Your thoughts on Organic Food

[Tim W]

For those of you who are organic, why did you do it? Is it more profitable?

20 + years in organic production and I do it this way because for me it is

1) A great red meat production system
2) Cheaper than conventional red meat production costs
3) A good niche as a grazier---not many graziers want to go through the organic paperwork
4) It is also a good ideological system---trying to produce as much as possible with as few synthetic inputs as possible is a good aim I think

It has it's problems like all systems
At the moment I produce most of my lamb to organic standards but it all goes into the conventional market

I have been involved in organic lamb/beef/pork and to a lesser extent egg/dairy/cereal and veg production

Profit for most production systems will not be about organic vs conventional but more to do with individual marketing (or lack of)

 

[Recoil]

It has it's problems like all systems
At the moment I produce most of my lamb to organic standards but it all goes into the conventional market

How come? No organic market nearby?

 

[Tim W]

How come? No organic market nearby?

Organic lamb gets a premium but the transport takes this away---my sheep are also a maternal breed so don't give the best grades, RP pay a flat rate which is better than getting graded at an organic buyer

 

[Sid]

20 + years in organic production and I do it this way because for me it is

1) A great red meat production system
2) Cheaper than conventional red meat production costs
3) A good niche as a grazier---not many graziers want to go through the organic paperwork
4) It is also a good ideological system---trying to produce as much as possible with as few synthetic inputs as possible is a good aim I think

It has it's problems like all systems
At the moment I produce most of my lamb to organic standards but it all goes into the conventional market

I have been involved in organic lamb/beef/pork and to a lesser extent egg/dairy/cereal and veg production

Profit for most production systems will not be about organic vs conventional but more to do with individual marketing (or lack of)

I think you hit the nail on the head why many farmers run organic down. Because they are very good at marketing their produce and it's benefits. Why don't they rest do it? Cause they can't get together without arguing and once it's left the farm gate they don't really care.
Advertising campaign for organic milk, millions spent, return on investment good, but those advertising produce less than 70% of the milk.
When was the last time you saw a generic campaign for beef? Lamb? Eggs? Milk?

 

[Big Al]

I think you hit the nail on the head why many farmers run organic down. Because they are very good at marketing their produce and it's benefits. Why don't they rest do it? Cause they can't get together without arguing and once it's left the farm gate they don't really care.
Advertising campaign for organic milk, millions spent, return on investment good, but those advertising produce less than 70% of the milk.
When was the last time you saw a generic campaign for beef? Lamb? Eggs? Milk?

Make mine milk marketing campaign, I have seen this campaign pop up quite a lot. Do you sell milk to yeo valley?

http://www.makeminemilk.co.uk

 

[SRRC]

I feed my children non organic food and with the money saved take them to the zoo.