Antibiotic Free:
No antibiotics were administered to the animal
during its lifetime. If an animal becomes sick, it will be taken out
of the herd and treated but it will not be sold with this label. No
Routine Antibiotic Use Antibiotics were not given to the animal to
promote growth or to prevent disease, but may have been administered
if the animal became ill.
Biodynamic:
This holistic method of agriculture is certified by a
third-party agency and is based on the philosophy that all aspects of
the farm should be treated as an interrelated whole. Having emerged as
the first non-chemical agriculture movement approximately 20 years
before the development or "organic" agriculture, biodynamics has now
spread throughout the world. Biodynamic farmers work in harmony with
nature and use a variety of techniques, such as crop
rotation and on-farm composting, to foster a sustainable and
productive environment.
Free-range:
"Free Range" or "Free Roaming" means that the
animal had some access to the outdoors each day. However, this doesn't
guarantee that the animal actually spent any time outside. As long as
a door to the outdoors is left open for some period of time, the
animal can be considered Free Range. Although the USDA has defined
this term for chicken raised for consumption, no standards have been
set for egg-laying chickens or for other animals. If you are looking
to buy
eggs, poultry or meat that was raised outdoors, look for a label that
says "Pastured" or "Pastureraised."
Organic:
In order to be labeled "organic," a product, its producer,
and the farmer must meet the USDA's organic standards and must be
certified by a USDA-approved food-certifying agency. Organic foods
cannot be grown using synthetic fertilizers, chemicals, or sewage
sludge, cannot be genetically modified, and cannot be irradiated.
Organic meat and poultry must be fed only organically-grown feed
(without any animal byproducts) and cannot be treated with hormones or
antibiotics. Furthermore, the animals must have access to the
outdoors, and ruminants must have access to pasture (which doesn't
mean they actually have to go outdoors and graze on pasture to be
considered organic).
Pasture-raised:
In general, pasturing is a traditional farming
technique where animals are raised outdoors in a humane, ecologically
sustainable manner and eat foods that nature intended them to eat.
Animals are raised on pasture rather than being fattened on a feedlot
or in a confined facility.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
(Definition from website of 'California School Integrated Pest Management Program')
Integrated pest management is a widely accepted approach to pest management that results in effective suppression of pest populations while minimizing human health and environmental hazards.
