Socrates committed suicide by drinking a tea made of hemlock, a totally organic product! When it comes to food, no word is more misused and misunderstood than the term "organic." Do you really know what can be in foods described as "organic?"

The dictionary defines "organic" as a substance: derived from living organisms; or grown with fertilizers and pesticides of animal or plant (remember hemlock?) origin.

Chlordane (a pesticide so deadly it has been banned) and gasoline are "organic." Antibiotics are organic in origin. For these reasons you should view any claim of "organic" culture with a high degree of skepticism. All animals eat organic food. The issue is really what humans have done to intervene with the animal's medication and the fields on which they graze.

The South Texas Antelope and Axis Deer harvested by Broken Arrow Ranch range freely on open land that is not treated with herbicides or pesticides. Food is eaten by choice from many species of grasses, bushes, herbs, trees, berries and nuts. The animals grow at a natural rate, without artificial stimulation. We believe the flavors of foods are adversely affected by excessive growth rates.

Animals ranging freely in natural conditions do not crowd together, thus avoiding the creation of disease pools. Even herding animals like bison roamed over large areas, leaving behind weak and diseased animals that would infect the herd.

Farm raised deer are often given antibiotics on a therapeutic basis to ward off diseases which become more likely as animals are brought more closely together for intensive grazing on improved pastures. Herbicides are often used to eliminate undesirable plants. These chemicals can end up in the meat you consume.

We are not qualified to take a stand on the potential harm that might be caused by antibiotics, herbicides, and pesticides. It does seem to us, however, that avoidance of these things in our foods is a good thing.

Because the term "organic" has been misused so freely for many years, we as consumers must DEMAND explanation from our food suppliers about the sources of our food and the practices used to grow it.