Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Project looks at organic livestock issues

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2010

Although sales of organic meat are small, this is one of the fastest growing sectors in the organic food industry and a number of Iowa producers want to respond to market demand.

However, one of the perceived challenges for organic livestock producers has been access to alternative veterinary care because antibiotics and a variety of other conventional treatments are excluded by National Organic Program (NOP) standards.

Jenny O’Neill, an Iowa State graduate student in sustainable agriculture, looked at this issue by surveying all USDA-certified organic livestock producers in Iowa and members of the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA) who work with food animals. Her study was funded by a Leopold Center competitive grant to her advisor, Betty Wells, ISU Sociology. It also was the topic of a panel discussion during the Iowa Organic Conference in Ames on November 22.

O’Neill said she found a surprising amount of support and interest in organic livestock agriculture. She reported nearly a 70 percent response rate from veterinarians (296 of 493 IVMA members returned surveys) and a 55 percent response rate from organic producers (75 of 160 producers returned surveys).

Organic producers said they handled most routine herd health needs without veterinary consultation and indicated that herd health was not a significant challenge. The biggest reason producers cited for their self-reliance was lack of herd health problems.

On the other hand, veterinarians perceived a number of health challenges within organic systems, and stressed the importance of veterinary involvement. While most veterinarians expressed some reservations about organic production, the majority indicated interest in it and recognized consumer demand for organic products. Most believed information related to organic systems is difficult to access and favored increased educational options, such as continuing education credits and/or increased information within veterinary medicine programs.

“As veterinarians, we have a lot more information for farmers from a production standpoint,” said Dr. Annette O’Connor, an associate professor in Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine at the Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine, and a member of the panel discussion. “Organic producers probably think we’re there only to help with medical issues so we do not get called in to help, that is, until health really becomes an issue.”

Ron Rosmann, an organic livestock producer from Harlan and member of the panel discussion, said he manages his cattle to avoid major health problems. He said he needs to rely on various vaccinations, allowable under the National Organic Program (NOP) standards, and treatments other than antibiotics. He said that while Europe allows emergency antibiotic treatments for organic livestock under certain conditions, it is not allowable in the United States (for the animal to be marketed as organic). He added that he would like to see research on alternative treatments for common problems such as pinkeye in cattle, which would provide him with more options as an organic producer.

O’Neill also reported that the veterinarian survey showed a high degree of misunderstanding regarding the definition and rules of organic production, existence of national organic standards, and where to access authoritative information. She said these factors indicate that information related to organic standards and options is not always making it into the hands of veterinary professionals.

O’Connor said future veterinarians – students enrolled at Iowa State’s veterinary college – are keenly interested in understanding organic production. “It’s an area that often is misunderstood,” she said.

A third member of the panel discussion was Dr. Wendy Fulwider, a veterinarian who specializes in animal behavior and who works with Organic Valley livestock producers. She said some issues stem from the small number of organic producers in a region, and lack of information about organic systems and the national organic standards.

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2010