I have been reading a lot lately about how organic certification is having problems because of a lack of oversight by the government certifying agencies. I am very disappointed. Big business has made it necessary for this type of certification to be required so that the public can feel confident that they are not being lied to. And yet they still are.
What about those of us who want to be organic because it is the right thing to do. What about me, who wants to save her own little piece of Planet Earth by treating it with respect and making the right choices about growing our food. If I wouldn’t eat it, I wouldn’t sell it (of course with flowers I wouldn’t necessarily eat them but the same thing goes.)
I don’t have children so I cannot say that I want to do this for my kids. I’m doing it for my brothers kid and my best friends kids and all the other deserving kids out there. I want it to mean something when I say that Big Head Farm is ‘Simply Organic.’ It means that I care.
I care enough about our earth to want to participate in the natural processes, to not interfere in those processes but rather to manage them and assist when necessary. So today I am working on the farm plan. I am taking a look at all the record keeping required to become certified organic. I am also facing the costs associated with certification through a qualified agency such as Oregon Tilth. I know that it will all be worth it.
One of the challenges I see is that you must find certified organic inputs for your farm, from soil additions such as compost to the seeds that I will sow. There are many places that have the right certification but how do I know if it is legitimate? I suppose I can ask all the same questions that the certifying agencies do. I can also look for recommendations from other organic growers who have had good service and experience.
Well, it’s time to get back to work on the farm plan. I’ll keep you updated on the progress!
