This seems to be the hottest topic of discussion wherever two or more organic farmers are gathered.   Since the feds instituted the National Organic Program (NOP) in 2002, farmers have been forced to make difficult decisions regarding organic certification. The NOP oversees implementation of the rules and regulations of the National Organic Standards Board  (NOSB), which regulates everything from what brands of seaweed fertilizers are acceptable for use to how many times a compost pile has to be turned before it can be used in the field (the answer is five).

 But there have been some whoppers as of late.

Last spring new seemingly non-organic rules suddenly appeared in the NOP, such as a rule allowing the use of certain antibiotics in livestock feed.  Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman claimed to know nothing about the authorship or provenance of this and other rules, and they were quickly shot down when brought to the attention of Congress. But who did this?  And why?  There is a notion among family farmers that the NOP rules are mainly for the benefit of the larger “factory farms” that smell profits in being labeled “organic”.  These farms are organic in letter only, not in spirit.  They still operate under a corporate model that calls for thousands of acres of monoculture crops, under-compensated migrant labor, and the use of fossil fuels to transport products thousands of miles from their point of origin.

The Organic Lettuce Mix in your local grocery store is most likely from a Land Far Away, a land called California or Florida, a land where migrant labor is cheap and lettuce grows from horizon to horizon.

We family farmers have a different vision of  “Organic”.

Lori’s former farm,   (Berry Brook Farm), was certified organic by the Pennsylvania Certified Organic  (PCO) agency.  Organic certification was very expensive then and involved reams of paperwork, but Lori felt it was worth it as it assured her customers that everything was on the up-and-up with regard to organic practices.  At Silver Wheel Farm, we are not so sure that we want to be associated with a certification system that may be tainted by corporate control and that does nothing to address the need for fair labor practices.

We believe that with the advent of the NOP perhaps the concept of “organic” has parted ways with the concept of “sustainable”.  “Sustainable” implies working with the local environment and ecological systems to foster connections between earth, animals, and people.   Foodchains, soilwebs, community--    organic farming is simply one way to practice acting in the now with nature and humanity, and it should not be separated from other areas of action.

There is a movement swelling among organic family farmers to hammer out an alternative organic certification label, one not controlled by the federal government but rather by the farmers themselves.  This has been accomplished successfully in many countries, and we are evaluating many different models.  For the present time, we really like the looks and spirit of NOFA’s  “Farmer Pledge’s”.   (see www.nofa.org).  But there are other labels as well, such as Naturally Grown, that have organic integrity.

At Silver Wheel Farm we use only chemical-free, sustainable practices in growing our vegetables and flowers and in raising our livestock.  We use no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.  We use no genetically-modified plants or seeds (GMO’s).  Where available, our seeds are grown organically.  We raise all our livestock humanely and provide access to food, clean air and water, and free-range.  We use organic feed and practices for the livestock whose products are marketed as organic.   We grow our vegetables, raise livestock, and protect our land in a sustainable manner.  We pay our farm help a living wage. Our vegetables are picked and delivered usually within one or two days from field to you.  Our vegetables travel probably less than forty miles to get from our field to your table. 

 We think that perhaps the best label for organic food is no label at all.  We invite you to come out to Silver Wheel Farm, look around, and see for yourself.   Our fields and practices are open to inspection by our customers.  We can show you all the papers that we fill out to keep track of an organic trail from seed to field to your dinner plate.  When you subscribe to our CSA you can actually see your vegetables progress from seedling to harvest and your table.  Can you do that with the USDA-labeled Organic Lettuce Mix from your local grocery store?

 We believe in local food for local people, grown by local farmers who care for their local earth.  We can call it Organic or we can just say It Makes Sense.