Cooking with and eating organic food, a fast-growing trend, is becoming easier to access in Ames.

Organically grown foods are available at local grocery stores such as Hy-Vee, 640 Lincoln Way and 3800 Lincoln Way, as well as specialty natural food stores such as John’s Natural Foods, 114 Washington Ave.

“There is no scientific evidence to prove that organically grown food is healthier,” said Ricardo Salvador, associate professor of agronomy.

There is also no difference in the nutritional content of the food, he said.

What producers of organically grown food usually focus on are the values of growing food organically and the absence of chemicals that may or may not harm the body, Salvador said.

He said a safe generalization to make about eating organic food is, “you know more is put into organic crops than synthetic input. If you have any questions about synthetic input then you know you are not supporting that.”

Brian Keehner, senior in agronomy, said he feels better eating foods that do not have any chemicals in them.

“I know there are no chemicals in it. A minimal amount [of chemicals in food] can’t be all that bad … ” Keehner said.

Most conventionally grown crops are grown with pesticides to keep pests away. Organically grown crops use methods such as sticky paper and crop rotation, which are both used at the Student Organic Farm, said Pernell Plath, graduate student in sustainable agriculture. Both Plath and Keehner work on Iowa State’s Student Organic Farm on Mortensen Road.

The farm features different crops in different areas of the plot to prevent a cycle of insects from returning each year to feast on their favorite foods, Plath said.

The absence of chemicals makes the food taste fresher, Keehner said.

Many people also eat organic food because it is more often locally grown and comes with a set of values, Salvador said.

“If your values are fresher and better flavor because [the food] is fresh and you want to support growing these things, then you are getting more,” he said.

The price of organic food is often higher than conventionally, commercially grown food because it is more labor-intensive and takes more management on the farmer’s part, Salvador said.

The price is also a result of the high demand for organic foods, especially on the urban fringe of big cities, Salvador said. Often, organic food yields are not as high as conventionally grown crops.

If a market gets more organic foods, then as the supply goes up the producers won’t get as much profit, Salvador said. Many farmers grow organic food because of the higher profits and it would be possible that some would drop off if profits didn’t increase.

“Most [farmers] in the Midwest do [farm organic foods] for value and price,” Salvador said. “On the West Coast they are in it because of the economic opportunity.”

In late October the U.S. Department of Agriculture began placing a seal on organic food products for the first time.

As new organic standards are being put into place, many organic farmers worry they will affect the market.

Plath said the Student Organic Farm may seek certification if necessary. It may also change the way the farm runs, she said.

“Organic agriculture is as much art as it is science. There are many ways you can do things. The rules [in the new standards] are specific on how and when you do things, and inflexible,” Plath said.

Salvador does not think the new standards will change much.

The federal standards help large scale distributors decide which producers have higher-quality foods, Salvador explained.

“They are the lowest-common-denominator standards,” he said.

Even with the new standards, organic food will still be a rising trend in the country. Consumers will have to decide if the assured lack of chemicals and values are enough reason to pay the additional cost.