Beyond Organic
On the other hand, some producers we spoke with, like P6, P12, and especially new/young ones like A1, P10, and P13, knew that ‘organic’ (i.e. ‘sustainable’) practices worked and valued their importance, but they did not believe in nor support the certification.
When we asked A1 about her feelings regarding organic certification she said, "I think it's ridiculous...It’s not clear what it means. The label doesn't mean anything." She went on to say that it "allows for a certain amount of chemicals and most people don't know that." P6 felt that consumers were becoming more aware of the real value, or lack thereof as A1 pointed out, of organic certification. He thought that “enough people are reading the articles about local versus organic to be aware that organic doesn't mean anything in some cases.”
Additionally, P10 and P13, who sell through a CSA program and at the Farmers Market respectively, both mentioned that they see no benefit to certifying. “We have an unbelievable demand for our stuff without certifying,” said P10, “and certifying would not increase our demand, so why bother.”
P13 explained how he values buying locally above buying certified organic and that the certification is only of importance in situations where there is no-one to ask:
P12, on the other hand, did face some resistance when trying to sell his non-certified products. For example, one grocery store would not carry his sausage because it was not certified organic and they also would not carry his asparagus because, as he said, “it’s organic but not certified organic.” “They’re really focused on that certification and I understand it gives them credibility,” P12 said. Most of his profits came from selling to restaurants though, so it was not a huge loss for P12, because, as he said, “Certainly I don’t know of any restaurant that won’t take non-organic meat if it’s otherwise sustainable and local and they feel good about.”
Some of the producers, especially P12, talked about practices that were ‘beyond organic,’ and emphasized true sustainability over certification. P12 mentioned that his vineyard was close to being certified organic but he gave up because becoming certified meant using products that were worse for the environment overall. “I use Round Up which has glyphosate,” he said, “but the alternative is using a bunch of petroleum products in your tractor or a flamer. As far as I’m concerned the net detriment to the environment is worse using the organic methods of weed control for a vineyard.”
P12 further explained his outlook on organic certification, saying:
When we asked A1 about her feelings regarding organic certification she said, "I think it's ridiculous...It’s not clear what it means. The label doesn't mean anything." She went on to say that it "allows for a certain amount of chemicals and most people don't know that." P6 felt that consumers were becoming more aware of the real value, or lack thereof as A1 pointed out, of organic certification. He thought that “enough people are reading the articles about local versus organic to be aware that organic doesn't mean anything in some cases.”
Additionally, P10 and P13, who sell through a CSA program and at the Farmers Market respectively, both mentioned that they see no benefit to certifying. “We have an unbelievable demand for our stuff without certifying,” said P10, “and certifying would not increase our demand, so why bother.”
P13 explained how he values buying locally above buying certified organic and that the certification is only of importance in situations where there is no-one to ask:
“Our direct customers ask if it is organic and we say yes.. we don’t spray anything we don’t do anything…it is just as it is and it does fine. People at the Farmers Market they know, and if you go to the super market you have to see that label that has certified the product because that is the only way I know…you have no one to ask. I’d rather by it from someone I know.”Similarly, P6 mentioned that he looks at it in terms of the “priorities of [his] customers.” “It seems like local is more important to them than organic,” he said, “they occasionally ask if it's organic but rarely ask if it was certified.”
P12, on the other hand, did face some resistance when trying to sell his non-certified products. For example, one grocery store would not carry his sausage because it was not certified organic and they also would not carry his asparagus because, as he said, “it’s organic but not certified organic.” “They’re really focused on that certification and I understand it gives them credibility,” P12 said. Most of his profits came from selling to restaurants though, so it was not a huge loss for P12, because, as he said, “Certainly I don’t know of any restaurant that won’t take non-organic meat if it’s otherwise sustainable and local and they feel good about.”
Some of the producers, especially P12, talked about practices that were ‘beyond organic,’ and emphasized true sustainability over certification. P12 mentioned that his vineyard was close to being certified organic but he gave up because becoming certified meant using products that were worse for the environment overall. “I use Round Up which has glyphosate,” he said, “but the alternative is using a bunch of petroleum products in your tractor or a flamer. As far as I’m concerned the net detriment to the environment is worse using the organic methods of weed control for a vineyard.”
P12 further explained his outlook on organic certification, saying:
“I look at it very realistically. It has not been clearly shown that organic grapes are better quality nor in my mind that it’s better for the environment. I applaud the concept. I think it’s good and I probably will join up with them and get my pasture certified. I believe in the concept but I also believe that it’s more important to be sustainable than to be organic.”