Organic feed question

[plantguy90]

Will my local feed supply have "organic" feed? In chickens what defines that? Organically grown food? Will the protiens (fish meal?) also be organic? If I feed them veggie scraps and I dont buy organic, then its not organic right?

 

[bibliophile birds]

it really depends where you are if you will be able to find organic in your feed stores. check out GardeNerd's great organic feed list and see if something is listed close to you.

i believe the technical definition of organic feed means that 97% of the ingredients have to be organic. there are a couple exceptions, but i don't know off the top of my head what they are. the animal protein will be organic.

the veggies are the biggest gray area. for most people, getting organic certification isn't the goal, because it's too expensive for small operations. in that case, a lot of people feed non-organic and still call what they sell organic because they don't use antibiotics or other chemicals directly. personally, i don't think that is right. i would consider that "natural" rather than "organic." i think if you expect to sell organic eggs or chicken you should accept the parameters and only feed organic.

if it's for home use only, then you should do whatever you feel comfortable with.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
The USDA administers the National Organic Program of the U.S. and the requirements are laid out in the U.S. Code of Federal regulations:

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/tex...m;rgn=div5;view=text;idno=7;node=7:3.1.1.9.31

Your feed store may or may not carry organic feed depending upon where they get their feed from. The feed must come from certified organic grains and the mill must be a certified organic processor. Typically the rations use organic soybeans for protein. Mammalian and poultry by-products are not allowed in organic feed. Fish proteins are allowed (whether you can get organic fish is another matter).

As far as the chickens themselves, they need to be fed certified organic feed from the first day after hatch. Caged production is not allowed. Birds must have access to the outdoors, weather permitting. Pasture must have been managed organically, without any synthetic inputs, for a minimum of three years.

If you wish to sell your eggs or poultry as "USDA Certified Organic" then you must be certified by a third party agency. You fill out the appropriate paperwork (organic management plan), undergo the required inspections, and pay the appropriate fees to the certification agency.

If you have annual gross receipts of $5000 or more you are required to be certified to sell your products as organic.

If you have annual gross receipts of $5000 or less, you can market your products as "Organic", but not "USDA Certified Organic" without the certification as long as you follow all the rules of the National Organic Program. If you market your products as "Organic" under this exemption then your products cannot be used as ingredients in other organic products. (Typically not a problem for those selling eggs and poultry directly to the consumer).

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
As long as the veggie scraps are from organically raised vegetables it would be fine to feed it to them. You wouldn't be allowed to feed kitchen scraps from food of unknown origin.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Nor is it allowed under federal law. That's where certification comes in handy, your product is certified to at least meet the minimum standards. If you are buying organic products without certification, then you are taking the producer's word for it. I'd ask them about the details of their organic production. If they respond vaguely or just say that they feed organic feed, then they probably aren't following all of the standards required to sell their product as organic. I would only purchase from folks that more than welcome your questions and can speak intelligently about their organic production and the federal requirements.

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
exactly. for many of us small producers, it's just not feasible to get certification, but we are passionately dedicated to the standards of organic anyway.

it was when i started asking questions of people (before i got involved myself) that i realized there were some people selling "organic" (not certified) eggs but feeding commercial, non-organic feeds. i was asking questions because i was looking for a local organic feed retailer (there are none) and wondered where everyone else was getting feed. 2 out of 5 were just feeding unmedicated, whole grain feed and considering that organic. i was shocked. and, naturally, those were the ones who were the most disinclined to speak to me about their setup.

the others were happy to talk to me about what they were doing and where they were ordering their feed from or what they were growing to make their own.

 

[CityChicker]

Are there actual regulations now for feed? I will have to check into that since I haven't for a few years, but the last time I did- there were absolutely no regulations for organic pet or livestock feeds. Yes, of course, there are quite stringent regulations for *human* food. Do these now apply to animal feeds or is it still just that if people want to be "certified organic", they have to do so under the human food program? I really don't know the answer. If anyone has a link to the regulations for animal feed (if they exist), please post them as I would love to go read them for future reference.

Of course, I am only talking about regulations for animal feed in general, not feed fed to animals that will eventually produce a product for human consumption that will be sold as organic. I think in that case, like with eggs sold as organic or meat sold as organic, the feed *has* to be certified organic. That is sort of a separate issue to me though as it is the product for human consumption that is regulated, not the feed itself (because for example, the feed could be fed to animals that will *not* eventually be consumed by people). I didn't think there was a set of regulations just specifically for animal feed in general, unless the producer wants to go through the same certifying process that human foods go through. As I said though, I haven't read up on it for a couple years. Maybe someone can post some current info if they have it.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
You bet your bottom dollar there are regulations on Organic Livestock feeds! I don't have a link, but have registered products with one certifier, it was not a fun task. On of the products I tried to register was a Direct Fed Microbial. The application was refused because the original bacteria was fermented 40 years ago on a beef peptone product that was not organic.

Basically anything that is fed to an organic animal must be organic, i.e. corn, soybeans, hay, etc., and any nutritional modifiers like trace minerals and vitamins must be from approved sources.

Jim

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Obviously, feed fed to animals used in production of food must be certified organic, but also any product labeled as organic must be made from certified organic materials. It doesn't matter if it is only pet food. What is being marketed is organic pet food, not an organic pet. In the case of those who choose to feed organic feed, but don't sell sell their animal products as organic, all that matters to them is that the feed is certified organic.

The organic industry isn't only limited to foodstuffs, as the term "organic" can apply to any agricultural product that is produced under organic standards. It is possible to buy a t-shirt that is made from organically produced cotton, or to buy cosmetic products that are produced from organic certified products.

Organic production is not necessarily about food purity, but about alternative, natural production systems that use sustainable methods to care for the environment, and care for the animals.

 

[CityChicker]

Okay, link to that information, Lazy J? Were you trying to label it as "certified organic"? Do the regulations apply to ALL livestock feeds or just feeds used for animals and animal products intended for human consumption? I will go searching for the information myself as well. I really don't know the answer. When I had researched previously though, the information I found was that there are no regulations specifically for animal feeds. The only rules I could locate regarding livestock feeds were all related to livestock feeds fed to animals for human consumption. Maybe I am not explaining myself properly....

Take for example a dog or cat, there are organic dog/cat feeds. The regulations (in general, not organic specifically) are not the same for dog food as human food. If they were, we could all save ourselves some money and eat Alpo meatloaf, LOL. When I researched this previously (again, granted a couple years ago, so I really don't know the current regulations nor where to even find them, that is why I asked for a link if anyone has it. I am not disagreeing. I really don't know), there were no regulations specifically for pet or animal foods. When I located the information online, "animal food" included livestock with a disclaimer about those used in the production of human food.

If a manufacturer wanted to be "certified organic", they had to go through the program for human products. There was not one for animal products. Does what I am asking make more sense in terms of pet animal food? Are there any regulations now specifically for pet animal food? Because there didn't used to be. Even with livestock feed, the burden is on the producer of the final food product. If a person sells a product (again, for humans- example eggs, milk, meat), then they have to adhere to strict requirements with what the livestock is fed and how they are raised (in organic production). With that, there is no doubt. The rules are spelled out in great detail and are quite stringent. Does this also apply to livestock or other animal feeds in general, not just those that will eventually produce something a human consumes? If so, does anyone have a link to the regulations specifically for animal feeds?