How we grow: Certified Naturally Grown organic practices to sustain human and environmental health
We grow food - an essential element for life. What we put into growing this must be safe for people and the environment. It's that simple.
We follow organic growing standards, and are currently Certified Naturally Grown. CNG is a grass-roots alternative to USDA Certified Organic that is more appropriate for small-scale local growers who have relationships with local customers. We have learned a lot from the other regional growers who are in the CNG program and inspect our farm on an annual basis. The CNG program is based in information exchange, learning, trust, and commitment.
We ensure that all of our practices are consistent with requirements we would be under if we applied for USDA Certified Organic certification, which is a certification most useful to growers who are selling large-scale wholesale, vs. small farms like ours.
We are happy to talk with you about our practices. If you have questions about our practices, please come out to the farm or call us up to ask us.
Here are just a few of the organic practices that we employ to grow your food:
We follow organic growing standards, and are currently Certified Naturally Grown. CNG is a grass-roots alternative to USDA Certified Organic that is more appropriate for small-scale local growers who have relationships with local customers. We have learned a lot from the other regional growers who are in the CNG program and inspect our farm on an annual basis. The CNG program is based in information exchange, learning, trust, and commitment.
We ensure that all of our practices are consistent with requirements we would be under if we applied for USDA Certified Organic certification, which is a certification most useful to growers who are selling large-scale wholesale, vs. small farms like ours.
We are happy to talk with you about our practices. If you have questions about our practices, please come out to the farm or call us up to ask us.
Here are just a few of the organic practices that we employ to grow your food:
- We keep down pest and diseases by rotating crops, removing crop residue from fields, and using drip irrigation to manage moisture. When absolutely necessary to control pests, we only use products that are certified organic, made from natural materials such as flower extracts. We don't use synthetic chemical pesticides that could harm humans, wildlife, or soil microbes.
- We use fertilizers made entirely of natural materials such as composted manure, and rock powders, or kelp. We don't use chemical fertilizers derived using petroleum products.
- We use cover crops to build soil structure, add organic matter, suppress weeds, and prevent soil erosion.
- We use absolutely no herbicides and manage weeds using tools, bed cover, and muscle power.
- We only use non-GMO seed and untreated seed. We also only use certified organic seed if it is available.
