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Lord Northbourne (1896-1982), born Walter Ernest Christopher James, was the 4th Baron Northbourne of Kent, England. He was an agriculturist, educator, translator, and writer on both agriculture and comparative religion. He was educated at Oxford and was for many years Provost of Wye College—the agricultural college of London University. Lord Northbourne was a keen agronomist, and wrote an influential book in 1940, Look to the Land. In this book, Northbourne introduced the term “organic farming” to the world, as well as the concepts related to managing a farm as an “organic whole.”

In today’s world the USDA is the agency that determines what is organic and what is not.  These are the standards farmers and manufactures must adhere to in order to be able to stamp their products with any organic label:

• Free of synthetic chemicals such as insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers,    hormones,antibiotics and additives

• Free from genetically modified organisms

• Agricultural products grown on land that has been free of prohibited substances for a   period of three years

• Animals used for meat, eggs, milk or other animal products must be exclusively fed foods that are organically grown, may not be given antibiotics or hormones, and must have access to outdoors.

• Clean and sanitized harvesting and processing equipment throughout the process from harvest, to finished product.

• Detailed chain-of-handling records from the field through final sales

• Physical separation of certified organic products from non-organic products throughout the process of production

• Regular on-site inspections from USDA-approved inspectors to ensure compliance

• Promote sustainability for both farmland and the surrounding environment

• Encourage soil and water conservation

• Reduce pollution

• Promote the healthy and humane treatment of animals

• Rotation of crops, and detailed record keeping

• Use of mulch or manure to control weeds

• Feed animals with organic feed and give them room to move around

• Control animal disease using clean housing, rotational grazing, and a balanced diet

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintains the National Organics Program (NOP), which went into effect in 2002 and defines standards for organic foods. Food producers selling more than $5000 of organic food per year must be USDA certified to label and sell their foods as organic. Those selling less than $5000 per year do not have to be certified, but they must still meet the USDA standards if they wish to label and sell their food as organic.

It is important to remember that while the USDA has established standards for organic food, it does not certify food producers itself. Instead, it accredits various state and private organizations, as well as individuals, as certifying agents who perform the actual certification process. Foreign organizations are also certified by the USDA to guarantee that organic standards are met by foods imported into the U.S.

According to: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/mediacenter/2010/pr_organic.html

“While current USDA National Organic Program Regulations mandate ‘access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air and direct sunlight suitable to the species, its stage of production, the climate and the environment,’ these vague terms offer little comfort to farm animals. Variables such as the number and size of access points and how frequently they must be opened, as well as the quality of the outdoor area are left undefined. As a result, certified organic products may have come from animals who have been crowded by the thousands into a building with a single small, rarely open exit leading to a barren dirt lot — a far cry from the paradise consumers are led to envision.”

It is still up to the consumer to do some research and find out how organic that organic label really is.  Buying food from local farmers, and reducing how much processed food one eats will greatly improve the likelihood of the organic being true.