[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: SMALLFARM-MG> Organic Produce
Lawrence
thank you for bring me back to earth. You are right as usual . Sometime
oppression of the poor makes me mad and I don't want to see even one
organic farmers hurt because he sell organic.
lets look at the NOSB
B. SMALL FARMER EXEMPTION
It can be found at
http://www.cfarm.com/nosb/OrganicCrop/4farmer.htm
I think in this day and age where the gov. has raised the mim. wage scale
that the fact that a . small farm is considered only $5000 is way to small
an amount. CCOF this year raised their min. to $20,000 (still a little to
small in this day of high property tax and water bills ) a step in the
right direction. I think your number is more reasonable. If the Gov
does not want to burden and drive the poorer organic farmers out of
business as Organic growers we should agree that under $35000 should be a
small farm and not charged for growing and selling organic. If you look at
the small farmer exemption this does not mean we do not have to follow the
law it only show that the Gov. understands that life is not easy and people
have to have money to live . the small farmer will still have to file a
.Declaration form and sign it and will have to develop an Organic Farm
and/or Handling Plan,in accordance with the requirements of the OFPA. they
will still have to do record-keeping adequate to trace an organic product
from production site through to sale for consumption. and Records must be
kept for five years.And they must allow The provisions of public access to
the above documents. So the poorer of us can still follow the USDA mandate
and not be burden for doing the good he knows.
Thank you for your voice of reason.
If this figure were raised to $35000 (small farmer) it would protect the
poor man and his family that still want to raise and sell organic food and
satisfy the people that are buying organic food.
At 05:32 PM 9/20/97 -0400, Lawrence F. London, Jr. wrote:
>
>On Sat, 20 Sep 1997, sal wrote:
>
>Certification should be either less expensive and less time consuming for
>the grower or the small grower exemption should be no less than $35,000
>gross annual income. This will _keep_ small organic (natural) growers in
>business and on the landscape. The NOSB should seriously consider upping
>the exemption for the smallest growers. After all, one person, growing
>using manual labor only, can only do so much and make only so much money.
>The current cost of certification is way too expensive.
>
>LL wrote:
>>> I think I'll label my produce Naturally Grown (w/o synthetic pesticides
>>> and fertilizers).
>
>> No sorry I think the USDA owns that word too. I am trying to get a list of
>> all the words we are no longer able to use if we farm organic and don't pay
>> off all these people. But I think that naturally grown w/o synthetic
>> pesticides and fertilizer is a no no and if one of the organic Gestapo hear
>> you saying such things at a farmers market even wispier it (no matter if it
>> is true ) you are in deep do do. If fact you better not let any of your
>> customers in CSA think your grow naturally . You don't understand they own
>> all the words. It is free speech but they own the words . and you thought
>> free speech meet it was going to be free . It is like one of those big
>> business take overs . you know the big fish just eat the small fish and
>> the little fish try to get away. Except this time it is big government
>> just taking over the organic growers and organic growers dont make a move
>> unless you pay the USDA and all the other parasites and now you have to
>> bow down to the golden calf saying "t is you oh Great USDA that is making
>> me organic not God. it is your rules I will follow ,it is your ring I will
>> kiss. salami salami baloney
>
>Sal, that is priceless! Humorous but true.
>I can't believe "they" (USDA?) will disallow use of terms other than
>Organically Grown.
>
>I will use Naturally Grown as I please. If the Organically Grown Gestapo
>(oxymoron), choose to take issue with that. so be it. I've had a
>KKK sign hung on my driveway gate (guess they thought I was one of those
>hippie organic farmers - you know, they take after their patron Uncle
>Adolf & go after minorities & others they can label as "the enemy" w/o
>too much thinking) and I can handle the 'OGG's too.
>
>All in good humor.
>
>Lawrence
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------
> Lawrence F. London, Jr. - InterGarden - Venaura Farm
> mailto:london@sunSITE.unc.edu - mailto:llondon@bellsouth.net
> http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden
> http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden/permaculture.html
>--------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
Follow-Ups:
References: