meat, eggs, cheese, nuts and seeds. The most impressive operation
I’ve seen is the Double Check Ranch in central Arizona, where I buy
all my beef. While they don’t participate in the national organic pro-
gram, I have inspected their ranch and would certify them as
“beyond organic.” This ranch is clean, efficient, inspected by local
government, and has a philosophy of not just producing healthy
food, but incorporates an approach to farming that’s good for the
land as well. (Their website provides many informative articles —
http://www.DoubleCheckRanch.com.))
I buy fresh eggs from a local producer that’s not certified organ-
ic, but the eggs are better than the ones that are certified. I also buy
food from local farmer’s markets if I know the food is from a good
source. And I have bulk items shipped. Most of these foods are cheap-
er than the organic versions in the retail stores. And, my large garden
provides a significant amount of food that is also “beyond organic.”
The Organic Movement
We’re not sure just when the organic movement started. That would
depend, in part, on how you define it. Certainly in the early stages,
the word “organic” was not part of it. This word would not be intro-
duced until around 1941 by a British chemist Sir Albert Howard. But
by then, the movement was decades old and had more than one front.
There were those who promoted the scientific reasons for farming
with a natural process; those who had more spiritual reasons to care
for the land; small farmers who were being left out of big business;
those with strong social attitudes who wanted to help the “little guys”
get a fair share of the profits; and consumers, who eventually had the
greatest numbers and created the real change. But even before the
movement was noticed, there were those few who made the observa-
tions that growing food in the most natural soils produced better food
and healthier people.
In the 1830s German chemist Justus von Liebig was formulating
his agricultural biochemistry theories, which he published in the
1840s, discussing how plants utilize nitrogen in the soil along with
various minerals. Natural fertilizers, he theorized, including manure,
would provide these nutrients. This was the beginning of modern
farming, and the movement soon branched into two: One became big
ORGANIC FOODS • 107