Nick’s Organic Farm

Rating
Product offerings	Retail cuts
Website	www.nicksorganicfarm.com
Market area	Locally in Adamstown, MD, farm direct
Location	Adamstown, MD
Specialty labels	Diversified
Participated in Survey?	Yes
Total Score	1085

NOTE: We’ve confirmed this producer is high quality, but due to difficulties finding organic processing the final meat product cannot be certified organic. Up until the point of slaughter Nick’s animals are certified organic.

This farm is certified by the Real Organic Project:

Criteria	Points	Comment
TOTAL (possible score is 1100)	1085	5-Steak
Farms that participated in Cornucopia’s research providing full transparency receive the most points. Transparency and Disclosure	100	Superb transparency
Family farms and farmer cooperatives that market their own beef receive the most points. Corporations that do not directly produce any beef receive the fewest points. Ownership History	100	Family farm/ranch
Beef sourced from a single operation receives the most points. Beef of unclear origins and/or with poor oversight receives the fewest points. Beef Supply	100	Single farm/ranch source
Farms that are 100% certified organic receive the most points, farms/brands that are split conventional and organic receive fewer points. Commitment to Organics	100	Very committed to organics
This category is non-scoring and provided for information purposes. Organic Certifier		Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA)
Animal Welfare Approved, Real Organic Project, and Biodynamic certifications receive the most bonus points. Producers are not penalized for not having additional certifications beyond organic. Other Labels and Standards	100	Real Organic Project
100% grass-fed and finished or cattle finished with site-grown supplement receives the most points. Cattle finished exclusively in a feedlot receive the fewest points. Beef Finishing	100	Finished on pasture and with forage grown on-site
Points are awarded for quantity of time cattle are on pasture above and beyond what the USDA requires, and for the quality and care of the pasture. Pasture and Grazing Management	100	Rotates pasture, hay, and row crop fields in diversified farm system
Brands that closely monitor and manage for health of soil, native species, and water quality receive the most points. Environmental Stewardship	85	Protects waterways with buffers, monitors soil and vegetation health. Does not use public lands
Cattle finished on pasture or on feed that is grown on-farm or procured locally receive the most points. Feed of unknown origin, or known to be imported, receives the fewest points. Feed Sourcing	100	Brand produces 100% of its feed ration on the farm
Lower cull and death rates recieve more points. Cull and Death Rates	100	Less than 5%
More points are given for greater frequency of contact and close management with cattle and closed herds. Oversight	100	Close on-site oversight of animals and production system
Brands may receive extra credit for above and beyond transparency, or special practices not otherwise covered in the scorecard (see description for an explanation). Extra credit	0	None