Bovine veterinarians’ perspective on organic livestock production in the USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 184 (12) ◽  
pp. 384-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike S Sorge ◽  
Sarii Yamashita ◽  
Laura Pieper
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Alternative Therapies ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Livestock Health

The objective was to determine possible challenge areas that bovine veterinarians may face when working on certified organic livestock operations. All members of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners’ electronic mailing list, who practised in the USA, were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey. Veterinarians (n=213) from 38 states participated in the survey. The focus of the survey was on the veterinarian’s interest in and perception of organic farming, their knowledge of the use of alternative therapies under federal regulations and their needs for providing veterinary services to organic farms. Most participants worked in dairy practice and served ≥1 organic client. Their attitude towards organic production was balanced. Many veterinarians struggled to offer sick animal care with alternative therapies within the regulatory framework and expressed their need to have more evidence-based alternative therapies. Two-thirds of veterinarians were concerned that the lack of proven effective therapy options would impair livestock welfare on organic farms in the USA. Almost 90 per cent of respondents did not think that organic livestock was healthier than conventionally raised livestock and most participants (74 per cent) thought livestock health was dependent on management rather than organic or conventional farming practices. In summary, participants were generally not opposed to organic farming. However, most veterinarians expressed their need to have a better access to clear information about organic regulations and most importantly more evidence-based alternative therapies to ensure animal health and welfare on organic livestock operations.

scholarly journals INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC FARMING IN POLAND

2020 ◽  
Vol XXII (1) ◽  
pp. 213-223
Author(s):  
Władysława Łuczka
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Secondary Objective ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
High Standards

The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe institutional barriers to the development of organic farming in Poland. As a secondary objective, this paper seeks feedback from organic farmers on measures taken by the institutional environment to promote the development of organic farming. This paper is based on literature reviews and selected findings from empirical research carried out in 2019 with 262 organic farms. The sample used in this study was representative of the general population of certified organic farms. The survey was a CAWI. The study found that organic farming faces many barriers, with frequent amendments to regulations being of key importance. This destabilizes and adds uncertainty to the functioning of organic farms. Another significant barrier are the high standards of organic production and low levels of financial and non-financial support. To a certain extent, these barriers result from the inefficiency of institutions surrounding organic farming. As a consequence, they are considered to poorly contribute to organic farming development.

scholarly journals ORGANIC FARMING AS REGIONAL SMART SPECIALIZATION IN PODLASIE IN LIGHT OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

2020 ◽  
Vol XXII (1) ◽  
pp. 20-28
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Bańkowska ◽  
Jakub Jasiński ◽  
Vitaliy Krupin
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Analysis Process ◽  
Local Stakeholders ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Smart Specialization

The article aims to present the results of research on the prerequisites for the development of organic farming in a region recognized as Regional Smart Specialization. Due to growing consumer interest in the standards of food available on the market, the list of National Smart Specializations includes an entire section dedicated to “High quality food” and under it the “Production of organic, traditional and regional food”. Only few Polish voivodeships placed this sector on the regional list, thus giving organic farming priority in the process of financing research and investment. The voivodeship, which not only excels in the statistics of organic production in the country but, what is important, treats this activity as its smart specialization is the Podlaskie voivodeship. To assess the conditions for the development of organic farming in Podlasie, the data regarding the number of certified organic farms as well as the opinions of local stakeholders concerning the future of this sector in the region were analyzed. Including qualitative research results in the analysis process allowed to indicate the prognosis for the possible development of this sector in the voivodship.

A history of organic farming: Transitions from Sir Albert Howard's War in the Soil to USDA National Organic Program

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Heckman
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Social Environmental

The organic farming concept developed in the period prior to 1940 and was pioneered by Sir Albert Howard (1873–1947). Howard, born and educated in England, directed agricultural research centers in India (1905–1931) before permanently returning to England. His years of agricultural research experiences and observations gradually evolved into a philosophy and concept of organic farming that he espoused in several books. Howard's thinking on soil fertility and the need to effectively recycle waste materials, including sewage sludge, onto farmland was reinforced by F.H. King's book,Farmers of Forty Centuries. Howard developed a system of composting that became widely adopted. Howard's concept of soil fertility centered on building soil humus with an emphasis on how soil life was connected to the health of crops, livestock, and mankind. Howard argued that crop and animal health was a birthright and that the correct method of dealing with a pathogen was not to destroy the pathogen but to see what could be learned from it or to ‘make use of it for tuning up agricultural practice’. The system of agriculture advocated by Howard was coined ‘organic’ by Walter Northbourne to refer to a system ‘having a complex but necessary interrelationship of parts, similar to that in living things’. Lady Eve Balfour compared organic and non-organic farming and helped to popularize organic farming with the publication ofThe Living Soil. Jerome Rodale, a publisher and an early convert to organic farming, was instrumental in the diffusion and popularization of organic concepts in the US. Both Howard and Rodale saw organic and non-organic agriculture as a conflict between two different visions of what agriculture should become as they engaged in a war of words with the agricultural establishment. A productive dialogue failed to occur between the organic community and traditional agricultural scientists for several decades. Organic agriculture gained significant recognition and attention in 1980, marked by the USDA publicationReport and Recommendations on Organic Farming. The passage of the Federal Organic Foods Production Act in 1990 began the era of accommodation for organic farming in the USA, followed by another milestone with official labeling as USDA Certified Organic in 2002. Organic agriculture will likely continue to evolve in response to ongoing social, environmental, and philosophical concerns of the organic movement.

FINACIAL FUNDS FROM EUROPEAN UNION FUNDS AS A CHANCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECTOR OF ORGANIC FARMS IN POLAND

2017 ◽  
Vol XIX (2) ◽  
pp. 95-101
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Jezierska-Thöle ◽  
Mirosław Biczkowski
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Rural Development Program ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

The aim of the work was to present and describe the development of organic farms in Poland and the impact of EU funds on the development of this sector. The possibilities of financing their development from the Rural Development Program funds in the period 2007-2013 functioning within the framework of the Union‘s Common Agricultural Policy were pointed out. The theoretical foundations and assumptions related to the functioning of the organic farming sector were also approximated. The results show that in the years 2002-2013 there was an increase in the number and area of organic farms. The greatest impact on the increase of the number and area of organic farms is the functioning of the RDPs in the years 2004-2006 and 2007-2013 and within it the subsidies for organic production. This confirms the very strong correlation between the number of farms and the amounts of subsidies paid to farms producing organic farming. It can be assumed that in the next few years the share of the area of ecological agricultural land may exceed 4-5%.

scholarly journals Contemporary Challenges to the Organic Farming: A Polish and Hungarian Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 8005
Author(s):  
Anna Mazurek-Kusiak ◽  
Bogusław Sawicki ◽  
Agata Kobyłka
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Organic Farm ◽  
Agricultural Produce ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Chain Indices ◽  
High Degree

From year to year, there is an increasing demand for agricultural produce from certified organic farms. However, Poland and Hungary’s demand for this product is almost twenty times smaller than in Western European countries. The greater the demand by consumers for organic farming products, the more agricultural producers decide to switch from conventional farming to organic farming, and this farming is more environmentally friendly because it uses energy and natural resources responsibly, maintains biodiversity, maintains regional ecological balance, improves soil food, and maintains good water quality. This research aimed to compare the motives and barriers to running organic farms in Poland and Hungary, and the challenges farmers must face to undertake the trouble of running an organic farm. The research was carried out among 400 Polish and 400 Hungarian farmers running organic farms. For statistical calculations, discriminant analysis, as well as single-base and chain indices, were used. The main barriers for establishing organic farms: the necessity to adapt one’s farm to the EU requirements, using only natural fertilizers, low yields, the lack of proper advice, and a high degree of bureaucracy. Therefore, for organic farming to develop, further education is needed, both for farmers and consumers. An important aspect is improving the quality of the regulations and simplifying the administrative burden related to organic farming.

scholarly journals (419) The Relation of Cooperative Extension Programs, Materials, and Publications for Organic Farming Systems as Relates to Production

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1072C-1072
Author(s):  
Kristen Harper ◽  
Curt R. Rom
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Cooperative Extension ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Organic Farming Systems ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Organic Produce

Since the passage of the Organic Foods Production Act in 1990, certified organic produce has begun to make a large impact on national markets. However, USDA statistics indicate that many states in the southern region have considerably reduced certified organic acreage when compared to other regions in the United States. The absence of organic acreage may perhaps originate with a lack of training and educational materials provided to producers due to unanticipated growth of organic markets. A thorough review of all Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service (ACES) materials, such as bulletins, publications, and workshops over the past 10 years, would reveal what information has been provided to producers on certified organic production. This review of ACES materials defines the existing groundwork on which ACES could construct future organic publications and outreach programs in order to sustain and stimulate organic farming within the state.

scholarly journals ASSESSING THE NEED FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTION COURSES IN HORTICULTURE CURRICULA

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 877d-877
Author(s):  
C.R. Rom ◽  
H. Friedrich ◽  
K. Harper
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Southern Region ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Organic Produce ◽  
National Organic Program

Higher education curricula should be alert to trends in production and science, and responsive to needs of producers and consumers in our society. A recent trend has emerged nationally and internationally for the production and consumption of certified organic produce which is increasing at a significant rate. Following the creation of the National Organic Program and formal federal regulations for certification which govern production, it has been questioned whether horticulture programs in land grant institutions have adjusted curricula appropriately to train producers, consultants, extension specialists, teachers and research scientists to be engaged in organic production systems. According to USDA statistics, several states in the southern region have significantly fewer certified organic farms and certifying agencies than the northeast, Midwest or western regions. A review horticulture and crops programs at 36 land grant universities (1862 and 1890) in 14 southern region states indicated although several institutions had research and outreach programs for sustainable and organic production, there were only three classes on organic gardening, two classes on organic crops production, and one field-based organic production course that could be identified in existing curricula. It appears that with the growth of the organic industry worldwide that students in programs in the southern region may be under-served in this educational area. Further, it may be questioned whether the lack of production and certifying agencies in the southern region is associated with the lack of science-based education provided by the land grant universities. A recent survey of faculty indicated a perceived need for stand-alone coursework on organic, sustainable, and ecologically-based production systems.

scholarly journals Social Values in Stimulating Organic Production Involvement in Farming—The Case of Poland

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 5945
Author(s):  
Karol Kociszewski ◽  
Andrzej Graczyk ◽  
Krystyna Mazurek-Łopacinska ◽  
Magdalena Sobocińska
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Social Values ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Demand Growth ◽  
Conventional Farms

The main research problem discussed in this paper involves evaluation of the motives of agricultural producers for pursuing and developing organic production. The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the role of social values in stimulating decisions of involvement in organic production. Analytical observations were conducted on the basis of responses to surveys on a nation-representative sample in Poland (350 conventional farms and 70 organic farms in 2011; 260 conventional farms and 65 organic farms in 2019). Analyses were conducted in relation to the potential and perspectives for development of organic farming. They were focused on identifying the original motives for such decisions (incentives and disincentives). This allowed for effective evaluation of both the trend and the pace of the studied processes. The development potential of organic farming in Poland was estimated at 5–15% of the total number of farms. The most important factors encouraging farmers to take up production are associated with social values (care for the natural environment and family health). A significant chance for the development of organic production is the expected demand growth, which is also related to social values: the increasing environmental awareness and environmental change of consumption patterns.

scholarly journals ORGANIC POTENTIAL OF UKRAINE IN THE SYSTEM OF ORGANIC PRODUCTION OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana Senyshyn ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Retail Trade ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
International Projects ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Eu Project

It is described in detail in the article the organic potential of European countries and Ukraine through the prism of specific indicators that characterize it. It is determined that the fullest organic potential of any state is revealed through a system of such indicators: land use in organic farming; number of producers of certified organic products; volumes of retail trade in organic products; volumes of exports and imports of organic products; cost of consumption of organic products per person; the largest importers of state organic products, etc. Based on the constructed complex diagram, which systematically characterizes the organic potential of European countries and, in particular, Ukraine through a set of its main indicators, it is proved that the most powerful European organic leaders in 2019 are: Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Collectively, the indicators that characterize their organic potential in 2019 reached, compared to other European countries, high leadership positions. According to statistics, it is determined that in 2019 Sweden for the first time after many years of importing organic grains became their exporter – 116 million euros. It is noted that Ukraine in the system of indicators characterizing its organic potential in 2019, among European countries is a pioneer, where the development of organic farming and organic food production is a strategic task of the state over the next few years. After all, the area of organic land in 2019 exceeded 460 thousand hectares, and the volume of exports of organic products in the same year reached the level of 272 million euros with only 470 state producers of certified organic products. It was also emphasized that in support of the development of organic potential, Ukraine is implementing international projects aimed at the development of organic production. For example, the project “German-Ukrainian cooperation in the field of organic farming”, the Swiss-Ukrainian program “Development of trade with higher added value in the organic and dairy sectors of Ukraine”, funded by the Swiss Confederation and implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in partnership with SAFOSO AG, EU project “Support to the implementation of agricultural and food policy in Ukraine”.

scholarly journals Rolnictwo ekologiczne w Polsce i perspektywy jego rozwoju w kontekście PROW 2014–2020

2017 ◽  
pp. 115-126
Author(s):  
Marzena Trajer ◽  
Krystyna Krzyżanowska
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Rural Development Programme

The aim of the study was determination of the position of Polish organic farming comparing to organic farming in European Union, defining the regional locations of organic farming producers in Poland and identification of the financial support under the Rural Development Programme for 2014–2020. In the article the secondary data and the method of comparative analysis were used. Concerning the number of ecological farms, Poland had the sixth position in the European Union in 2015. The analysis shows that the largest number of applications for co-financing of organic production within framework for action „Organic farming” were implemented in the voivodeships with the largest number of organic farms in Poland: Zachodniopomorskie voivodeship, Warmińsko-mazurskie voivodeship and Podlaskie voivodeship.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document