Ice cream stores will charge extra for additional toppings. Extra slice of cheese on your on a sandwich would cost a dollar or two more to add. You would assume that organic food would cost less to produce than food with added extras. Organic farming is a lot more complex than most would think.
There is enormous amount that goes into organic food production. Organic farmers don't use chemicals or pesticides in their soil, which means they have to deal with weeds. They hire workers to do hand weeding, which can be costly. Organic farmers also run a higher risk of losing their crop because of the limited soil and plant treatments. "There aren't as many tools in the toolbox to deal with pest outbreaks or diseases," said Nancy Creamer, director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at North Carolina State University.
When you grow organic fruits and vegetables, crop rotation is necessary to keep the soil healthy. Conventional farmers on the other hand, can use every acre every year to grow the crops.
Organic Certification process requires additional administrative costs. However, farmers can apply for a government grant to reduce the cost of the certification fees.
Finally, the demand for organic food is greater than the supply. Most grocery stores don't even carry organic produce, and if they do it's topically more pricey than conventional produce. If there were more organic farmers in the country the cost of the organic food would go down.
Organic Farming is complex and labor intensive. It requires extra work, money, and time.
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