What exactly does "organic" mean?

Organic refers to the way farmers grow and produce their products, which include fruits and veggies, grains, dairy, and meat. Organic farmers don’t use the conventional methods of chemical pesticides and growth hormones that are believed to be harmful to our health. Here are the differences between the two:

Conventionally produced

• Use chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth
• Use synthetic pesticides to reduce pests and disease
• Use synthetic herbicides to reduce weeds
• Feed animals growth hormones, antibiotics and medications to increase their growth and prevent disease.

Organically produced

• Use natural fertilizers like manure and compost to feed and nourish plants 
• Use natural pesticides and certain insects and birds to keep away pests, mating disruption, and traps to control pests
• To manage weeds, they use mulch, or till / hand-weed.
• Feed animals organic feed, and prevent disease by giving the animals free roam of clean organic pastures and clean housing.

So, yeah, organic takes more effort and more time. You have to hire someone to weed the garden rather than just dousing the crops in poison. You have to treat animals with a little respect and keep them clean, rather than mass-producing giant mutant chickens in a dark, dirty cage that have so many growth hormones and antibiotics injected into them that it causes girls to go through puberty too early (true story, google it.). Organic is also more costly to the consumer because there’s more involved in organic production. To me, it’s worth it.

Oh, and watch out for the word “natural”, because it doesn’t mean organic. If the product is 95%+ organic, it will have the USDA organic seal. The word “natural” has no requirements surrounding it.