Tom Buckley raises chickens, goats and lambs at his Bullhead Ranch in south Utah County.

The Benjamin resident doesn't use fertilizers on his fields and avoids applying pesticides. He rotates animals through his pastures using a method called managed intensive grazing and says he tries to raise the animals as naturally as possible.

But don't call him an organic farmer.

"We don't use the term organic because that is a definition that the government has put limitations on," said Buckley, who works full time to support the farm. "The term we use for what we grow here is 'natural.' "

In order for Buckley to deem his meats "organic," Bullhead Ranch would need to undergo an intense certification process supervised by the United States Department of Agriculture.

In past years, Buckley may have considered putting forth the effort required for certification.

But now he is just one of many Utah County farmers and retailers who say the entry of big business into the industry and increased government regulation have made the term "organic" lose its flavor.

For decades, Utah County has been behind the curve when it comes to producing and consuming organic products, said Lutie Larsen, a farmer from Pleasant Grove.

The organic food movement started on the West Coast, where the idea of pesticide and fertilizer-free foods appealed to health-conscious Californians.

Although some Utahns saw value in organic products at the time, many have been slow to investigate the trend.

"I think we've been way behind the nation, certainly behind California," Larsen said.

Until recently, Good Earth Natural Food stores, which opened its first storefront in Provo in 1973, were among the only options for so-called natural and organic products. But demand for products has intensified, and at least two health food stores -- Harvest Fresh and Real Foods Market in Orem -- have opened for business within the last 24 months.

Mainstream grocery stores like Albertson's and Smith's Food & Drug have also started carrying select organic products and big-box retailer Wal-Mart recently expanded its organic offerings.

Although Larsen is glad more people are considering organic food, she is concerned about the entry of big business into an industry that used to be about community and sustainable agriculture.

"There are people who are truly organic because they choose to produce a better product and people who just want the certification," Larsen says. "You do have to know your grower and find out what their reasons for growing organic are."

But in an industry as fast growing as organics, knowing motive -- much less local producers -- is becoming harder to do.

Organic food sales account for 2.5 percent of retail food sales, according to data from the Organic Trade Association's 2006 Manufacturer Survey. Sales have grown 15 to 21 percent a year, compared to the 2 to 4 percent growth rate of all retail foods, and are expected to top $16 billion by the end of 2006.

Those numbers have caught the eye of corporate giants (such as Wal-Mart and General Mills) who traditionally avoid labor-intensive organic operations, said Kent Crookston, dean of the College of Biology and Agriculture at Brigham Young University.

"Now it's becoming commercialized and soon it will be known for the kinds of motivations that aren't necessarily small farm or community friendly," Crookston said.

Ironically, he said, pressure from the organic community led to the development of the certification programs that now make commercialization possible.

In rebellion against that trend, some farmers and retailers are shunning the certification process in favor of affixing "all-natural" or "real food" labels to their products.

"If people understood the definition of organic and what the laws are surrounding what organic means then they would realize that it doesn't mean much," said Staci Albrechtsen, manager of Real Foods Market in Orem. "It's getting watered down."

Real Foods Market puts its emphasis on real and natural foods and sells products from local growers who aren't certified organic, such as Lutie Larsen.

Charlie and Karen Sigler have also embraced these terms at their Benjamin Farms operation. The traditional family farm sells a little bit of everything, from honey to fruit to homemade soap, and does it all "the natural way."

"We do live by the organic credo but we're not an 'organic' farm," said Charlie Sigler.

Although Crookston says his sympathies are with small farmers like Sigler, discounting certification and opting for a "natural" label may not be the best course of action.

Certified organic food has the validity the organic community once longed for and can be verified at the point of sale. But the term "natural" does not -- and may never -- enjoy the same status.

"It's a huge loophole," Crookston said. "Does it mean the rest of our food is unnaturalfi (Consumers) should be mindful of the wide window that natural represents. "

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page B1.