We keep getting questions such as “Do organic products have GMO’s?” and “What is a free-range turkey (or egg, or chicken), and how is it different from organic?”. I hope to clarify this issue today; and since I know you are busy, I will try to do so in a concise manner.

Free-range vs. free-run

Our chickens and turkeys are licensed free-range by Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia (CFNS) and Turkey Farmers of Nova Scotia (TFNS). This means we practise their requirement to:

• give access to fresh air, sun, soil, and green forage;
• feed only grain, vegetable products and necessary mineral and vitamins, and no antibiotics, vaccinations, animal by-products  or medications;
• have them processed by a government inspected facility

Free range does not necessarily mean that poultry is able to roam free all over the farm, however. Our chickens and turkeys are protected by our movable pasture pens that (usually) keep them from falling prey to foxes, raccoons, hawks, crows and eagles. Next year we want take another go at using electrified poultry netting fences to extend their range. We’ll use them for older birds like the laying hens and larger turkeys. In the past we have had some predation of chickens when we used open runs like this. We are hoping that the alder and spruce trees that are scattered through our pastures will give them a place to hide to avoid becoming food for those aerial hunters. (But after all, Bald Eagles are supposed to prefer fish, so I doubt that they’ll go hungry here beside the Shubie River!)

Free-range is not the same as free-run. “Free-run” refers to egg-laying chickens that are not confined to cages. They do, however, usually spend their life inside a barn with no access to the outdoors. Not an ideal life, of course. Meat chickens and turkeys are all free-run, so the term is only

used in egg layers to differentiate from caged birds.

So, don’t assume that just because the label says free run, it means the eggs are (necessarily) organic. Or  were raised on pasture. Or any of the other terms. Probably they are only what the label clearly states. Do you think the seller would make sure you find out if the eggs had been produced using organic feed which costs twice as much as conventional? I think 99.9% of them would!

The terms “grass-fed” and “free-range” need to be clarified further when pertaining to beef and lamb. Cows and sheep are ruminant animals; that is, they have four stomachs including a “rumen”, which is meant to digest mainly forages such as grass. Chickens and turkeys, on the other hand, have a “crop” (besides a gizzard, or stomach), which is designed to grind up grains. They usually need some grain to be properly nourished, whereas cows and sheep do not. In fact, grain reduces ruminant animals’ lifespan and health.

Grass-fed or free-range beef can mean that they were fed a diet high in grass, but were “finished” with supplemental grain. So if you want the full health benefits of 100% grass-fed beef, you probably need to ask the seller whether any grain was fed.

Omega-3 eggs

Omega-3 eggs are popular for good reason. We need balanced ratios of fatty acids in our diets for the proper growth and function of many parts of our bodies. Canadian diets are often somewhat deficient in Omega-3 in relation to Omega-6. To produce Omega-3 eggs, laying hens are given feeds that supply this fatty acid – such as flax seed or fish meal. Although flax meal is cheaper, it is hard for chickens to digest, and contains many anti-nutrients. Therefore, we prefer to go with their natural inclination towards animal products, which also supply other important nutrients such as B-vitamins.

In the winter, we feed our egg-laying chickens crab meal or fish meal to maintain both their health and that of the consumer. In the summer, they have access to bugs, which naturally supply all the Omega-3 that they need.

What is organic?

The term organic is a controversial one nowadays. Well, I guess it probably has been for years. Originally it referred to “the whole farm as an organism” – working in harmony with ecological processes. More recently, certifying bodies have taken over the term, and are trying to enforce the regulations for a fee. Of course, since their money comes from the farmer, certifiers will have an interest in getting the farm certified, so the third party is not necessarily unbiased.

We have chosen to avoid the extra paperwork involved, so we do not pay the fee for the privilege of calling our farm organic. Our customers can visit the farm at open farm days or other times, and do their own inspection! We do use organic grains for our poultry. This means they were raised without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, or genetically modified seed.

We also use many practices that organic agriculture stands for. Recently, however, US organic standards have gone so far as to allow hydroponics to be certified organic. Hydroponics means plants are grown without soil. Instead, their roots are placed in a “scientifically-formulated” solution of minerals in water, to feed them what someone has precisely calculated to be “the ideal plant food”. I believe this lowers the credibility of organic certification considerably. Perhaps we don’t even want to be associated with such practices…

Non-GMO is another term that may be confusing to some. Basically, genetic engineering means that changes have been introduced into the plants’ DNA. Non-GMO plants have been grown from seeds that have not had their genes changed (intentionally damaged, in my opinion!). Organic standards do not allow genetic engineering at this time.

‘Naturally grown’ is a term that I believe is not yet copyrighted, and it can mean many things to different people. To really know what the words mean to the person using them, you will probably have to ask. Some farms are now becoming “Certified Naturally Grown” (CNG) however, which does have a definite meaning. CNG farmers certify each other’s farms and practices to ensure they are following the set standards. CNG is similar to organic but not as rigorous.

In summary, I will remind you that many of these terms are not clear, and you will need to find out what is meant by them. Further, you also need to be aware that even though one of these terms, such as ‘organic’ or ‘cage-free’ is used, you can not assume that any other qualities are included, even though the seller might like that to be implied!

Get to know your farmer, if possible. Thank you again for your support of our small, sustainable family farm. We could not operate it without faithful customers like you!

Marvin