National Organic Program standards mandate three years to transition ground from conventional to organic. So whatever is grown on that ground during that time, though farmed organically, must be sold as conventional.
Isn’t organic actually less sustainable because it produces less food per acre?
One of the great things about organic farming is that the soil gets more productive with each year it’s farmed organically. The idea that yields on organic farms are so much lower really came out of comparing yields on farms that were recently converted to organic practices. Even though that’s a three- year process, it […]
How do organic farmers control weeds?
One of the most expensive parts of organic farming is weed control, which is done exclusive by tractor early in the growing cycle and then by hand later. When we transition a new field to organic, we have to work really hard for years to get the weed seed population down with diligent manual weed […]
How do you prevent contamination from nearby conventional farms?
We are sometimes adjacent to conventional farms. Part of the organic certification inspection is the scientific establishment of an appropriate buffer between an organic farm and any nearby risk. We have to take into account topography, weather, prevailing winds, activities, and all other risks, then propose a buffer of sufficient size to mitigate the risks. […]
Aren’t you monocropping on your big farms?
We’re definitely not monocropping. Crop rotation is an essential component of our farming. We typically rotate spinach and lettuces with brassicas like broccoli and cauliflower. Not only do brassicas pull different things from the soil, but as members of the mustard family they act as a sort of natural fumigant – bugs don’t like how […]
Do you use biosolids as fertilizer?
No. Biosolids are expressly prohibited from use in organic by the USDA Organic standards.
