BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
We believe it is better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to chemicals on our food. As organic farmers we are much happier to not be working with harsh pesticides – 0 herbicides – 0 fungicides and 0 synthetic fertilizers. We have seen amazing results on our happy little farm over the years! Ben believes our home farm has never been healthier in the past 3 generations his family has farmed this land. This is the direct result of building up our soil over these past 10 years, not depleting it. We adhere to a strict crop rotation and use cover crops and animal manure which ensures nutrient rich soil and best tasting produce year after year. “It’s just getting better!” Ben often says when standing in the fields. We are also very proud to be Certified Organic by Pro Cert Organic Systems Ltd. You can rest assured that we will not knowingly ever plant any GMO seeds! Click Here to Download Certification Documents.
TRANSPARENT FARM – ALL OUR INPUTS LISTED
Every input we use on our organic farm will be listed here and annually updated if any changes. Everything on this list has been approved for use by the organic certification board Pro-Cert Organic Systems LTD. We do not use any synthetic chemical fertilizers. We do not use any herbicides or fungicides. We use mechanical and hand weeding on farm to control weed pressure. You will notice our tomato selection will be very dire if there is a cold wet year, as we DO NOT use chemical controls for Blights and diseases.
WHAT WE DO USE:
Entrust – a spinosad pesticide to control Colorado potato beetles. Annually applied to potatoes, tomato plants. Sometimes eggplant as well. Applications average twice per season.
BioProtec CAF – Aqueous Biological insecticide – bacillus thuringiensis used to control looper worms in Cabbage and brassica crops. Annually applied to cabbages, cauliflower, kale.
Cow Manure – for field fertilization. (Applied 120 days before any harvests)
Premier Pro-Mix Organic Herb and Vegetable Mix – to grow our greenhouse seedlings.
Dramm Corp Dramatic K Kelp Fish Fertilizer – for fertilizing greenhouse seedlings.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
The most common misconception about being certified is the thought that farmers are ‘under the thumb’. Considering we understand and agree with their strict rules and regulations regarding organic growing, we have no compliance issues and are happy to have our farm wide open to inspection at any time. It gives our customers peace of mind that our operation has a third party audit each year where Pro Cert checks where we buy our seeds, what greenhouse potting soil and organic fertilizers are used, maps of our fields, including rotation plans, our organic compost methods, all ingredients for prepared foods etc. It is also refreshing to see actual organic farmers coming out to do the inspections! No one knows an organic farm like an actual organic farmer! Please, please pay attention at farmer’s markets. They are not all organic as you may think! You need to be vigilant, ask questions and be aware. Not all farmers are created equal and transparency is key. However there are many ‘greenwashing’ ‘organicwashing’ signs out there leading folks to believe it’s an organic product and some producers riding on the coat tails of others. Truly, KNOW YOUR ORGANIC FARMER. We work hard to adhere to certified organic standards for the customers benefit and are proud to go that extra mile always.