Consolidation in Organic Agriculture - CCOF

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MEMBERSOrganic Farming: Proactive EnvironmentalismBy Keith L. ProctorTEN YEARS AGO, JASON MCKENNEYmerged his passions for biologyand farming with his strong sociopoliticalbeliefs—and landed on a 12-acrefarm just south of San Francisco. Schooledin Rhode Island on an environmental educationfarm where he also taughtbiology, Jason later moved to Californiato continue farming. Througha friend, he started working on afarm where he learned about localsoil types and microclimates, environmentalconditions that make Californiaunique as a farming state. Healso learned about building relationshipswith a new and growing sectorof organic consumer: small restaurantsfrequented by customers willingto pay a fair price for deliciouslocal organic produce prepared witha skilled hand.Today Jason operates PurisimaGreens Farm, eight miles south ofHalf Moon Bay. Like the first farmhe worked on in California, Jasoncaters a portion of his crop productionto restaurant orders. Chefs visitthe farm, sit down with Jason, andtogether they build custom saladtypes, even deciding the style of howthe greens should be harvested.Chefs have a lot to choose from onthe 5 acres at Purisima Greens:spinach, chards, kales, broccoli, cabbage,roots, cauliflower, beets,turnips, carrots, strawberries, potatoes,artichokes, summer and wintersquashes, onions, garlic, leeks, shallots,dry farmed tomatoes, and more.Like many successful organicfarmers, Jason appreciates thestrength in crop diversity. Varietymay be the spice of life, and theexciting spice in a good restaurant,but Jason is also thinking in practicalterms of economy and marketing. “If youmaintain a level of diversity, you can havea buffer to withstand almost any marketfluctuation.” In addition to restaurants,Purisima Greens offers Community SupportedAgriculture (CSA) shares from Mayto December.Many small farmers attend severalregional farmers’ markets as a way to earna living. Jason, however, has chosen onlyone market—the Alemany Farmers’ Marketin San Francisco. Here, the discriminatingbargain shopper searchesthe booths, and questions the produce,the price, and the farmer.Unlike the trendy, almost pseudoyuppiefeeling of other Bay Areafarmers’ markets, the Alemany Marketis frequented by regular neighborhoodpeople looking for goodproduce at a decent price. “Theyreally confront the issue of organicfood cost,” says Jason. But after fiveyears as a regular vendor, and onlyone of two organic greens vendorsout of hundreds, customers havecome to recognize Purisima Greens’produce as cheep, organic food that’ssuperior. His prices are often underthose of local retailers, and the marketcustomers know that. Some ofthem come to the market beforesunrise, flashlights in hand, ready tohelp Jason and other vendors unloadand set up their booths so that theycan be the first ones to purchasefood and wares for sale. “Peoplecome out like locusts.” He laughs.“It’s fun and energizing.” But thePurisima booth is usually sold outof everything by 10 AM. The marketwasn’t always like this, explainsJason. He has watched the AlemanyFarmers’ Market transform over theyears from a mostly Hmong market,with farms based in the Central Valley,to a market of extreme diversity—stillwith the same Hmongfarmers, and now with so manymore from around the area. “It’s likePage 8CCOF Magazine
a superstore in that everything is available,so many vendors and customers. It is theantithesis of monoculture.”But why enter farming? “Organic farmingis biologically oriented environmentalism.It is the best proactive way I know.”Jason thinks of himself as a politicallyaware person. His motivation for growingorganic food is to try to make an equitableliving and help create an equitable economy.He says that it is his way of helpingto rebuild an economy that serves peoplein a better fashion. By this, he hopes tostand as an example that one can growfood in an environmental, economical,and labor sustainable way.“Most other environmental activism isretroactive—trying to curb, halt, stop,minimize, or clean-up environmentaldamage.” But organic farming is different.It helps create a cleaner world from theoutset.“That’s what organic farming is allabout,” says Jason.Organic Farming Excels in Tolerance,Climate Extremes and Counters Greenhouse GasesNew research from the Rodale Institute’s long-running “Farming Systems Trial” providesevidence that organic cropping systems perform better than conventionallymanaged crops during climate extremes, indicating they will be a “valuableresource in an era of climate variability.” Two organic systems (one legume-based andone manure-based) out-yielded the conventional system in 4 out of 5 years of moderatedrought in southeastern Pennsylvania. Though all corn and soybean yields suffered in1999 (with 5 months of severe drought followed by the wettest September on record inthe Northeast), 3 of 4 crop comparisons resulted in significantly better yields in theorganic systems compared to the conventional. Water harvest, important for groundwaterrecharge, was significantly higher over 5 years, with 16% and 25% more waterretained for crop use in the organic systems.Additionally, the world’s longest running study of organic farming (1981-2002) hasdocumented that organic soils actually clean the atmosphere of global warming gasesby capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and converting it into soil material (carbonsequestration). This is the first study to differentiate organic farming techniques fromconventional agricultural practices for their ability to serve as carbon “sinks.” While carbonhelps stimulate plant growth, scientists estimate carbon dioxide may be responsiblefor more than 80% of global warming. In the organic systems, soil carbon increased15% to 28%.The report appeared in the American Journal of Alternative Agriculture (Vol. 18, No.3, 2003); for more information, contact co-author Rita Seidel, rita.seidel@rodaleinst.org.A complete analysis of the report can be viewed at www.newfarm.org/depts/NFfield_trials/1103/droughtresearch.shtmlWinter 2003–2004 Page 9
Page 1 and 2: California Certified Organic Farmer
Page 3: Anna Alexis Dery was born onOctober
Page 6 and 7: Heffernan believe that although the
Page 8 and 9: estrictions on corporate involvemen
Page 12 and 13: MEMBERSFROM R U BBERB O OTS TOS C H
Page 15 and 16: PROGRAMSNRCS &ORGANIC FARMERSBy Jes
Page 17 and 18: VValley Center is the avocado capit
Page 19 and 20: what it’s supposed to, but at som
Page 21 and 22: EDUCATIONPhoto courtesy of Life Lab
Page 23 and 24: occur (e.g., rose mosaic). Parasiti
Page 25 and 26: public and conventional farmers on
Page 27: health, environmental and economic
Page 31 and 32: American Farmland Trust and the Uni
Page 33 and 34: iotech foods were introduced, the i
Page 35 and 36: CCOF in order to verify compliance,
Page 37 and 38: the food processing or handling fac
Page 40 and 41: NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARDREP
Page 42 and 43: BRAND NAME OF PRODUCT SUPPLIER GENE
Page 45 and 46: CCOF CERTIFIED OPERATIONSAUGUST 16
Page 47 and 48: CALENDARJ ANUARY 21-24Ecological Fa

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