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Our health, the air we breathe, the land around us, the water we drink, and the future of
our children and generations to follow.
What certified organic means:
Being certified organic means that we grow foods according to a strict set of national
guidelines ( National Organic Standards ) whose first priority is the enhancement of soil
and ecosystem health. Every year we are required to keep extensive records of
everything we do, and the farm is inspected twice a year.
Organic farms sustain and improve soil fertility and health by applying fertilizers from
biological sources, including both animal and green (plant-based) manures and
composts, and by practicing extensive crop rotation. Mined materials such as crushed
rock may also be added in order to contribute minerals and other micro-nutrients
essential to healthy and tasty plants.
Weed control is accomplished in a number of ways, by hand (with a hoe or a wheel hoe),
with a flame weeder (which kills weed seeds with heat before they germinate), or with a
variety of mulches (including living mulches, straw, and plastic) - no herbicides are
used. While for pest control the National Organic Standards allow the use of various
biological, botanical and mineral based products, we use no insecticides of any kind.
Our preference is to rely on soil health. One of the basic ideas in organic agriculture is
that a healthy soil will produce healthy plants that are capable of resisting attacks by
insects.
In organic agriculture most of the manufactured chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, and
synthetic fertilizers) that are regularly applied in conventional agriculture are excluded.
In many cases these chemicals have allowed conventional farmers to neglect soil health
by feeding the plant directly. One result of this neglect is that the ecological complexity
of soil is reduced, making it less fertile and more prone to disease and pests; another is
that the soil looses its structure and becomes susceptible to erosion. Not only is
American farmland generally less fertile than it was fifty years ago, an enormous
percentage of its invaluable topsoil has been washed into the sea as a result. We believe
that the most recent reflection of conventional agriculture's failings is the current push
for the genetic modification of seeds. Beyond its commercial motives, it is an act of
desperation, as yields from commercial production have been flat and may be declining.
Basic benefits of organic farming include:
Organic produce is never genetically engineered or modified, and is never irradiated.
Organic farming helps protect our air, soil, water, and food supply from toxic chemicals
and other pollutants.
Organic farming conserves natural resources by recycling natural materials.
Organic farming encourages an abundance of species living in balanced, harmonious
ecosystems
