Is Our Farm Certified Organic?
This is a question we get asked all the time and the short answer is
no, our farm is not certified organic
. The long answer however, is something we would like to share with you.
We have not used any biocides -herbicides, fungicides, pesticides- or synthetic fertilizers on any of our land since 1988 when our family made a conscious decision to switch to more sustainable methods of farming. For many years, our land and our animals were certified organic but due to the unstable market in the early years we found it hard to sell our products consistently. Eventually we switched to just growing hay, which did not warrant certification so we decided to let our certification lapse. Now, as we have started offering other products from our farm we have had to make the decision of whether or not to re-certify our land. The following are our reasoning for not going the "certified" route this time.
For these key reasons we have decided not to re-certify our farm as "certified organic" however our farm is still managed "organically" and in many ways we feel our standards and farming practices go beyond organic to include management techniques like biodynamics and permaculture. Please take a look at Our Commitment to see our promise to you as our customer.
It is important to note that we are not dismissing farms that are certified organic, especially local certified organic farms! Organic certification is extremely important as our food system continues to shift. When we buy products from the grocery store or farms that we don't know personally, we always look for farms that are certified organic. It is a great way to insure that whatever product was produced following a set criteria. It would be our wish that in the future, communities would be able to get the vast majority, if not all, of their food from a diverse group of local family farms that managed their land and animals with love and respect. Family farms that consumers would have an intimate relationship with. In this way organic certification would become obsolete simply because everyone would be farming with the same integrity. However, as we are a few years away from this goal it is important to maintain certified organic farms so consumers can still be assured the food they are buying is as healthy as possible. We hope that our farm model can serve as a bridge that would once again bring farmers, consumers and the land back into a relationship that can only be described as one thing, a Community.
If you have any additional questions or concerns about the way we farm please feel free to contact Us .
We have not used any biocides -herbicides, fungicides, pesticides- or synthetic fertilizers on any of our land since 1988 when our family made a conscious decision to switch to more sustainable methods of farming. For many years, our land and our animals were certified organic but due to the unstable market in the early years we found it hard to sell our products consistently. Eventually we switched to just growing hay, which did not warrant certification so we decided to let our certification lapse. Now, as we have started offering other products from our farm we have had to make the decision of whether or not to re-certify our land. The following are our reasoning for not going the "certified" route this time.
- "Organic Certification" serves a special purpose. That purpose is to protect consumers and insure that the food they are purchasing is grown to a specific set of industry standards. In our current food system most consumers do not personally know the farmers that grow their food. In this situation organic certification is very useful as it sets "organic" apart from "naturally grown" which can be very misleading and has no certification standard. Because our intent is to help cultivate a meaningful connection to the natural world, that would entail that our customers have an intimate relationship with us and our land. We plan on having celebrations at our farm to allow our customers to get back on the land and to actually see our land management practices. We want our customers to be our organic certifiers!
- Being certified organic takes time and money. In order to have our farm certified it involves yearly fees and the time to keep detailed records for everything that goes on at our farm. While we are very organized and keep proper records, in the past when we were certified we found that it took a lot of time simply because we have such a diverse range of farm products and each one needs to be accounted for. In our opinion we would rather spend that time teaching our customers and community how we farm and why . Just like the organic certification process this would ensure consumers that their food is grown and raised in an ethical and sustainable manner.
- We feel the organic certification process does not address one of the critical problems of agriculture and our society at large. That is, the idea or belief that humans are separate or above other species on the planet. We feel all life, in all its diversity, is sacred and serves a purpose, even though as humans we may not always understand that purpose. On our farm we are strive to acknowledge that everything has an intrinsic value. In this way we use different management practices or utilize integrated design to make space for all life on our farm.
For these key reasons we have decided not to re-certify our farm as "certified organic" however our farm is still managed "organically" and in many ways we feel our standards and farming practices go beyond organic to include management techniques like biodynamics and permaculture. Please take a look at Our Commitment to see our promise to you as our customer.
It is important to note that we are not dismissing farms that are certified organic, especially local certified organic farms! Organic certification is extremely important as our food system continues to shift. When we buy products from the grocery store or farms that we don't know personally, we always look for farms that are certified organic. It is a great way to insure that whatever product was produced following a set criteria. It would be our wish that in the future, communities would be able to get the vast majority, if not all, of their food from a diverse group of local family farms that managed their land and animals with love and respect. Family farms that consumers would have an intimate relationship with. In this way organic certification would become obsolete simply because everyone would be farming with the same integrity. However, as we are a few years away from this goal it is important to maintain certified organic farms so consumers can still be assured the food they are buying is as healthy as possible. We hope that our farm model can serve as a bridge that would once again bring farmers, consumers and the land back into a relationship that can only be described as one thing, a Community.
If you have any additional questions or concerns about the way we farm please feel free to contact Us .
