Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? Topics Fitness Food Health Natural Pamper Special Style Events Medical Directory Reader's Picks RSS Info About OHL Advertise Archive Photos Return to Mail Tribune NEWS NOW Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Read Beach bacteria » Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama Read Our View: Who» View from 100,000 feet By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Read View from 100,» Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Read Beach bacteria » Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama Read Our View: Who» View from 100,000 feet By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Read View from 100,» To Be or Not to Be? Organic, That Is Food doesn't have to be 'certified' to be organic, but in some cases, it helps The holy grail of healthful eating is believed to be the "Certified Organic" label. According to the Organic Trade Association, "Organic food production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation." Comment By TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER MailTribune.com By TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER Posted May. 30, 2014 at 2:00 AM By TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER Posted May. 30, 2014 at 2:00 AM How Does Your (Organic) Garden Grow? --> Following are some thoughts from Maud Powell, coordinator of the small farms program at Oregon State University Extension Service, on good organic growing practices. 1. Get to know which pes... » Read more X How Does Your (Organic) Garden Grow? Following are some thoughts from Maud Powell, coordinator of the small farms program at Oregon State University Extension Service, on good organic growing practices. 1. Get to know which pests are of the most concern in your area, then start with seed varieties that are resistant to them. 2. Consider companion planting, or trap cropping — knowing which pests are particular to which crops, as well as which crops those pests prefer over what you've planted. "It's like planting a little garden for your pests," Powell explains. Examples include nasturtium to attract caterpillars away from cabbage-family plants, and marigolds to keep beetles away from melons and other plants. Garlic just about anywhere will ward off all kinds of pests. 3. Rotating crops among fields helps to avoid the build-up of any one pest population in one area. Powell also recommends keeping your soil healthy by testing it often and fertilizing as needed, as well as keeping to a good irrigation schedule. "Try to make your plants as healthy as possible so they'll be more resistant to different types of pests," she says. "Think of it as a human — if your immune system is strong, you're going to be better able to resist whatever comes along." » Social News The holy grail of healthful eating is believed to be the "Certified Organic" label. According to the Organic Trade Association, "Organic food production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation." What that definition leaves out, however, is that to get the Certified Organic label, farmers pay hefty fees and spend a lot of time on paperwork. Some simply chose not to. Those that follow the precepts for organic growing, but don't apply for the official seal, are considered "clean" growers. "There's a real movement among small farm-market growers not to be certified," says Chris Pellett, who along with husband, Gary Pellett, owns Old Stage Farm and Orchard in Central Point. "It's very time consuming and expensive — the monitoring alone is $800 a year — and the record keeping can be daunting. You have to record everything you've done or sprayed or tried. You have to ask permission when you're trying something to control insects or disease. You have to record all your sales. It's beyond what many of them are ready to do." "Clean" growing is sort of a middle ground between certified organic and conventional growing. Maud Powell, coordinator of the small farms program at Oregon State University Extension Service, explains that the biggest issue around whether or not a farmer should get certified often is where he or she is selling. "If you're selling to a farmers' market, then you have that personal, face-to-face contact, and you can convey to your customers how you grow," she says. "You can invite them out to your farm. You develop relationships, and your customers trust you. Whereas if you're selling into the wholesale market, you usually have to have that certification so the buyer then can sell the produce at a premium price." Small growers bank on the hope that customers understand that they can be legitimately organic without being certified. Pellett says people looking to buy organic fall into two camps: those who care about how the earth is treated and that the growing practices are environmentally sound, and those who are more concerned with how "clean" their food is. The first group, she says, is more likely to consider how far their food has traveled and how the farmer cared for the soil. Both Pellett and Powell agree that if you have to choose, locally grown trumps organic. When buying from a farmer you trust, the fact that the food isn't officially certified organic is offset by the smaller carbon footprint and other factors. "For me personally, I would rather buy locally and know I'm supporting a family farmer and that my dollars are staying in the community three to seven times longer than if I buy from a large-scale farm in California," Powell says. Pellett adds that the local chefs she sells to agree that relationships are key. "When I tell them we're not certified organic," Pellet explains, "they say, 'I don't care. I want to know you as a farmer, that you're growing the best crops and you're growing them locally, and I trust you to do what you say you do.'" By TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER MailTribune.com By TEXT BY MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER Posted May. 30, 2014 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Archive Terms of Use Privacy Policy Contact Us Advertise Careers Copyright © . Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Southern Oregon Media Group: Mail Tribune.com | Ashland Daily Tidings | Medford Nickel