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Re: SMALLFARM-MG> Organic Produce
eak was here some months back and we had the same argument. My point
was that organic is organic if it's organic in nature, and not because
some burocracy sets up a definition that may or may not be true to the
legitimate philosophic principal - biological and/or mechanical,
non-toxic means of maintaining a crop free from pests, while feeding the
soil's microfauna and flora that create fertility with organic matter.
I myself feel just as capable as any "more organic than thou", self
styled (or gang labeled) "expert" whose main interest is cashing in on
the now proprietary nature of the definition. This is not to say that I
am personally opposed to work being done through CODEX, ISO 9000 or
other standards, (which in any case, may or may not produce a more
objective or comprehensive definition of what's basic to the field, and
are certainly abstracted, removed from the fact methodologies, which are
time consuming and burocracy perpetuating) . What I am opposed to is
being charged right of passage for choosing a route I may know as well
as any in the standards setting crowd.
In short: Commerce is by nature an event that is consumated between
consenting parties and if there's a willful act of misrepresentation
occurring, I can see a need for legal action to be taken and therefore
a need for a legal defination, structure and procedure surrounding it;
BUT what's happening is parasitic in nature and has nothing to due with
competence or loyal adherence to a natural, evolutionary principal.
There were abuses before certifcation but obligating third party
certification does lend to abuse itself, and state laws that don't
require this (i.e. California's, one of the first) provide a more
equitable solution.
However, the issue here is protect oneself and throw at the parasites
the least possible waste of resources. To that end, since there are
cooperative certifying bodies (made up and operated by their members)
like OCIA which charge much less than certifying agencies that are in
fact profit oriented, I recommend going that route and to hell with the
rest of it, if you've got better things to do.
sal wrote:
>
> At 09:10 AM 9/18/97 -0400, Erorganic@aol.com wrote:
> >eak: Anyone that can not afford $250 per year to create a level playing floor
> >between thousands of farms across the nation selling ag products in direct
> >competition with each other at a premimum price needs to reorganize, either
> >becoming more efficient or find new markets or recognize that the price is
> >part of the cost of doing business. If your sales are under $5000, the farm
> >must be run according to the USDA/National Organic Program, but the farm does
> >not have to be certified. $5000 is sort of the breakeven point of premium
> >equaling cost of certification. 25% premium over conventional about equals
> >$250. If I did not want to pay, I would not use the label "organic".
> >
> > I don't have an extra $250 does that mean I cannot sell organic ?
> >
> >eak: No, If you don't have $250, you are under the $5000 small farm
> >exemption.
> >
> $5000 in sells does not mean I have any money left to pay this organic tax.
> 5000 is not a brake even point it is a bs number. there are costs you
> know. you guys are really heartless I can see that. How is this a level
> playing floor as chemical farmers don't have to pay to farm and organic
> farmers do have to pay. You are going to level the playing floor alright .
> Just another cross a small farmer has to bear thanks to the goverment. That
> is one reason they are on the endangered list.
>
> Now organic growers will not only have to support their family but we get
> to support the families of the USDA pencil pushers and we get to support
> the families of the inspectors and we get to support the certifier and
> etc. I should not say get to as we are forced too if we want to tell
> people the truth. We get to buy them gas ,pay for their hotel rooms and
> even buy them new computers. we get to pay for their bookkeepers and
> office workers. Yep thats is a level playing floor for organic growers
> alright. And for paying all this money you know what we organic growers
> get. Lots more paper work to do ,a search of our land at anytime (don't
> forget to cheek my trash can and under my bed after all thats were organic
> farmers hid that herbicide. ) ,an organic Gestapo that we are paying to
> harass us and much more bs. Why because we don't use USDA approved Poisons
> and we want to tell people about what we are not doing and that you can
> farm organic and people don't need to be eating USDA approved pesticides
> and drinking USDA approved herbicides and we don't have to harm our earth
> to feed folks. yep I really feel you guys are trying to level the playing
> floor. LEVEL is the right word. Organic farmers get the shaft and get to
> pay for all of it. They have taken the word organic away from us and now
> the USDA owns that word organic and natural and ecological and if we
> organic growers use it we have to pay them. yep level playing field
> alright. I knew they could own all the hybrid seed and all the lab made
> gene DNA changed life forms but that they could own our words. Words like
> organic and natural etc . this is a new hight.off wickness. They are
> telling us what we can say and what we can not say. and force us to pay
> them money because of how we live our life. I know you can not call fire
> in a crowded room that is unless there is a fire . I would think you could
> tell people you are organic if you are. Now it is a crime to tell the
> truth. Now USDA control the words these organic farmers were using. The
> ABC you learn in the school to make words is not yours to use as free but
> is owned by the USDA and they will tell us what letters we can use and
> which letters are a no no to put together. [ They have taken our words away
> and no one cares. ] I would say they leveled the playing field. What are
> some of the other words we have to pay the USDA to use. Can we still use
> permaculture if we earned that right or do we have to pay the USDA. What
> about bio-dynamic do we have to pay the USDA to use that word. Can I get a
> list of all the words that I am no longer free to use because I dare to
> grow organic. This is new to me not being about to talk freely about my
> life of living and having to watch the words I use when I tell the truth.
> Thanks for the level playing field. Now when The MAN says jump I am
> suppose to say how high . Thank you for leveling the playing field. They
> are sitting in a room right now thinking about how much to charge us for
> using words that have been ours and free to use for 60000 years. A small
> farmer does not have a chance . Organic growing is big business and they
> only want the big players and small organic farmers have no business
> farming if they can not pay this extra tax for growing organic. Small
> organic farmers why don't they all just fad away. There is nothing like a
> level playing field. Thanks
> If they charge the certifier the certifier pass the cost down to the
> farmer if they charge an inspector it is the farmer that pays. the farmer
> is paying for all this. It is just another way to bleed the turnips.
> More government more taxes made up special for those crooked,lying organic
> growers. I already pay an inspector, I already pay a certifier,I all ready
> pay the state of Ca. this is getting nuts. How many pencil pushers do
> organic farmers have to pay off just because they want to sell organic food
> as organic.
--
Douglas M. Hinds, Director General
Centro para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Rural A.C. (CeDeCoR)
(Center for Community and Rural Development) - (non profit)
Petronilo Lopez No. 73 (Street Address)
Apdo. Postal No. 61 (Mailing Address)
Cd. Guzman, Jalisco 49000 MEXICO
U.S. Voice Mailbox: 1 630 300 0550 (e-mail linked)
U.S. Fax Mailbox: 1 630 300 0555 (e-mail linked)
Tel. & Fax: 011 523 413 5222 (not functioning properly)
Tel. & Fax: 011 523 412 6308 (direct)
e-mail: cedecor@ipnet.com.mx, dmhinds@acnet.net, dhinds@.ucol.mx
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