Organic Beef Farms

Organic farming has its origins in early 20th Century Europe, with the Soil Association, formed in the UK in 1946. Conversion to organic production generally entails a minimum of a two-year soil conversion period for the farm. Although one of the aims of organic production systems is to minimise use of veterinary medicines, if there is a clinical justification for treatment of an animal then it is permissible to do so under the organic regulations. When considering herd health planning for organic beef farms, it is important to remember the essential differences in production compared to non-organic systems. As organic regulations require a minimum of 60% DMI as forage, this effectively eliminates the use of high quantities of cereal to finish organic beef cattle. The management system of an individual farm is dependent on the farm's location and any other enterprises on the unit.