US: Organic farmers on common soil

Local farmers display strawberries, citrus fruits and green vegetables at their Saturday Morning Certified Farmers Market booth in downtown Redlands.

Residents eager to buy local produce flock to the market alone or with friends to shop and talk to farmers about their growing methods.

Most of the farmers are local and natural growers, but only one farm is certified organic.

The line between certified organic and natural growing methods can be murky, leaving many wondering what is the difference.

"Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations," says the California Certified Organic Farmers on its Web site.

These farmers do not use synthetic fertilizers or growth hormones to help their plants look brighter or grow faster. Farmers wanting to be certified organic must go through yearly inspections and pay a yearly fee, and some turn away because of the process.

Glencairn Farm in Redlands sells fresh produce at Market Night and the farmers market. Owner William Cunningham said they are not certified organic, but they do not use any pesticides, antibiotics or growth hormones nor do they wax or polish their produce.

Cunningham said he would not know the difference between his practices and those of a certified organic farmer, but he still isn't thinking about going through the process.

"We just see it as an additional expense," Cunningham said.

Glencairn Farm spans 18 acres in the San Timoteo Canyon, and Cunningham said he has been growing for more than 30 years.

"We don't see the advantage of paying what is a merchandising business," he said.

Three Sisters Farm owners Abby and Jason Harned adopted the idea of being organic farmers and sustainable living while studying agriculture at Cal Poly Pomona.

The Harneds operate the only certified organic farm in the area. They paid $750 to be certified, and they received 75percent of it back through a rebate, Jason said.

They started their farm as organic, which is much easier than converting, Abby said. Their certification assures their customers they are truly organic, she said.

"It's important to us because being new farmers in the community, people are able to look at the certification symbol and trust that we're doing what we say," Abby said.

"The growing organic is for ourselves, and the certification is for the people," she said.

They have regular customers like Jeff and Julie Schafer, who value the certification symbol on their sign. Julie said they like to buy local and organic food every week from the farmers market.

"It matters to us that it's certified because it just shows some evidence that it's really organic," Jeff said. "It's kind of helpful to know the farmer and know their reputation in the community."

Farmers market shopper Jason Loan said he likes buying food grown near his home in Redlands, so buying locally is his priority.

"I'd be willing to buy from a farmer that isn't certified as long as they grow in natural ways," he said.


Source: sbsun.com

Publication date: 10/8/2009

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