Following message from Harriet Behar, herself an owner/operator of a certified organic farm, and staff at MOSES. -s.
Hello all,
I was forwarded the discussion about becoming organic by Sue Raker. I have a few additions to her comments. The organic community asked the USDA to become involved since without a clear nationwide standard, the word of organic was open to abuse in the marketplace, the same way we see abuse of the word natural or sustainable. In order to truly gain consumer confidence, we needed one standard and accompanying enforcement. In recognition that farmers with lower incomes would find the cost of certification prohibitive, and therefore not be able to access the organic marketplace, the USDA distributes money to the states for "cost share" on the cost of certification. I believe MOFFA is helping to distribute this money in Michigan, but perhaps someone from Michigan can verify this for me.
A farmer can receive 3/4 of the cost of certification back once they are certified, a maximum of $750. Lastly, being an organic farmer, or any type of farmer, is a lifelong learning experience, and organic certification encourages continual improvement. This benefits the farmer, the consumer and the environment that we all share. The list of allowed synthetic inputs in organic is very small in compared to what is used in conventional agriculture, with all approved items going through a rigorous review before being allowed. The criteria includes affect on the environment, humans, animals and wildlife in the manufacture, use and disposal of the product. A synthetic is typically not allowed if there is an alternative natural product or method that deals with the issue.
The Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) has lots of free resources on our website www.mosesorganic.org, and you can even signup to receive a free subscription to our bimonthly newsletter The Organic Broadcaster focused on organic production and policy issues on our website. I staff a tollfree organic info line 888-551-4769, and answer questions during business hours. Feel free to get in touch.
Harriet
If you would like to access a searchable archive of the all the previous Mich-Organic listserv postings copy this URL and paste in your browser address field http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html
