The case for Organic feed

I initially wrote this in the spring of 2016.

Eichorn Family Farm, is excited to let you know

We are now feeding our Hens and Ducks Organic feed, instead of the Non-GMO feed that we had been using.

This spring will mark 2 years since we launched into producing chicken and duck eggs for Farmer’s Markets etc. We have been raising the chickens and ducks in a nice barn with lots of sawdust and straw bedding to keep everything clean and healthy. From the beginning we have given them free range in the sheep pasture and pond, where they can naturally balance their diet, from about the first of April through November, with bugs, grasshoppers and worms, as well as any greens, fruits and other seeds.

Because of all the additional toxins and dangers that come with GMOs we also made a point not to feed the hens with any of those grains. But until now we had stopped short of use Organic feed, because of the price tag.

With time we came across more information on the subjects of health and nutrition, as well as the negative consequences that all the chemical usage in food production is having on our health and on our environment.

I made this chart to share with you what I feel are the most important differences in the way that the grains are raised for the 3 types of feed that are readily available. Looking at this chart made it all too obvious that if we want truly healthy eggs, then using Non-GMO feed is not enough.

If we want nutritious and chemical free eggs then it only makes sense that we need to feed the chickens and ducks as nutritious and chemical free feed as possible. Since grains are +/-75% of the diet of our chickens and ducks, it’s important to take into consideration how those grains were raised. We should also take into account the environmental impacts that result from the different growing methods.

But, can we afford Organic feed. This is what the numbers look like.

chicken feed cost

conventional Non-GMO Organic

per ton $435 $455 $847

per dozen of eggs

$1.04 $1.10 $2.04

Prices is based on feed that is readily available to our farm Mar 1 2016 FYI our 500 +/- chickens and ducks eat +/-1100 lbs/week.

The costs for a dozen duck egg are more and I plan to address that in another post.

This includes the feed to raise the chicks for the first 5 months , when they start laying eggs

To summarize; Feed expenditures is the only cost that really changes. The labor and infrastructure costs stay the same and the price/dozen increases by only $.94. So I’m like; if my customers are going to all this effort of coming to market for better food, would they really want second best, when for an additional $.94 they could buy a truly Eggxellent dozen of eggs. And why should we continue going to all the bother to supply our hens with good pasture, nice barn, etc., and then bring a product to market that is only somewhat better.

Thank you to all our customers! We are very grateful for your support, and would like to have you onboard as we all, together take this plunge.

To be clear; the farm is not “certified” organic neither are the chickens, ducks or the eggs, but the feed which is the majority of their Diet is Certified Organic.

Chart #1 is an attempt to effectively communicate the big picture, but it overlooks many of the details which we will try to address.

“Chemical” “there are only 40 synthetic substances allowed in certified organic production, in contrast to 1000s allowed in conventional production. About 26 of the 40 synthetic substances allowed in organic crop production are considered pesticides. But these have restrictions, too. For example, soap-based herbicides can only be used on right-of-ways and ditches, but can’t come into contact with organic food. Boric acid, which is a synthetic insecticide, can be used for pest control, but can’t come into contact with crops or soil. Similarly, ammonium carbonate can only be used as bait in insect traps”

It has become virtually impossible to keep crops like corn, soybeans, alfalfa, canola, and wheat, etc. 100% free from contamination by GM pollen from the air. To address this Non-GMO verified, has I believe, a limit of .9% GMO contamination, while Organic does not require testing that I am aware of. While the Non-GMO crowd has so far, only had minimal success in getting GMOs out of our food, at the same time it seems they have taken away a significant market share from the Organic producers, by making people think that Non-GMO verified is comparable to Organic but with the better price.

Crop diversity refers to A Crop rotation, meaning; growing different crops in any given part of the farm from one year to the next. B Growing cover crops C Raising different crop types at the same time, such as the famed three sisters, or as in diverse pasture swards, D maintaining hedgerows etc.

Soil erosion; Soils on farmlands in the US “using conservative figures” are eroding, on average 2.7 tons/acre/year, and how those soils are farmed has an impact on the amounts of top soil loss. Conventional farming has had some success by using No-till farming practices, but herbicides are normally used to control the weeds. Bottom line; soil erosion remains a challenge in any of the 3 annual cropping systems.

Grazing sheep is a great way to not only halt soil erosion, but also promote more topsoil formation utilizing high diversity pastures. More on this later. Also Check out this presentation on youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Qi5CvWcnM or search for; True Cost Accounting - A Special Discussion with Patrick Holden