Organic is a word that’s becoming more and more important to many people, whether it’s buying organic foods and other products for ourselves and our families or for our animals. Most of us know that organic means healthier, but how exactly does organic farming differ from traditional farming practices? Read on to learn more!
Organic farming is an agricultural practice that works in alignment with nature, aiming to provide products free of the chemicals that can cause harm to people, animals, and the environment. Therefore, organic farmers don’t use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), chemical medications, hormones, growth boosters, or other toxic substances.
Instead, organic farming relies on other methods of controlling insects, disease, and weeds. The goal of organic farming is not only to provide healthier, more nutrient-dense foods (and safer non-food products), but also to ultimately improve the soil—the foundation of our food system.
Improving Soil Health
Though for many people, soil is synonymous with dirt, it’s actually much more than that. In fact, soil consists of a complex web of interactions between non-living and living things such as bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, worms, and other small organisms, all of which play a vital role in plant health.
Organic farming practices strive to lessen soil damage by using natural fertilizers in place of synthetic chemicals. Practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, and composting are often used, which help to protect soil health and structure.
Composting
Compost is made from the aerobic decomposition of waste materials such as food scraps, manure, leaves, straw, etc. When carbon-rich materials such as straw and leaves are mixed with nitrogen-rich materials such as food scraps and manure, the perfect composting environment conditions are created.
Compost can be used to improve soil or start seeds, as mulch, or as a natural fertilizer. It can help reduce or eliminate weed seeds as well as plant pathogens that cause disease.
Some of the other benefits of using compost include:
- Increasing soil’s microbial activity
- Increasing soil fertility
- Improving soil structure, especially in clay soils
- Improving water retention
- Reducing bioavailability of heavy metals in soil
The Holistic Horse’s Commitment to Organic Products
The world is full of toxic chemicals, drugs, and poisonous pesticides, which are harmful not only to us and our animals, but the environment as well.
That’s why The Holistic Horse is committed to providing customers with safer, non-toxic options when it comes to your animals’ health, as well as your own. This means that the products we sell come from organic farming practices. This goes for our exclusive signature line of organic formulas, our Icelandic Kelp, our Ground Flaxseed, and much more!
Likewise, if you’re interested in implementing organic farming on a smaller scale at your own farm, we have a couple of products to help!
Our EcoGuard Compost Starter cuts composting time by 50% or more, and our OST – Organic Soil Treatment is a natural way to replace the nutrients and minerals that have been depleted from your soil.
Remember that when you buy organic, you’re not only choosing safer, non-toxic options for yourself, your family, and your animals, but you’re also supporting farming practices that better protect our soil and environment! Organic is definitely the way to go.