Maryland to hold organic farm production meeting on March 6

Organic farming is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in the U.S. and in order to help operators in this field the Maryland Department of Agriculture is holding an informational meeting next month.

The seventh annual Organic Grain, Forage and Vegetable Production meeting will take place on March 6 at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills. The cost is $30 and will include a continental breakfast and lunch.

The event is sure to be helpful to those involved in organic agricultural production as the topics covered at the meeting will include managing pests, tools that can help during the transition to organic farming, breeding organic soybeans and corn, nutrient management for organic operations and crop insurance.

In addition to gaining important insights into the industry, participants will get three continuing education credits from the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Management Program.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, in 2008 there were 119 organic operations in Maryland. These farms covered more than 7,600 acres of land that year. Nationwide, more than 4.8 million acres of land was set aside for organic production.

Dairy farmers struggle to keep up with organic milk demand

Organic dairy farmers throughout the country are running low on organic milk amid high demand for the product.

High feed and fuel prices have also contributed to the difficulties farmers have encountered when trying to meet the demand for organic milk, according to USA Today.

The news provider reports that there have been organic milk shortages before but that this time things might not rebound, in part due to a sharp jump in the prices of organic feed needed for the cows.

Molly Keveney, a spokeswoman for Horizon Organic, the top-selling organic milk brand, said that organic milk demand is expected to increase 7 percent, without a corresponding increase in production.

"The market has surged faster than supply, and at the same time we had high feed costs reduce supply, so we had a double hit here," George Siemon, the chief executive officer of Organic Valley, the country's largest cooperative of organic farmers, told the news provider.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2.7 percent of dairy cows in the U.S. are certified organic.

Pennsylvania is one of the more involved states in the mid-Atlantic region when it comes to organic farming, as there are 420 such operations in the state, according to the USDA's Economic Research Service.

Pennsylvania farming cooperative to offer subscription produce, meat service

A group of farmers in Pennsylvania is starting a service that will deliver fresh, organic agricultural products right to consumers' doors.

Oasis at Bird-in-Hand, which is aided by 30 Plain Sect farmers, is planning to start a subscription service that will deliver a variety of farm products to people's houses every week, according to the York Daily Record.

Reuben Stoltzfus, with Bird-in-Hand, is one of the principals behind the effort and has worked to put the cooperative together featuring young farmers from Lancaster County.

Leroy Miller is one of the farmers that is part of the cooperative that will provide the meat and produce for the subscription service. He said he is happy that so many beginning farmers are learning how to farm using traditional methods.

"Farmers younger than me are willing to learn the old ways," he said.

Consumers can also buy the fresh farm products at an Oasis in Ronks.

There are more than 63,000 farms in Pennsylvania and these operations cover about 7.8 million acres of land. Pennsylvania farmers produce more mushrooms than any other state in the union, averaging more than 440 million pounds in annual production.

Farmers don't always pursue USDA 'organic' label, even if they exceed requirements

The widespread popularity of farmers markets in the U.S. has focused attention on the U.S. Agriculture Department's use of the word "organic," USA Today reports.

Northern Virginia farmer Hana Newcomb told the publication she never has used any pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals, going back to well before the federal government first regulated the word in 2002. She said she prefers to call what her farm grows "ecoganic" as a method of prompting inquiries from customers about growing strategies.

"My customers put faith in me to provide them exactly what I say I'm growing," farmer Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia told the publication. "Polyface is open to any visitor, unannounced, 24/7/365 … unescorted. That's our credibility."

Some farmers' practices exceed requirements mandated by the Department of Agriculture to be considered organic but they don't bother keeping up with the required paperwork in part because of the significant demand. Salatin of Polyface Farm said he would have to hire an additional full-time employee to take on the responsibility.

The Department of Agriculture requires a three-year transition period for the land in point unless the landowner can prove no prohibited substances were used on that land or nearby within the past three years.