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Location:
Lewisburg area
Providing
the Co-op since 1970 with: Figs, cucumbers, grapes and
occasionally apples and pears
Farming
practices: Growing less than $5000 organically
Other
crops grown (varieties not included): Cherries, kiwis,
persimmons, blueberries, melons, squash and other vegetables
Acreage
farmed: Three
Crew
size: One
Farming
since: 1969
Products
used to control weeds, pests and pathogens: I use nothing
except live traps for raccoons and opossum, and molasses traps
for coddling moths
"I
have had a garden all my adult life - more than 60 years.
My father was an organic farmer, so I came to farming by association."
Facts
on Organic
- Over
the next 10 years analysts are projecting total sales of
organic products to exceed one hundred billion dollars worldwide.
The vast majority of growth will occur in the United States,
Japan and throughout Europe. (Source - IFOAM, International
Federation of Organic Agricultural Movement)
- Thousands
of corporations are targeting consumers worldwide by adding
organic foods to their product lines.
- Since
October of 2002, organic farms must undergo an annual inspection
by a licensed Certifier to determine if they're operating
under specific guidelines to be certified as producing organic
foods and livestock.
- Organic
farming can actually save farmers money and give them significantly
better returns on land and resource utilization as compared
to conventional farming. Conventional farming uses more
petroleum than any other industry and consumes almost 12%
of the United States' energy supply.
- It
can take up to five years for a conventional farm to convert
to organic farming.
- If
a product falls under 100% Organic Certification,
you can be assured that there are no GMOs (Genetically Modified
Foods) in that product.
- It's
estimated that conventional farmers use over 300 different
pesticides to grow (non-organic) foods which are sold in
virtually all supermarkets worldwide.
-
Organic Aquaculture worldwide is a booming business. Over
20% of all shellfish, an estimated 15 trillion metric tons,
are produced by organic Aquaculture farmers. China is the
largest producer of these products. (Source - www.mindfully.org)
Aside
from these known facts and current statistics on organic farming,
there are numerous inherent benefits that both the organic
farmers and consumers of their products receive to improve
on health, quality of life and longevity.
http://www.yelmworms.com/organic-farming/important-facts.htm
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Sam
Rachele