Description:
Emerald Isle Organic Farm is a small family farm dedicated to responsible sustainable food and feed production. We define ourselves as responsible because we respect everyone and everything downstream and downwind of our farm. In short, that means the entire earth's ecosystem. We utilize family management and labor that originates on our farm. We do not send checks to some global agribusiness corporate giant (GAG) to tell us how to operate our farm because we do not use any synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, genetically modified organisms, or chemical fertilizers in the production of food and fiber. We do not accept any state or federal subsidies, therefore, they also have little influence in the management of Emerald Isle. The folks we are interested in influencing the farm are you, the consumers of food. We strive to put a face and name on our product by making a connection with the folks who buy our meat and other products.
Our main products are organic beef, organic chicken, and organic eggs. We grow all their feed (hay, pasture, and grain supplement)on the farm. The farm is essentially a closed system with only occassional purchased inputs of some seed for certain crops which are generally difficult to grow or harvest and an occassional mineral block. The manure from the animals is applied to the pasture directly by them ("the preferred method") or spread by us on the crop fields. We make extensive use of covers and legumes to aid in soil fertility and weed suppression. Of course, and unfortunately, we are still on a power grid and have long range plans to someday convert the solar energy (that we use so extensively for crop, covercrop, and pasture production) to meet our other total power needs.
We have a small orchard and large garden for supplying some of our food needs. We purchase organic and local products to supplement our total food needs.
We grow and purchase organic foods because we know it is important to eat foods that are nutritionally complete. Ecological organic practices encourage the growth of a myriad of soil biota which cycle nutrients that become part of the food we eat. Conventional agriculture only supplements specific growth nutrients and their food products reflect the lack of substances essential for real nutritional quality. In addition to the lack of essentials, conventionally raised food contains a plethora of unnecessary and damaging synthetic chemicals ranging from pesticides to growth hormones to antibiotics.
Dairy
Fruits
