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market-farming - Re: Organic industry vs. organic movement

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Subject: Market Farming

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Lucy Goodman <goodows AT infinet.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Organic industry vs. organic movement
  • Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 10:12:14 -0400





> Since you were at one time fully certified, what was it that changed five
> years ago? Did the cost of certification keep increasing in cost until it
> was too large a cost compared to the production?

We were decertified for using a non certified input (cottonseed meal)
the first year we got the farm certified. It was a newbie mistake,
learned a few lessons from that. We got the market garden recertified 3
years later with the addition of several acres and have been OEFFA
certified organic for 6 acres since. On Oct. 31st we will no longer be
certified organic. We elected to not get certified with the USDA for
many many reasons, many that have been stated already. Cost was not a
factor. It would have cost us about $350 to recertify this years using
our former certifier, OEFFA.

For us, organic certification is not really necessary. All of our
marketing is direct through our CSA, two farmer's markets and to a
couple of restaurants that we have very good relationships with. In
other words our customer's know us and trust us and don't really care if
we have a piece of paper that says so.


> One of things that I did find very helpful is that you can certify only a
> portion of the farms production. Is this really a change of what they once
> allowed? It seemed that I was told about 5 years ago that either our entire
> farm was organic or nothing could be organic. But I now understand that I
> could call the produce organic even though we do two things that make it
> impossible for us to call our beef organic.

5 years ago the US had something like 60 certifiers, each with its' own
take on the rules. The certifier we have used would let a farm certify
some areas and not others. Others would not, it all depended on who you
used. Now most of these certifying agencies still exist but all have to
use the same rules as proscribed by the USDA.

Lucy Goodman-Owsley
Boulder Belt Organics
New Paris, OH
http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/boulderbeltcsa

Looking for a CSA, Farmer's market or other venue for fresh local food?
Check out
http://www.localharvest.com

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong

Voltaire (1694-1778)




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