Organics on the rise

The organic food industry has been growing fast recently, and some experts say the market may be pulling producers toward a full-scale conversion.

Farm Service Agency Hill County Office Executive Director Les Rispens said the county's organically certified acres have probably doubled in the last five years.

"And that's a conservative guess on my part," he added.

Rispens cited the example of organic wheat to illustrate that one reason for its success are higher prices due to the product being limited to a U.S. market instead of a world market. It's a smaller and more competitive market, he said.

Congress' decision to reduce the number of Conservation Reserve Program acres, Rispens said, has largely contributed to the rise in organic farming. He said a lot of the land had been sitting for 10 years before being taken out of CRP. Once released, the land, which had not been chemically farmed for more than three years, was immediately eligible to be organically farmed.

"CRP has played a huge role in the increase of organic production," he said.

Rispens said there is a USDA agenda to promote organic farming aligned with a grander plan aimed at stimulating local economies.

"USDA is promoting organic heavily. We have a developing group of programs that are not all delivered yet, but there are programs in the pipeline to encourage additional organic production," he said. "We have a home micro-loan program that can loan money to small operations. ... There's beginning farmer programs that favor organic production."

Rispens said he believes no reason has contributed more to the growth of organic industry than consumers. He said the demand for organic products is increasing rapidly, especially in urban areas, and especially with younger generations.

"It seems like the younger people are more in tune with organics and more driven in that direction, and as we see them become consumers - they get out into the world and start making purchasing decisions - we're seeing the younger consumers choose organics. I really think that's where the growth is in the organic market," he said.

Rispens said he believes the food industry might completely transition to organic in a few decades.

"I actually think the market is leading us that way - the consumers are going to take the government along with them. Voters are going to say 'This is what's important to us,' and I think we are going to see the transition," he said.

Rispens said health reasons are a common motive for the public's appetite for organic food. He said celebrity organic diets have also influenced consumers toward organic food consumption.

As for whether or not organic food is healthier than conventionally grown food, Rispens said, it's hard to argue against food that hasn't been touched by any chemicals. But that doesn't mean there is any indication of risks when eating foods grown using chemicals, he added.

"I don't believe consumers are at a pesticide risk with any of our conventional food products. Remember that the FDA, USDA - countless government agencies - have been watching and studying pesticide use as long as anybody can remember," he said. "And I don't really believe that the consumer of the product is at risk, except in maybe rare cases where somebody has done something wrong, and that happens, human errors."

Rispens said transporting organic foods poses problems.

Because fruits and vegetables normally rely on chemicals to keep them stable while being shipped, organic foods are not commonly shipped as far as conventional foods. And when they are, the organic produce is picked prematurely and put through gasification in transit so it's ripe by the time it arrives to its destination.

Yield is another challenge with organic producers. The primary reason for smaller organic yields, Rispens said, is that soil nutrition management is much easier - scientifically methodical - and faster in a conventional system than an organic one.

Rispens said no one has come up with an answer as to how to make up for the 40 percent loss of production using organic methods. Hypothetically speaking, he said, a 40 percent decrease in food output overnight would end in worldwide disaster. But he said he believes land grant universities will lead the way in researching the issue and coming up with a solution as the market continues its conversion.

Rispens said the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is a subject that is often brought up. He said he believes the TPP may be beneficial "one day."

"What that's trying to do is break down trade barriers around the Pacific with our trading partners. It's doing things like coming up with standard grading factors for grain so we all know what we're talking about. When one of those countries calls up and orders grain, they understand the grading system that we're using," he said. "Those things make trade work better."

But there are obstacles the TPP cannot pass.

"The thing it can't overcome is the strength of the U.S. dollar," Rispens said, "right now, that is the single biggest limiter on exports - the U.S. dollar is so expensive compared to other world currencies. If you want to buy a U.S. product, you gotta buy it in U.S. and it's going to be expensive."

Sen. Jon Tester, who farms west of Big Sandy, converted his farm to organic in 1987. He said watching his neighbors going broke or selling out caused him look to into ways he could add value and increase net returns. A contract to raise durum also helped him decide to convert, he said.

"There's a lot of reasons to make the conversion," he said, "but the biggest one is because it's financially sustainable."

Tester said he grows mainly grains and peas - the peas are for fertilizer - on his 1,800-acre farm, which is small by Montana standards, he added.

Tester said taxpayer money is needed to fund more research.

"Most of the money put into research now at the university system is put in by agri-business, and they tend to look from a high-input standpoint - 'How can you maximize your yield by putting as much input as you can?' - when really, we should be looking at how we can maximize net income," he said. "Net income may not be raising 80 bushel an acre; it may be raising 30 bushel an acre and not having as much input on it and adding value at the other end. And that's kind of what organic agriculture does."

Tester said research is needed regarding things like what the best plowdown for nitrogen is, the best crop rotation and what can be done to take care of problem weeds. He said he's been doing trial-and-error rotations for 30 years, and he'd love to find a more efficient way to eliminate cheat grass and Canada thistle weeds, the big problem weeds this year.

"We need more research both in conventional agriculture and in organic agriculture. And quite frankly, in my opinion, we need more public dollars going into it," he said. "Because if those are public dollars going into their research, then there's no possible way those results can be skewed, or even have the appearance of them being skewed."

Tester added that he was not saying the studies paid for by private money are skewed - only that they may have the appearance of being so.

Jody Manuel has a 4,500-acre organic ranch and farm south of Havre. A rancher and farmer since 1991, the transition to organic for Manuel began in 2007, after his wife was diagnosed with the autoimmune Graves' disease. He said doctors didn't have a lot of answers and she began looking into nutrition. He said that's when things "started to make sense" and the conversion to organic farming and ranching began. He got his first full organic crop in 2009 and was fully organically certified by 2011.

Manuel said that while there is no guarantee that organic food is healthier, it's guaranteed to be free of any chemicals and GMOs.

His main product is organic beef. He has about 550 cows, 44 of which will be going to Brush, Colorado, July 24, where they will be processed and then shipped to Whole Foods.

The cattle are grazed on organic pasture and fed organically produced feed.

Manuel said he sprays apple cider vinegar on the pasture grass. He's not exactly sure if it works, but he does so because it's supposed to aide the animals' digestion and help eliminate potential parasites. He also supplements the herd's diet with salt and minerals. And, although he can remain organically certified while doing so, Manuel said he doesn't even vaccinate his cows.

In addition to the livestock, Manuel has 500 acres of wheat and 145 of peas. The peas are a cover crop, plowed in for nitrogen fertilizer.

He also has a field of lentils, and this year he decided to experiment with hops. He said the local brewery, Triple Dog Brewing Company, has already expressed interest in buying the hops.

Manuel said he uses vinegar to help control the weeds on the crops.

Manuel said business has been wonderful. He said the companies can get "cutthroat" when going after his products and that's good for him. And although last year's wheat yield was half that of his neighbor's - 25 bushels - he said he gets three times the price for it.

Manuel said this year's weather has been good for his operation.

This year's mild winter means he's had to buy less hay for his cows, which will give his profit margin on livestock sales a boost. And the moisture has helped the pasture grow more quickly. When it comes to rain, timing is more important than the amount, Manuel said.

"I've found that the best years are when you have intermittent rains with sunny days," he said.

For Manuel, as contrary as it may seem, organic farming is innovative. Farming never appealed to him, he said, until he took the organic path.

(This story originally ran in the July Hi-Line Farm & Ranch publication.)