Benefits of Organic Food for Infants and Children

Organic simply means grown or raised naturally. For crops, no chemicals, pesticides or genetic engineering are used on them. The same applies for animals, but for cows and chickens, they are also not given any growth hormones or antibiotics throughout their life. If an animal is sick, organic farmers aren't going to deny them antibiotics, but the animal will never be considered organic after that. Organic crops are planted using compost, are rotated frequently to avoid taking all the nutrients in the ground, and are grown according to climate (Lawless). There are three different types of organic. 100% organic are made with all organic ingredients, organic is made with at least 95% organic ingredients, and made with organic ingredients requires at least 70% organic ingredients (Organic.org).

There is no official date as to when organic farming truly started, but it is one of the oldest types of farming. Before the 20th century, many farmers were producing organic crops, mainly because they didn't know any better, it was just how crops were grown and animals were harvested. There were no fertilizers mixed in with the dirt to help keep nutrient levels high, and farmers rotated and planted different crops each season to avoid overplanting. Farms were generally small, so this was a relatively easy task for farm hands.

Once the 20th century started, industrialization really took off. There were changes in the way farmers handled crops; fertilizers were introduced in growth, tractors and other machinery came about, and the overall size of the crops dramatically increased. Farmers were no longer interested in producing a variety of crops; they were focused on planting and harvesting one or two major crops. From this point on, "farming was no longer about growing, it was about manufacturing" (History).

Soon after industrialization made an appearance, organic farming began to pop up in England. British botanist Sir Albert Howard, who is referred to as the "the father of modern organic agriculture," is the name that is associated with the beginning of organic farming. Unofficially, he was the person that started the movement in England. With a new way of farming, there needed to be a way to distinguish between the manufacturing of food and the ‘pure' way of farming, i.e no pesticide use. Lord Northbourne was the first person to coin the term ‘organic farming" in his book, Look to the Land (History).

Organic farmers start out the farming process by making sure the soil that they plant crops in is free of pollutants. Farmers feed the soil biota, which helps the soil retain water. They also compost, which helps to fight off bacteria and insects that could potentially ruin crops (Organic FAQs). In order for a crop to be considered organic, the land must go through three crop cycles. The first year the crops are not stated as anything, the second year