Sure Signs of Spring [Jan 31, 2012] Snow? What snow? Spring is on the way!
Under the Microscope [Sept 29, 2011] Did we pass our organic inspection? Read to find out!
Sure Signs of Spring [Jan 31, 2012]
It may be snowing out there, but spring is right around the corner. How do we know? Here are a few sure signs:
- Our 2012 crop plan is taking shape and Marilyn has the dining room table covered with notes, order forms, and stacks of seed catalogs. She can occasionally be heard mumbling, "Shoulda had this done two weeks ago."
- Rick is about to place his first order for meat bird chicks, to arrive here in mid-March.
- Our organic certification renewal is due soon. Sure sign of spring -- Yay! Big stack of paperwork -- Boo!
- The days are getting longer. Twice already we've adjusted our laying flock's light timer to keep them on 14 hours of daylight.
- And last but definitely not least -- Rick has been hard at work splitting firewood... for next winter!
Under the Microscope [Sept 29, 2011]
Yesterday we had our annual visit from the MOFGA inspector to verify our organic certification. Since we get lots of questions on that topic, we thought you might like to hear about it.
First a little background: all farming used to be organic, of course, but the term "organic agriculture" came into use a few decades ago to distingush it from the chemical-based approach, which favors the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides over more natural methods. (Click here for a good historical overview of the modern organic agriculture movement.)
For a long time, "organic" meant different things to different people. Then in 2001 the USDA finalized its National Organic Program (NOP), which spells out the rules and standards for producing organic foods, fiber, cosmetics, and other products. The USDA doesn't inspect farms; it certifies other organizations to do the inspections. Most farms in Maine, including ours, are certified by the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Organization (MOFGA).
We've been certified by MOFGA since 2002. (Rick says we're certifiable. He's probably right!) Each year we fill out a lengthy application describing our farm operation. This includes a field history for our greenhouse and for each garden plot (crops grown there, fertilizer inputs, pest & weed control methods used, etc.), a list of the crops we plan to grow and our expected yields, and details about our livestock operation such as feed, housing, and health care.
Then the inspector comes to visit. Yesterday we spent about two hours with Jake, who is a full-time MOFGA staff member and an experienced farmer himself. We toured the gardens, the chicken house, our processing (i.e., slaughtering) facility, and the areas where we store our finished products. Jake also sat down with us to review our records, which include planting & harvest data for the crops and feed & production records for the livestock.
To be an organic farmer means more than just avoiding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The core concept of organic farming is working with nature instead of trying to control & dominate it. We have to show our inspector that we are constantly working to improve our soil, to keep our animals healthy & happy, and to integrate our farming activities in a sustainable way. Jake was particularly pleased to see that we're shifting our crop production toward crops that do well on our very sandy soil (such as asparagus & berries) and that we're pasturing our chickens in the fallow gardens, which improves the soil while keeping the birds happy & healthy.
Apparently we passed the inspection. Hurray!
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