Why organic

1. Reduce the toxic loadKeeping synthetic chemicals out of the air, water, soil and our bodies. Buying organic supports a less toxic environment for all living things. ¹
2. Reduce, if not eliminate, off-farm pollutionIndustrial agriculture pollutes far beyond its own fences through pesticide drift and fertilizer runoff, a driver of ocean dead zones such as the one in the Gulf of Mexico. ¹
3. Protect future generationsResearch links prenatal and childhood pesticide exposure to neurological effects, cancer risk and reduced fertility. Organic production removes those exposures at the source. ³
4. Build healthy soilFeeding soil with organic matter instead of synthetic fertilizer raises nutrient levels in the produce it grows. ²
5. Truer flavorTaste trials have found organic produce sweeter, with lower nitrates and higher antioxidant content. ⁵
6. Assist family farmers of all sizesOrganic certification carries economic and environmental benefit to family farms in particular. ⁶
7. Avoid hasty and poor science in your foodOrganic standards act as a safeguard against GMOs, cloned food and rBGH entering the supply. ⁶
8. Eating with a sense of placeOrganic production uses roughly 30 percent less energy on average and respects both the land and the people who work it. ⁴
9. Promote biodiversityOrganic farms are thriving, diverse habitats rather than monoculture strips. ⁴
10. Celebrate the culture of agricultureOrganic farming conserves agricultural knowledge and biological variety together. ⁶

Dried herbs in hand after processing.

Dried chamomile flowers, one of the flower herbs grown under the organic program.