|
 Location:
Kings Valley, Oregon
Providing
the Co-op since the 1999 with: Asian Pears
Farming
practices: Certified Organic
Other
crops grown (varieties not included): Specialty apples,
stone fruit and chestnuts
Acreage
farmed: 30
Crew
size: Four
Farming
since: 1984
Products
used to control weeds, pests and pathogens: Organic controls
- weed torch (propane), hand weeding, codling moth wing-traps,
beneficial insects, and dormant copper spray for diseases
"I
have been farming since I was 8 years old. My father and I
started farming around 1989 trying to get a chestnut orchard
going. We were the first commercial chestnut orchard and the
largest for ten years in the Pacific Northwest.
At
the same time, we put in every specialty crop (Asian pears,
permissions, figs) we could think of but the only things that
did really well were Asian pears and specialty apples. We
have our own trademarked Hidden Rose apple, It has green skin
with red flesh. These apples are distributed around the country.
All
our Asian pears go to First Alternative because we really
like to provide the freshest, ripe-picked pears and the Co-op
is within 20 miles of us. You cannot pick ripe pears if you
are transporting them very far.
I
like working with the fruit trees. I develop an ongoing appreciative
relationship with a tree. Tree-growing is a different type
of of farming than dirt cultivating. because these trees will
still be here for generations.
I
have learned a lot about sustainability. Being Organic doesn't
mean you are sustainable. We are Certified Sustainably Grown.
We were one of the first farms to be Certified Sustainably
Grown in the country. Everything we grow, except the chestnut
trees, are Certified Organic. To make the chestnuts Organic
they wouldn't be sustainable." -Eric
What
is sustainable agriculture?
Sustainable
agriculture is environmentally sound. It conserves and enriches
the soil, protects the quality of the water, and encourages
a diversity of plant and animal species. Sustainable agriculture
is not a prescribed set of farming practices but only those
practices that are right for a given farm or region or crop.
Sustainable agriculture maintains agricultural productivity
and economic viability. Its practices may include reducing
or eliminating the use of agricultural chemicals. Low-input
agriculture, organic farming, biodynamic farming, regenerative
agriculture, and permaculture are examples of farming systems
that fall within the scope of sustainable agriculture.
http://www.attra.org/who.html
|
