How to Do Organic Beef Farming
A growing trend is for consumers to shop for organic food. Beef farmers can take advantage of this by raising certified organic beef on their farms. To be certified as organic, the farm must be inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the cows must meet certain criteria.
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Instructions
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Starting an Organic Beef Farm
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Understand all the requirements that are needed for your farm and cows to be certified as organic. There are many rules and regulations, including that the animals must have plenty of room to free-range and that they must never receive antibiotics or be exposed to any type of herbicide, insecticide or pesticide. This includes their habitat. Contact your local USDA office to find specific information and a local certification inspector. Know what your facilities will need and have them qualified before you invest in your organic beef herd.
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Locate sources for certified organic grain and hay. Your feed and management plan for the organic beef herd will be one of the things inspectors will want to know. You must also have a plan that meets the certified organic qualifications for controlling pests and illnesses. If a cow becomes ill and you have to treat it with an antibiotic, you will need to know how to quarantine it and handle the situation so that only the one cow loses its certification, not your entire organic beef farm or herd.
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Purchase livestock that is already certified as organic. It generally takes two generations of livestock before your beef farm can become certified as organic when you start with commercial noncertified livestock. By purchasing cows that are already certified, with documentation to support the certification, you will save yourself a two-year investment.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider choosing to breed registered cows rather than commercial cows. While more expensive at start up, the profit potential is higher when you can sell "Certified Organic Angus Beef" as opposed to just "Certified Organic Beef."
