12/01/2026
A line I have said again and again and will continue to stand behind! I have been able to do a lot of farm tours over the years and have seen tons of different commodities and farming practices. I got to speak to farmers about how their approaches have changed over the years and how the agricultural industry as a whole shares ideas and methods.
One of my biggest takeaways, and one I would like to say that I knew but dont think I fully understood, is that conventional farming is not the opposite of organic farming, despite it being portrayed that way through marketing.
To be clear, I’m not saying they are the same, I just wouldn’t describe or market them as opposite because there are actually alot of methods and products that are shared or used in both settings.
I think it’s important to understand this fact, because while these are marketed as the two types of products you can buy at the store (and they are certainly different options), I think everyone would be amazed to see the overlap between the actual production at the farm level… I was!
While conventional farmers do have access to more pest management and fertilizer options (among other things), they are also able to do use methods that an organic farmer does… and many do!
One area that I really saw this at play was actually in pest management. Pesticides are not only heavily regulated in both organic and conventional settings, but also a huge expense for farmers and an area that farmers are always looking to cut down on without sacrificing the crops. IPM (integrated pest management) is a variety of steps taken that reduce pests, including the use of certain bugs to manage other harmful bugs, that is commonly seen in organic farming but also used in conventional farming as well.
Yes, conventional farmers do have access to a wider variety of options throughout their production but you can see many organic methods being used in a conventional setting. That’s why I wouldn’t say that conventional farming is the opposite of organic.
While there are certainly differences, there is also a lot of overlap!
