Public Domain Picture: 20130712-AMS-LSC-0584.jpg

Broiler chickens and turkeys graze on organic pastures and live in pens that protect them from predators, direct sun light, and wind at Nick’s Organic Farm, owned by Nick Maravell in Adamstown, MD on Friday, July 12, 2013. The enclosures are light enough to be moved by hand, each day, one consecutive section at a time. The grazing trail can be seen behind the wire enclosure. This allows the pasture to easily recover from the grazing (just beyond the grazed area is the recovering grazing path a few weeks earlier). Organic grains and water are also in the enclosures. The farm produces Black Angus beef, chicken, turkey, eggs, hay, soybeans, corn, alfalfa, orchard grass, rye; and other crops. The cattle are100% grass-fed receiving certified organic pasture, certified organic hay (in winter), water and mineral salts mixed with sea kelp. The cattle are not fed hormones, antibiotics or animal products. Poultry feed from grain is ground from organic grain. The poultry also graze on organic pastures. The farm has conducted on-farm research with federal, state and non-profit agencies to refine organic practices. An organization such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) center in Beltsville has been able to conduct research to improve organic crops and to breed and manage the cattle so that they have. USDA Photos by Lance Cheung.

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April 29, 2014