Organic has become a trendy word we see applied to many foods these days. Trendy or not, farmers side by side with researchers are leading the way in organic farming. The definition of organic is "natural". The word "natural" is invaluable when it represents preserving our environment in relation to fertilizers and farming. Large parcels of land are used everyday in this country to feed millions of individuals. The millions of individuals being fed by means of farming reside not only in this country, but in countries all over the world.
Globally, farming communities have been concerned extensively with chemical run-off and the impact on the environment. With today's science and practice of using organic fertilizers farmers have a whole new set of options. Farmers no longer need to apply chemicals to protect crops or to promote crop growth. With planning, they can choose to grow their crops organically and in varied cycles. Large scale farms that grow crops organically are promoting reusable resources every time the soil is cultivated and fed an organic material.
Before organic came to be known for what it represents today, farmers practiced similar fertilizing techniques under a different terminology. In the past, manure fertilizers were commonly known as compost. Setting aside manure compost for spring or fall fertilizing use to be the practice of many farmers when planning for the following years growing season. In today's farming, compost has taken on a widened definition and farming today is not limited to basic manure and one plot of land lacking nutrients.
A land use option that has become available for farmers through science and research is the ability to test soils and make decisions about crop rotation. Crop rotation is simply planting a section of field one year and letting it rest and recuperate, so to speak, the following year. This type of farming allows the soil to replenish the necessary organic nutrients and become nutrient rich. When soil becomes tired from years of planting, it lacks appropriate levels of nutrients and a farmer can expect low yields from his fields. When soil specific organic fertilizers are used and land use options are applied a farmer can expect higher yields and better quality crops.
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