Certified Organic & Natural
Feed Nutrition Integrity Survey
If you really want to know what’s going into your mouth that is affecting your health, you really need to know who is growing that food and how it is being handled. Here is just one example of how some farmers attend to the most minute detail thus insuring the highest-quality outcome in the product.
My girlfriend Skeeter Lynch and her husband Phil Gage used to sell certified organic chicken feed. Skeeter is quite a gal and spent oodles of time searching for just the right feed for her pampered chicks (which is where we purchased some of our chickens).
She gave permission for me to share the questions she had for the growers in North America to make her decision to purchase her feed. Here is the survey she developed using 14 years of experience:
1. To what extent do you clean your grains before grinding?
2. What percentage of weed seed and what kinds are in the feed?
3. What procedures do you use to ensure feed nutrition consistency?
4. What back up sources for feed ingredients are in place if your normal sources can’t provide grains?
5. Do you analyze your feed regularly for minimum guaranteed nutritional and protein analysis on your label?
6. What tracking system do you have that traces feed from farm to field of origination if problems should arise? Do you have lot numbers on each label?
7. Do you have sale and current certification reciprocity documentation for Idaho State? Is your feed registered with Idaho State Dept of Ag ?
8. Do Washington, Oregon and Idaho Certified Organic Agricultural Departments currently approve your feed?
9. How many certified organic producers are you currently serving and where are they located?
10. Do you use a complete vitamin and mineral premix in your feeds? Do you provide a copy of the mineral pack ingredients?
11. What percentage of the mineral and vitamins are synthetic or naturally sourced?
12. Do you have a certified nutritionist or are advised by a poultry nutritionist with regards to the quality and optimum nutrition of your feeds?
13. Do you have a company policy regarding truth in labeling; helping customers know that what is on your label is in the packaged feed?
14. Describe your commitment and effort to improving quality and consistency in all your feeds.
15. What is your customer service policy if concerns are reported to you regarding your feed? Do you exchange bags or provide refunds?
16. How do you screen or eliminate GE grains from your feed (soy specifically)?
17. Do you provide a NO-SOY formula?
18. What do you use for protein meals, grains, minerals, amino acids, and vitamins? What is the source for your Vitamin D? (lanoline?) Do you provide an ingredient list?
19. Do you grind your grains and mix the feed at your farm? Do you have direct oversight and are on-site when feed is being processed?
20. Do you allow customers to visit your milling operation, and see the feed being processed?