Growing foods chemical free: Local farmers talk about the organic certification process
By Lynn Wolstenholme
Being healthy and environmentally friendly are on the minds of many Americans these days – weight-loss reality shows, studies on obesity, growing and harvesting food without chemicals.
The trend is evident on food labels in grocery stores announcing products as organic, all-natural, no additives, etc., and the consumer is left to decipher what the terms mean.
With Earth Day on our minds, we spoke with some Loudoun farmers to discuss local practices in producing chemical-free foods, and the options available.
“I am amazed with how educated people are [regarding organic food],” said Timothy Wiseman, owner of Stoneybrook Farm, a certified organic farm near Hillsboro. He was referring to the customers who visit his farm stand on Route 9.
To be certified organic, a farmer must go through a rigorous certification process by the United States Department of Agriculture, typically a three-year initial process with certified agents and inspectors studying the land, extensive documentation and daily record-keeping. In 2002, the USDA established the program to federally regulate farming with no chemical substances.
Wiseman is one of a few certified organic farmers in Loudoun. He opened Stoneybrook Farm in Hillsboro last year. He said he thought it was important to have the organic certification so that his customers know his produce is grown through a regulated, chemical-free process.
Another certified-organic farm in Loudoun is Ayrshire Farm near Upperville. Owner Sandy Lerner has been very active in promoting the importance of chemical-free growing practices, which can only be assured through the USDA organic certification.
“Sustainable, integrated farming practices were largely abandoned after the Second World War when intensive crop production and factory farming were seen to be the answer to the perceived ideal of cheaper, more plentiful food,” states Ayrshire Farm's marketing brochure.
It goes on to say time has shown that the environment and product taste suffer through the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in all realms of the farming industry – air and water quality, solid waste disposal, etc.
Some farmers choose to bypass or give up the organic certification. Cost can be a factor.
Beverly Morton Billard, owner of The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm in Lovettsville, has followed the organic growing process since the 1960s. She was certified for organic farming for about four years but recently relinquished the certification.
“I was very involved in the organic standards. I fought for them,” Billard said. “Now I am kind of disappointed.”
Billard is speaking about the price farmers have to pay for the certification -- ranging from $400 to $2,000-plus a year, depending on where a certification agent comes from and the size of the farm.
“There was a chemical revolution in the '50s [in regard to farming],” Billard said. “I had to find another way to [farm] because the chemicals were too expensive.
She added, “I really felt that whatever we put into children's bodies should be as pure as natural.”
According to Billard, the system has turned around. It now costs more money to the farmer and the consumer to produce and buy chemical-free, certified organic food.
For example, as of April 14, it cost $3.29 for a gallon of whole milk at Giant in Leesburg, compared to $5.49 for a gallon of certified organic whole milk. Also, a pound of apples at Giant cost $1.39, compared to $1.99 for a pound of certified organic apples.
However, the certification does assure the consumer of the food's quality through a third-party agent.
“[Certification] is expensive,” said Wiseman. “It was our decision to get certified primarily to let consumers have the third-party involved.”
When Billard gave up the organic certification a couple of years ago, she said the fee was more than $2,000 because she would have had to get an agent from another state. Virginia does not have a USDA agent who can certify for organic farming.
“For small farmers, it is very hard to pay the [certification] fees,” she said.
To keep to a somewhat regulated process, Billard has moved from certified organic to certified naturally grown, a nonprofit alternative certification program for direct-market farmers. Certified naturally grown is not affiliated with the USDA certification program but is based on the organic principles. The cost is less for the farmers since it is donation-based, with a recommended payment of $50 to $150 for certification.
“Everything on the farm is certified naturally grown,” Billard said. “And everything I bring in is organic.”
Another farm that used to be certified organic is Potomac Vegetable Farm in Purcellville.
“We were certified for 13 years, but we did not renew our certification [because of the cost and extensive paperwork],” said Ellen Polishuk, manager at the Purcellville farm. Prior to the USDA's organic certification process, Virginia had its own organic certification through the Virginia Association for Biological Farming.
“We grow everything eco-ganic,” a process where produce is grown without chemicals Polishuk said; however, there is no third-party checking on the farm's growing practices.
Wiseman said when he became certified in October 2007, it cost him close to $1,700 for an agent to come up from North Carolina, but he said it is worth it to him and his customers.
He is fortunate to call stores such as Wegmans and Food Lion customers because they bring in a set influx of revenue.
Wiseman had some ideas on how to make the certification process more attainable for the local small farmer.
“If we could all get on a schedule [with an agent], it could reduce the cost,” he said.
While Wiseman understands the importance of having the certification, he said he has respect for those farmers who follow the organic process without getting the certification.
“If people get to know the farmer, it doesn't really make a difference,” he said.
Contact the reporter at lwolstenholme@timespapers.com