice the beta-carotene of broccoli, twice the calcium of spinach, and twice the potassium of a banana.

Bitter melon contains a unique phyto-constituent that has been confirmed to have a hypoglycemic effect called charantin.  There is also another insulin-like compound known as polypeptide P which have been suggested as insulin replacement in some diabetic patients.

Health Benefits

Few other fruits/vegetables offer medicinal properties for these ailments like bitter melon does.

Blood disorders: Bitter gourd juice is highly beneficial for treating blood disorders like blood boils and itching due to toxemia.  Mix 2 ounces of fresh bitter gourd juice with some lime juice.  Sip it slowly on an empty stomach daily for between four and six months and see improvement in your condition.

Cholera:  In early stages of cholera, take two teaspoonfuls juice of bitter gourd leaves, mix with two teaspoonfuls white onion juice and one teaspoonful lime juice.  Sip this concoction daily till you get well.

Diabetes mellitus:  Bitter melon contains a hypoglycemic compound 

(a plant insulin) that is highly beneficial in lowering sugar levels in blood and urine.  Bitter melon juice has been shown to significantly improve glucose tolerance without increasing blood insulin levels.

Energy:  Regular consumption of bitter gourd juice has been proven to improve energy and stamina level.  Even sleeping patterns have been shown to be improved/stabilized.

Eye problems:  The high beta-carotene and other properties in bitter gourd makes it one of the finest vegetable-fruit that help alleviate eye problems and improving eyesight.

Hangover:  Bitter melon juice may be beneficial in the treatment of a hangover for its alcohol intoxication properties.  It also help cleanse and repair and nourish liver problems due to alcohol consumption.

Immune booster:  This bitter juice can also help to build your immune system and increase your body's resistance against infection.

Piles:  Mix three teaspoonfuls of juice from bitter melon leaves with a glassful of buttermilk. Take this every morning on empty stomach for about a month and see an improvement to your condition.  To hasten the healing, use the paste of the roots of bitter melon plant and apply over the piles.

Psoriasis:  Regular consumption of this bitter juice has also been known to improve psoriasis condition and other fungal infections like ring-worm and athletes feet.

Respiratory disorders:  Take two ounces of fresh bitter melon juice and mix with a cup of honey diluted in water.  Drink daily to improve asthma, bronchitis and pharyngitis.

Toxemia:  Bitter gourd contains beneficial properties that cleanses the blood from toxins.  Sip two teaspoonfuls of the juice daily to help cleanse the liver.  Also helpful in ridding jaundice for the same reasons.

Consumption Tips

Choose unripe bitter melons that are firm, like how you would a cucumber.  Avoid those that have turned orange or have soft spots.  Ripe bitter melons can be excessively bitter.

Store bitter melons in the vegetable bin in the refrigerator which has the right temperature.  It should keep for three to four days.

Keeping bitter melons at room temperature or with other fruits and vegetables will hasten the melon to ripen and become more bitter, due to the emission of ethylene gas.

Clean your bitter melon under cold running water and brush with a soft vegetable brush.  To prepare, slice the melon length-wise and scoop out the seeds.  To lessen the bitter flavor, soak it in salt water for about half an hour before juicing/cooking.

The smaller variety is more bitter than the bigger one.  To help make bitter gourd juice more palatable, take it with honey, or add carrot or apple juice.  For diabetics, drink the juice with green apple juice.

Caution

Do not consume more than two ounces of bitter melon, or more than two melons a day.  Excessive consumption may cause mild abdominal pain or diarrhea.  Diabetics taking hypoglycemic drugs will need to alter the dosage of their drugs if they consume bitter melon on a regular basis.  Please consult your doctor.

Pregnant women should avoid taking too much bitter gourd or its juice as it may stimulate the uterus that may lead to preterm labor.

High-tech agriculture: The extraordinary profits of hydroponic vegetable farming

Through this technique, farmers can get between 450 and 550 tons of vegetables per acre, compared to the average yield of 15 tons per acre from traditional farming, according to Fareed Farmhouse project director Rana Zahid. PHOTO: FILE

Tahir Rana is a nuclear physicist who gave up a job in Canada to set up a vegetable farm in Faisalabad. He is part of a growing number of people worldwide who have been drawn in by the extraordinary profits in hydroponic vegetable farming, a new method that dramatically increases productivity and thus farmer incomes.

Hydroponic farms are unique in that they do not require any fertile soil. Indeed many of the world’s largest hydroponic farms are set up in the deserts of the Middle East or unfertile soils in other parts of the world. Seeds are placed in a growing medium – which can be either solid or liquid – in trays made from steel pipes. The advantage of this system is that nearly all of the nutrients poured into the growing medium are absorbed by the plant, making it exponentially more efficient and increasing productivity manifold.

Rana has set a up a small company just outside Faisalabad called Fareed Farmhouse, where he produces three varieties of tomato (cherry tomato, strawberry tomato, beef tomato), cucumber and capsicum. His production capacity is significantly above the norm.

“Through this technique, farmers can get between 450 and 550 tons of vegetables per acre, compared to the average yield of 15 tons per acre using traditional farming,” said Rana Zahid, the project director at Fareed Farmhouse.

Rana uses coconut waste imported from Sri Lanka as the solid medium in which he grows his plants. The vegetable plants are then irrigated through a water injection system. Fareed Farm uses reverse osmosis water purification systems to ensure the quality of the water.

Each plant requires up to two litres of water per day, which needs to be slightly acidic, with a pH of 5.8, according to Zahid.

Fareed Farmhouse produces relatively high-end vegetables that are consumed by higher income customers. His buyers include some of the large retail and wholesale chains in the country as well as hotels that have traditionally imported many of these vegetables from Europe.

Rana sells the tomatoes for about Rs225 per kilogram, compared to the cost of importing them from the Netherlands, which can run as high as Rs800 per kilogram. The seeds for the tomatoes at Fareed Farmhouse are imported from Canada and many of the other raw materials from China and Sri Lanka. Yet while the imported raw materials can be expensive, the method allows the company to save on other expenses.

“Our production method allows us to not use any kind of pesticides,” said Rana Arshad, a quality control officer at Fareed farmhouse.

The methods used by Fareed Farmhouse, however, do not come cheap. Hydroponic farming requires an investment of up to Rs1.5 million per acre, though it can yield net profits of up to Rs3 million per acre annually. Tahir Rana, however, is not content with just reaping the rewards of the existing techniques. He plans to spend up to Rs4 million in researching new methods and new variants of seeds. He is also planning on rapidly expanding his production base to up to 20 acres in the Faisalabad area.

Rana is a firm believer in the potential of hydroponic farming to transform Pakistani agriculture. “Every year, we import vegetables from India. If the government takes an interest in promoting these new technologies, we would not need to import from other countries. In fact, the country could earn a lot of foreign exchange by exporting to other countries.”

While Fareed Farmhouse is thus far focused on high-end vegetables, it appears that the company believes this method can be used to produce more mass market products as well.

The Express Tribune

Quick Tips for Urban Beekeepers

These tips I got from Linkedin regarding urban beekeeping

One of the major issues in urban beekeeping is swarming. Careful monitoring of the hive is essential.

Many cities and small towns do have ordinances that prohibit beekeeping, it's important to know the laws and be able to live within them.

A third factor for new Beekeepers is to understand the amount of time and demands that beekeeping entails and be prepared for the long haul, or have someone who will takeover for you in the event that you decide beekeeping is not your cup of tea.

Be nice to other people otherwise there will be so many complaints which might alarm local authority about the justification of your small bee camp :)

How to Tube Feed a Weak Kid

By Sue Reith

CarmelitaToggs

Dairy goat Journal

The prospect of tubing a weak kid probably sounds pretty frightening if you have never tried it. Perhaps it's because I have been doing it for so long, but I find the procedure very comfortable. I'd like to share with you what I have found works simply and quickly for me.

Having prepared in advance for the possibility that at some point I may need to tube a kid, I have on hand a "Sovereign" brand #10 French Feeding Tube/Urethral Catheter. A #8 tube is smaller (good for tiny puppies) but will do the job, and a #12, though it is a bit larger in diameter than the #10, will work also if the kid is fairly good sized (i.e., a dairy goat kid as opposed to a Pygmy kid). These tubes are often available from veterinarians, kept on hand by them for tubing weak puppies. But if you cannot obtain one locally I will be happy to email information on where to order one from a catalog. This small, semi-rigid #10 catheter is 16" long and 1/8" in diameter. Unlike the supple, pliable rubber tubing I have seen in most catheters intended for human use, this tube is semi-rigid, so while I can bend it into a coil for storage, it won't collapse easily like a rubberband does. In my view, the semi-rigidness of this particular catheter is largely what makes the tubing process so easy. I'd like to reiterate to the reader that a feeding tube is best obtained before it is actually needed, to be kept on hand for emergencies. To wait until the last minute to search for one might prove disastrous.

Now to the process

The first step in tubing a weak kid is to stretch the little guy out flat on its side on a table or other flat surface, with its neck and jaw in a straight line stretching forward as though, if the kid were standing up instead of lying down, it might be looking up at the stars. This allows me to measure accurately from the kid's mouth clear back to its very last rib, which is how far the tube must be inserted in order to tube the contents into the stomach. I mark that distance with a magic-marker on the tube itself, so when I am inserting it I will know when it has reached the correct point. Keep in mind that since the kid's lungs are much closer to the mouth than is the stomach, if the tube inserts easily until it reaches the mark you have made, you can be confident that it is safely in the stomach.

Having determined the type and amount of fluid I want to tube into the kid, and pre-warmed it to normal body temperature (generally by placing the prepared syringe into a container of very warm water), I attach this syringe of warmed fluid to the end of the catheter. I use cooking oil on a cotton ball to coat the tube so it is very slick.

Next, I have a choice of two approaches that can be used for positioning the kid for this procedure:

If the kid is pretty flaccid (weak) I lay it down on that table or other flat surface on its side on a towel and have an assistant hold it flat, with its neck and jawline in the same position it was in while I was measuring the distance to the last rib. Then I gently open its mouth with a forefinger and thumb, and start sliding the semi-rigid tube smoothly and slowly in, along the right side of the throat.

For a sturdier kid, an alternative to lying it on its right side would be to sit it in my lap, facing forward in the same direction I am facing, as though it were a child and we were watching tv together. I elevate the head and neck gently upward towards the ceiling, and then slowly slide the tube down the inside of the baby's mouth on the right side.

In either position I find that the tube slides down the right side of the throat (I am left-handed) easily, with the kid swallowing co-operatively as I do so. Occasionally, if the kid struggles in annoyance at this invasive procedure, its head will move and the tube will start down the left side of the throat. When that happens I know about it right away, because it is headed for the lungs and the kid reacts by starting to cough instantly. The tube itself will irritate the lung area, causing a cough response, so no other test is needed to determine this. In addition, a tube accidentally headed for the lungs will not slide smoothly. If I see these signs, I immediately pull it back out and start over. (By the way, his happens very rarely.)

When the tube is going where it should, the entire length of it will slide easily for the full distance to the place I have already pre-marked on it. When first learning this procedure, if unsure that the tube has actually gone into the stomach it's okay to wait until after it is in place before attaching the filled syringe, so as to be able to blow some air into the open end of the catheter. With one hand gently resting on the kid's stomach it is easy to feel and sense the air being blown into it. Comfortable that the tube is indeed in the stomach, I slowly plunge the liquid contents from the syringe smoothly into it, and if I have chosen the "lying down" position for this procedure, the moment I finish tubing the liquid into the stomach I pull the tube back out rapidly, and quickly move the kid into an upright position, and that's that.

One of the amazing things that I notice upon completion of this process is that the kid, generally fretting and struggling throughout this experience, suddenly takes on a quiet, contented demeanor. It's really quite precious.

I suspect that by now many novices, and perhaps lots of long-time goat owners as well, will be gasping in anxiety over the prospect of performing this procedure. But tubing is really not all that scary! And when you see that little kid take on a new, brighter and more alert expression shortly after having received that dose of nutrition and its accompanying increase in energy level, you will "feel 10 feet tall" and be glad that you have learned this new management procedure.

Synthetic vs. Organic Fertilizers: Can Plants Tell the Difference?

Plants Can Indeed Tell The Difference A 15-5-10 synthetic fertilizer is the classic 3-1-2 ratio high-nitrogen, synthetic fertilizer – the kind that the other guys recommend. These numbers mean that the bag contains 15 percent nitrogen, 5 percent phosphorus and 10 percent potassium. The remaining 70 percent of the material in the bag is filler. That can be hydrogen, oxygen and other compound parts but can also be just about anything – sawdust, sand, dirt or even toxic industrial waste. Now you might ask, ‘Why do we need filler? They distribute the N-P-K throughout the filler or carrier so you don’t burn the heck out of your turf when you apply it. Does that tell you something? When we use organic fertilizers we’re using very low amounts of buffered nutrients. Everything in the bag is useful to the plant. Our ‘filler’ is organic material with a variety of trace minerals. That translates to much better stimulation of biological activity in the soil. There are all kinds of problems with synthetic, high-nitrogen fertilizers. The primary problem is that there’s too much nitrogen. It creates an unbalanced situation as far as nutrients in the soil and in plants. High levels of nitrogen and low levels of trace minerals force fast growth that results in very weak watery cell growth in plants. People see the plants are growing and flowering so they think everything is fine. But the imbalance and the watery cells bring on insects and diseases. Nature’s job is to take out sick plants and to encourage the survival of the fittest. And, the form of nitrogen is wrong. It works too fast. Plus, it’s soluble. If it rains after you put it out, it washes away and leaches through the soil into the water stream. The second problem is the phosphorous source. The phosphorous in synthetic fertilizer is usually triple super phosphate 0-46-0 made by treating rock phosphate with phosphoric acid. Years ago the phosphorous source was 0-20-0 or super phosphate. It was pretty darn good even though it was created by a synthetic process. Rock phosphate was made by treatment with with sulfuric acid. It was a more balanced phosphate and did not tie up trace minerals. Well, somebody came up with the notion to use phosphoric acid to create more phosphorous for less money. So now all the synthetic fertilizer manufacturers use triple super phosphate. Big problem – the new material is so raw and so bare that when it’s put on the soil, it grabs and locks onto magnesium, manganese and all sorts of other trace minerals. It ties up these nutrients making them unavailable to plants. The third problem is potassium. The source of potassium in most synthetic fertilizers is muriate of potash or potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is bad on specific types of crops – especially fruit crops. It’s also harsh on the soil. What we like as a potassium source is potassium sulfate. It’s made from the salt of The Great Salt Lake. My definition of a fertilizer is anything that improves the soil and helps to stimulate plant growth. For example, dead leaves that fall off a tree are fertilizers. As they break down they turn into organic matter or humus and feed the soil microbes. Microbes such as the beneficial fungi on the roots protect and feed the root hairs of the plants. This feeding process releases the nutrients to feed plants. That’s how it works on the prairie and in the forest. We’re just speeding up the process. All the basic soil amendments meet that definition, but they are intended for building the health of the soil more than for routine fertilizing. They are more gentle and work more slowly over time. The basic soil amendments are manure-based organic compost, cornmeal, lava sand, greensand, zeolite and dry molasses.  Manure based organic compost – this is the basic building block of organics. It is the material we would find on an undisturbed forest floor. It acts as a gentle fertilizer encouraging microbial action. Cornmeal – this natural fungicide is a mild fertilizer and disease fighter that should be used until your soil gets healthy. Lava sand – you can use as much as you want as long as you want. Remember that the most productive soils in the world – Costa Rica, Hawaii, and parts of the West Coast and the Mediterranean – are places with a history of volcanic action and are almost solid lava. Greensand – mined from ancient sea beds, greensand is a marine deposit that is loaded with iron – and other trace minerals. It can end up being a bit of a problem in soils with high levels of iron. Dry molasses – this is not solid dried molasses. It’s organic material like rice hull bits that have been sprayed with molasses and dried. It is a powerful carbon source that really kicks up microbial activity. There are many quality bagged organic fertilizers to choose from. Some people alternate among them on the perfectly logical supposition that each contains a slightly different combination of nutrients and by rotating over time you provide your soil a more balanced diet. Some brands that are widely distributed are GreenSense, Lady Bug, Medina and Texas Tee. Similarly there are a lot of great choices in liquid fertilizers. I strongly recommend a regular foliar spray program. You can make your own Garrett Juice – the recipe is shown below. Other good choices are Alpha Bio THRIVE, Bioform, Lady Bug, Maxicrop and Medina.  You get indirect pest control from all liquid organic products because they stimulate biological activity. And that’s how we control pests the most effectivley. We try not to kill, but rather stimulate the good guys. The good guys feed on the pathogens and balance results. The recommended organic fertilization program is (it varies based upon where you live):  First fertilization - as early as January on into April Second fertilization – sometime in June or July Third fertilization – between September and October Garrett Juice (ready to spray): 1 cup manure based compost tea 1 ounce molasses 1 ounce natural apple cider vinegar 1 ounce liquid seaweed For disease and insect control add: ¼ cup garlic tea or ¼ cup garlic/pepper tea and 1 ounce of orange oil For homemade fire ant killer add:2 ounces of citrus oil per gallon of Garrett Juice The ready-to-use solution should not have more than 2 ounces of orange oil per gallon.

Top 12 Reasons to Go Organic

. Organic Is the Only Alternative Delivering Meaningful Health Results.
It is hard to miss the problems arising in the wake of the conventional food system – toxic exposures, birth defects, learning disabilities, obesity, water pollution, unacceptable suffering by farm animals, to name a few. While dozens of labels promise often undefined and unverified benefits, the certified organic label stands apart in consistently delivering what people care most deeply about – more nutritious food, grown using methods that minimize the use of toxins, while building soil quality and protecting water quality. A growing, dynamic organic food sector will stimulate valuable changes benefiting all of agriculture, as well as everyone dependent on the American farmer for three square meals a day.
2. Reduce Your Exposure to Harmful Synthetic Pesticides.
Conventional farmers apply 2-12+ synthetic pesticides to their crops. The average serving of conventionally grown leafy greens, peppers, tree fruits, berries, and grapes contains three to four pesticide residues. Residues of some widely used pesticides can trigger subtle changes in a child's development, and may lead to a wide range of health problems including ADHD, autism, obesity, and certain forms of cancer.
3. Boost the Nutritional Quality of Your Food.
Organic crops are grown in healthier, biologically active soils. While crops on organic farms tend to yield somewhat less per acre and often take longer to grow than crops on conventional farms, plants nurtured by soil on organic farms produce crops that contain higher levels of important antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins.
4. Steer Clear of Unknown Genetically Engineered Food Risks.
Most of today's genetically engineered (GE) foods were approved over 15 years ago during a period when the government was aggressively promoting biotechnology. The prevailing "wisdom" was that GE foods were "substantially equivalent" to conventional foods. We have since learned that even small differences in the genetic makeup of food can lead to unexpected human health risks. Because organic farmers cannot plant GE seeds, nor use GE crop inputs, choosing organic is the only sure way to avoid GE food risks.
5. Decrease Your Intake of Unnecessary Hormones and Antibiotics.
Most conventional livestock farmers use a combination of growth hormones, drugs, feed supplements, and high-grain diets to push their animals to grow faster, get bigger, and produce more milk and eggs per day. In fact, animals on conventional farms are often pushed so hard that they experience serious reproductive and/or other health problems leading to heavy antibiotic use. The National Organic Program (NOP) rule prohibits the use of virtually all synthetic animal drugs. At the end of the day, healthy animals produce healthier meat, milk and dairy products, and eggs.
6. Give Farm Animals a Healthy Measure of Respect.
A significant share of the livestock raised on conventional farms live in crowded, stressful conditions that erode animal health, increase drug dependency, and take away any chance of carrying out natural behaviors. However, the NOP rule states that organically raised animals must have access to the outdoors, including pasture, and ample space to carry out natural behaviors.
7. Preserve Local Crop Varieties for Future Generations.
Today, 50% of all food eaten worldwide comes from four plant species and three animal species. A handful of multi-national corporations own and control over 50% of the world's seed market. Small organic farms often preserve heirloom and rare seed varieties for future generations to experience and enjoy.
8. Improve Water Quality and the Safety of Drinking Water.
Rainfall landing on a field of crops will carry a certain amount of soil, nutrients, and chemicals downstream or into underground aquifers. The more chemicals applied per acre, the greater the challenge in preserving water quality. The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the most graphic example of the enormous harm caused when farm chemicals flowing off of millions of acres congregate in the mighty Mississippi.
9. Promote Biodiversity and Beauty in Rural Landscapes.
Organic farmers not only encourage biodiversity, they depend on it – both above and below the ground. Experienced organic farmers have learned over many decades that combining multiple crops with livestock and other animals is the best way to promote soil health and fully utilize the rainfall and sunlight that falls on an acre in any given year.
10. Maintain Healthy Soil.
Healthy soil is the bedrock of all successful organic farms. Hundreds of studies conducted on multiple continents over the last 50 years have compared soil quality on organic versus nearby conventional farms, and virtually everyone has concluded that organic management substantially enhances soil quality.
11. Organic Food Delivers More Intense Flavors.
Organic fruits and vegetables more often than not have higher levels of flavor-enhancing nutrients, coupled with lower concentrations of water and sugars. The end result – typically more intense and complex flavors. Plus, no artificial food colors or preservatives are added to any organic foods.
12. Create Healthier Working Environments for Farmworkers and Rural Neighbors.

Farming is second only to mining on the list of the most hazardous occupations. Unless great care is exercised, exposures to toxic pesticides, caustic fertilizers, and other chemicals will pose risks for many people working on or living near farms. Organic farmers simply do not use high-risk chemical materials and so workers, and rural neighbors, have one less health risk to worry about.

Sales of organic products have skyrocketed in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. People associate organic food with better health, local growers, lower pesticide levels, humane treatment of animals and sounder environmental practices."