Homesteader Life

5 Responses to “Factory Farm Loses Organic Certification”

1. Ernest Says:
   June 20th, 2007 at 6:55 am

   I think they need to crack down on a LOT of these so-called organic places. My rural community has some subdivisions down the road from it, and this time of year it seems like every guy with excess tomatoes and squash in his backyard garden puts up a cardboard sign saying, “Organic Vegetables”. This is harmful to those who are working hard to maintain organic practices, get out and pick insects off our plants by hand, struggle with compost instead of artificial fertilizers, and who have paid large amounts of money to go through the certification process.

   I’ll be glad when they crack down on many more of these big corporations that are diluting the organic standard.

2. Scott Terry Says:
   June 20th, 2007 at 10:53 am

   Hi Ernest

   I can understand what your saying. June 1st we received our certificate from NOFA NY for our dairy farm. We are now members of Organic Valley. It was a lot of hard work, record keeping and such. Now I can say from my experience that I NEVER would have got away with any of the stuff these guys were getting away with. I came through the certifiaction process feeling confident that anything NOFA NY certified was really organic. I have no idea what went on with the people that certified these guys, but I can take a wild guess. We pay, as a fee for certification, 1% of gross sales. I don’t know if this outfit does the same, but can you imagine what 1% of the gross sales for one of these mega dairies must be. OV is serious about people meeting pasture requirements. This summer a rep will visit every farm and inspect the pastures. I’m glad to be with folks who truely take the idea of organics seriously.

3. MrsBurns Says:
   June 20th, 2007 at 1:23 pm

   Mr. Terry:
   Your story is good to hear, from a consumer’s standpoint. I haven’t been buying anything Dean/Horizon markets for years, but I have purchased Organic Valley on occasion and with your endorsement as a co-op dairyman, I will again.

   My husband and I grow fruit and vegetables and chickens on a small scale now; we’d like to scale up a bit and add some bigger livestock (ala Salatin) but for now, we’ve gone with the Certified Naturally Grown network. We’re too small and ornery to mess with USDA, even with their “exempt” category available. But we wanted the accountability offered by another farm and CNG has been a good fit for us at this stage in our learning curve (which is huge and steep!)

   Congratulations on your organic certification. MrsBurns

4. ethan Says:
   June 25th, 2007 at 8:39 pm

   congrats on your certification, As a certifyed lake dweller, with organic asperations, before it was cool, I applaud your growth into this way of farming. I have no faith in most things USDA deems organic, to much money is being made on the “organic” lable. As An insider as to how USDA, FDA and State dept of ag work, anything goes as long as it keeps big producers in business. I am surprized that a large operation was suspended from production of organic product, I think however we are only hearing half the story. Certainly the large opperation in question will appeal the suspension, and most likely go to court to recoup any lost revenue, and get some sort of exemption or concideration to continue selling a product labled “organic”. For you consumers out there this is not good news, the one and only answer is to buy local, from someone you know and trust with your digestive system, or buy mail order from Scott.

5. Scott Terry Says:
   June 26th, 2007 at 4:58 am

   Mrs Burns

   Hello and thanks for stopping in. May the Lord bless you and your husband as you steward His creation. I’m no fan of the USDA either. We chose to go Certified Organic becouse its really the only option for dairymen. We just are not ready at this point(more statist inspectors than you can dream of in NY) to market direct from the farm.

   Hi Ethan

   I was just thinking about the days when I was an “enlightened conventional farmer” and used to make fun you and your attempts at organic farming. Its about 10 years to late but……..I’m sorry. Please forgive me, old freind. Tell your extended clan that I say hello.

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