Public Domain Picture: 20130712-AMS-LSC-0726

Farm assistant George Kloph shows an large organic egg, right, and a large double yoke egg, left, that he discovered during his checks on the health and safety of laying hens at Nick’s Organic Farm, in Adamstown, MD, on Friday, July 12, 2013. Mr. Kloph said, that younger chickens sometimes lay double yoke eggs and as they get older, the size becomes more consistant. Discarded horse trailers have been repurposed as coops with nests on the side that allow for easy egg harvesting. The farm, owned by Nick Maravell, 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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May 18, 2014