California Certified Organic Farmers

Want to buy organic carrots? No problem. Organic strawberries? Widely available. Organic honey? Try your local grocery store. But organic medical marijuana? Doesn't exist — at least not in an official sense. Organic crops and products are certified by private agencies through the U.S. Department of Agriculture — a program developed after decades of advocacy by organic farmers and their allies. Pot — medicinal or otherwise — need not apply. "What the USDA doesn't recognize as a legal crop, we can't certify because we're certifying to their standards," said Jane Wade, development specialist at Santa Cruz-based California Certified Organic Farmers, the largest organic certification agency in the country.

Want to buy organic carrots? No problem. Organic strawberries? Widely available. Organic honey? Try your local grocery store. But organic medical marijuana? Doesn't exist — at least not in an official sense. Organic crops and products are certified by private agencies through the U.S. Department of Agriculture — a program developed after decades of advocacy by organic farmers and their allies. Pot — medicinal or otherwise — need not apply. "What the USDA doesn't recognize as a legal crop, we can't certify because we're certifying to their standards," said Jane Wade, development specialist at Santa Cruz-based California Certified Organic Farmers, the largest organic certification agency in the country.

Having just gotten back from a few weeks on a farm in France, I found something waiting for me that I had been used to seeing over there. Ken Creason, a Piru citrus grower, sent me something that may look like a humble orange crate label to most folks. It reminded me of an Appellation d'Origine Controlee-- the coveted wine label that French vintners fear losing if they fail to pass regular inspections.

When Laura Avery tried to start an all-organic Saturday farmers market in Santa Monica, she found it impossible to attract enough organic farmers to fill out the lineup. In fact, today, fewer than half of the 27 farmers at the market are organic. "I was completely shocked," she says. "We even made more lenient requirements for our organic growers--they could pool together and have one stand for two other growers instead of one.

Certified organic farmers must avoid synthetically compounded fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, they must rely on crop rotation, composting and aspects of biological pest control to maintain soil fertility. Mined chemicals, such as sulfur, are permitted, as are botanical pesticides. These pesticides may not be safer than synthetically produced ones, but they are usually shorter-lived.

Imagine you're in the supermarket a couple of years from now and about to buy some tomatoes. The best looking ones--big, fire engine red, firm--are a buck a pound. Next to them are some others--same price, smaller, flecked with gold, maybe a soft spot or two. The latter have a "certified organic" stamp. the former, no distinguishing marks.

When Laura Avery tried to start an all-organic Saturday farmers market in Santa Monica, she found it impossible to attract enough organic farmers to fill out the lineup. In fact, today, fewer than half of the 27 farmers at the market are organic. "I was completely shocked," she says. "We even made more lenient requirements for our organic growers--they could pool together and have one stand for two other growers instead of one.

THE OLDEST organic farm in the United States, operated organically since 1906, has long been known for its tasty apricots. That acreage, now the K. B. Hall Ranch, has for two generations supported a summertime roadside fruit stand on Highway 150 between Ojai and Santa Paula. This year, K. B. Hall joined with several of its neighbors, all members of California Certified Organic Farmers, to offer (on weekends only) environmentally conscientious, palate-pleasing fruits and vegetables.

Food that is proclaimed to be "organically grown" will for the first time have to meet national standards under a little-noticed provision of the 1990 farm bill. The provision will reassure both grocers and consumers that what they buy is authentic, said Bob Scowcroft of the California Certified Organic Farmers Assn. "There is more organic rice sold than grown," quipped Russell Parker, purchasing director for Mrs.

1. Most insects are bad news and should be eliminated from the garden in order to preserve plant health. 2. Organic gardening can be less expensive than going the chemical route. 3. When a food package reads "certified organically grown," you can be assured that the food was grown organically. 4. Organic pesticides are all natural and therefore nontoxic and completely safe. 5.

Imagine you're in the supermarket a couple of years from now and about to buy some tomatoes. The best looking ones--big, fire engine red, firm--are a buck a pound. Next to them are some others--same price, smaller, flecked with gold, maybe a soft spot or two. The latter have a "certified organic" stamp. the former, no distinguishing marks.

Having just gotten back from a few weeks on a farm in France, I found something waiting for me that I had been used to seeing over there. Ken Creason, a Piru citrus grower, sent me something that may look like a humble orange crate label to most folks. It reminded me of an Appellation d'Origine Controlee-- the coveted wine label that French vintners fear losing if they fail to pass regular inspections.

Certified organic farmers must avoid synthetically compounded fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, they must rely on crop rotation, composting and aspects of biological pest control to maintain soil fertility. Mined chemicals, such as sulfur, are permitted, as are botanical pesticides. These pesticides may not be safer than synthetically produced ones, but they are usually shorter-lived.

Organically grown is not always more expensive, but it usually is. Instead of pesticides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers, organic farmers rely on crop rotation, composting and other natural methods. These older farming techniques can be more labor-intensive and therefore more costly than the mechanized methods used on many big farms that use chemicals.

Does the growth regulator Alar make apples unsafe to eat? Do a multitude of pesticides on other fruits and vegetables increase your risk of cancer? With each new report about dietary health hazards comes added anxiety for shoppers. To cope, some have switched to "organic" food--and they're going to great lengths to get it.