| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Debs |
Posted - Jan 15 2006 : 04:53:59 AM
This is a link to the website of a blueberry farm in New Zealand, this farm has received organic certification for selling their food locally, which is the best way to go for small farms and gardens, no food miles and the locals get fresh produce.
http://www.theblueberryfarm.co.nz/
I hope to grow organically when I get my large garden/small farm but for now I support organic and local food where I live, and encourage others to do so as well! In the UK, the organics "industry" is growing by 40% each year, and the prices are coming down...organic aubergines are cheaper than non-organic ones for example!
I know there are a lot of people who have farms that grow mostly organic but because of one product they use, they can't get certification, or they can't afford the annual fee for certification. There is a new thing happening in New Zealand of several nearby farms joining to form a "pod" and they pay a fee jointly, which brings down the cost.
Anyone else promoting organics? Or growing organically? |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| garliclady |
Posted - Jan 18 2006 : 1:01:23 PM
We are a substainable farm and grow organicly without certification. Many farms in our area have dropped certification after the government took charge. There is something called certified Naturally grown that is going own in some parts of the country where local farms certify each other and hold each other to certain standards with out the fees. I looked at there web site (can't remember the name) and it looks interesting but no farms in our area of the state are doing this and I don't have the time to start the proceedures myself.
The area where I live has become active in supporting locally grown, substainable agriculture and the slow foods movement . Our customers are not as concerned with Certification as local and using organic practices. Most of the farms in our area have been involved with farm tours and have an open door policy to customers who what to see our "organic / uncertified" farms . We have earned there trust. Each of these "organic" farms in our area help each other out by sending customers to other each other stand for different "Organic" produce.
The Garlic Lady
http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=6792http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/ |
| jenny louise |
Posted - Jan 15 2006 : 06:43:34 AM
Hi, Debby.
I was certified for a few years and grew seed for an organic seed company as well as produce for farmers' markets.
The cost of the certification was prohibitive for me, as I am such a small grower, have to haul my own goods, and pay market fees. The income just wasn't enough to cover all of my costs and try to make a decent living as well. As my customers came to know me and trust was built, I let my certification drop, against the advice of my grower's group leader. The seed I was growing had a bum year after weekes of rain did not allow me to harvest it dry, and i lost all of that income.
So, I still will grow smaller amounts and I am just going to grow squash and pumpkins, some decorative gourds this year, and sell them at a food auction. I will label 'naturally grown' and add to the label what i have used as inputs in the process of growing.
I live out in never land, and a certification agent had to drive quite far and stay in a hotel, so i had to pay for the expenses and travel, and then the certification fee as well. Hard to come up with when you are trying to start a business. Not a good idea to have him stay in your home, because it looks like bribery. Anyway, I know alot of folks do make it and are certified and happy with the whole process, and if I were to continue to sell to a large market base, i would definitly continue the whole thing. But I am just a small grower and I am dealing with a very local market, where folks know me, and so I don't need to use the system of insuring that food is organic.
If you are considering ever selling to a store, It is well worth the time, effort and money to become certified. I have had the problem of going to the city market and finding vendors that stick an organic sign in their booth, just to make a few bucks more and they bought their produce from a big retailer! The market master then had to have certification papers before he would allow anyone to label their produce as organic. It just protects the public from being swindled.
So, I guess the answer here is what are your intentions? Are you going to just sell to a very local base, or are you going to go to a larger market that will need the proof, and would you possibly sell to a store at some point?
Good luck in your endeavors and keep us posted!
Jenny in Michigan |
|
|
