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1 - Introduction
2 - Basics
3 - Health Care
4 - Living Conditions
5 - Processing
6 - Species Info
7 - Conclusion
8 - Resources
Feedback
Main Menu
Livestock
1 - Introduction
Basics
1 - Overview
2 - What the Standards say about the origins of livestock
3 - What the Standards say about feed
4 - Feed additives and supplements
5 - Feeding dairy herds through the transition
6 - Feed quality is paramount
7 - Water
8 - Summary
Health care
1 - Overview
2 - What the Standards say about livestock health care
3 - Select well-adapted species and breeds
4 - Minimize stress
5 - Provide pasture for ruminants
6 - Health care without antibiotics
7 - Sanitation
8 - Alternative treatments
9 - Homeopathy
10 - Internal parasites
11 - External parasites
12 - Physical alterations
13 - Summary
Living conditions
1 - Overview
2 - What the Standards say about living conditions
3 - Defining "access to pasture"
4 - Access to pasture in practice
5 - Grazing success
6 - Shelter and housing
7 - How much space?
8 - Defining "temporary confinement"
9 - Manure handling
10 - Pest management
11 - Summary
Processing
1 - Overview
2 - What the Standards say about livestock processing
3 - On-farm meat processing
4 - Low-stress animal handling methods
5 - HACCP
6 - Dairy processing
7 - Egg handling and packing
8 - Animal fibers
9 - Documentation and labeling
10 - Summary
Species Info
1 - Dairy Cows
2 - Dairy nutrition
3 - Dairy health care
4 - Calf management
5 - Grazing for beef
6 - Sheep and goats
7 - Sheep and pasture
8 - Goats and browse
9 - Hogs
10 - Hogs on pasture
11 - Deep-bedded hoophouses
12 - Let pigs be pigs
13 - Organic egg production
14 - Poultry health issues
15 - Structures for organic poultry
16 - Organic broilers
17 - Organic turkeys
18 - Organic beekeeping
19 - Hive management
Conclusion
1 - Conclusion
Resources
1 - General/Pasture
2 - Dairy/Beef
3 - Sheep and Goats/Pigs
Summary
Shifting to organic livestock production requires careful planning. You may need to make changes to your infrastructure, marketing strategies and recordkeeping systems as well as to your crop and livestock management methods. Talk to other producers, sustainable agriculture education groups and certification agencies before beginning your transition.
Poultry must be managed organically from day two of life to be sold as organic. Larger livestock must be managed organically from the last third of gestation. Existing dairy herds may be converted with the farm on a one-time- only basis, with a full year of organic management elapsing prior to the sale of any organic dairy products. Male breeder stock (bulls, rams, etc.) do not need to be managed organically and/or can be transitioned at any time. Be sure to obtain necessary documentation of organic status for any organic animals you purchase.
NOP Standards require that organic livestock be fed 100% organic feed. Have a backup plan for alternate organic feed sources in case of a crop failure or other emergency. Any feed additives used must be in compliance with the Standards. Milk replacers, synthetic silage preservatives and growth- promoting hormones are all prohibited.
If you
’
re planning on seeking certification for an organic livestock operation, now would be a great time for you to start filling out your Organic Livestock Plan using our electronic Organic System Plan tool. (Some certifiers combine organic crop and livestock information into a single set of forms, but many ask you to complete both forms if you intend to sell both crops and livestock products as organic
.)
