• No harmful chemicals or prohibited substances have been applied to the field for at least 3 years
• Documentation that their operations follow strict standards to qualify for certification
• They have kept detailed records of their practices
• They use ecologically-friendly methods and substances to improve the soil and control pests

Q. What are the prohibited substances?

The list of prohibited substances includes:

• Fertilizers such as potassium chloride or calcium nitrate, urea or anhydrous ammonia
• Any micronutrient used as a herbicide
• Synthetic growth promoters or genetically engineered organisms
• Petroleum distillate herbicides
• Most synthetically compounded insecticides, nematocides, or rodenticides
• Most synthetic fumigants, sprouting inhibitors, ripeners, growth regulators, insecticides, preservatives, or coloring agents in stored products

Q. Why buy organic?

Here are several reasons for buying organic food:

• Protect Future Generations: Children receive four times more exposure than adults to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. The food choices made now may impact your child's health in the future.
• Protect Water Quality: Water makes up at least 2/3 's of our body mass and covers 3/4 's of the planet. Despite its importance, the EPA estimates pesticides (some cancer-causing) contaminate the ground water polluting the primary source of drinking water for most of the U.S.
• Save Energy: Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry, consuming 12% of the country's total energy supply. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate, & harvest all the crops in the U.S. Organic farming is still mainly based on labor intensive practices such as weeding by hand & crop covers rather than synthetic inputs.
• Protect Farm Worker's Health: A Natural Cancer Institute study found that farmers who are exposed to herbicides had a six times greater risk of contracting cancer than non-farmers.
• Keep Chemicals Off Your Plate: Many pesticides approved for use by the EPA were registered before extensive research linked these chemical to cancer & other diseases. Now the EPA considers that 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides, & 30% of all insecticides are carcinogenic. Pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms and can be harmful to humans.
• Support a True Economy: Organic foods might seem more expensive than conventional foods, but conventional food prices may not reflect hidden costs borne by taxpayers including subsidies, pesticide regulation & testing, hazardous waste cleanup, & environmental damage.
• To Taste Better Flavor: There's a good reason many chefs use organic foods in their recipes. Why? They taste better. Organic farming starts with the nutrients of the soil which eventually leads to the nourishment of the plant and ultimately our palates.