Our farm’s journey to organic certification truly began in 1968. When my parents purchased the land that would become our farm — named Innisfree on the Stillwater — and began farming, there were only a few trees along the riverbank, and the fields came right up to the driveway. Over the years, they deliberately chose to take acres of crop ground out of production, starting with the field borders along the river, driveway, and creek. Their decision was met with protest from other farmers who saw it as a loss of prime farmland and, therefore, money; however, my parents saw it as an increase in wildlife habitat, areas for walking and bird-watching, and a natural buffer to reduce the effects of seasonal flooding. They didn’t farm organically, although they did try to limit the use of pesticides and herbicides. They told me that if there’d been markets to sell organic crops in this area, they would’ve done so. Now, more than 50 years later, we’re reaping the rewards of their unpopular decision.
Organic Versus Organic Certified
Let’s start by defining “organic” and “Certified Organic.” Merriam-Webster tells us that organic means “of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without
