KUFM Commentary- August 2008

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My Farm, Most Likely, Will Never Be Certified Anything
AERO Commentary by Pam Gerwe
Aired August 21, 2008 on Montana Public Radio

Certified organic, naturally grown, local, sustainable, without herbicides, pesticides, artificial fertilizers, no antibiotics, hormone free, GMO free, cruelty free, cage free, free range, range fed, grass fed, eco-friendly, predator friendly, AAAAghhhh!!!

On and on the list grows. As more people start paying attention to their food, more labels, names, and certifications will become available to encompass just about any growing or food processing practice out there.

This certification question/debate is really best as a discussion, a discussion over a whole weekend, with lots of breaks for delicious food. (People who talk a lot about food like to eat really well.) Included in the discussion would be farmers, eaters, certifiers, grocers and chefs. Each person would offer an important perspective, each with a particular nuance reflecting the view from where they stand.

But, this is not the format we are using right now. The perspective you are getting is just mine. One farmer. One farmer who thinks eating should be simple, but believes eating is one of our most political acts. One farmer who believes her life work is gathering community around the food system with the goal of changing it. One farmer who thinks any certification will have loopholes that industrial agriculture will spend lots of money and time trying to get through.

Earlier this year I had a friend who is a certified organic farmer bemoan the fact that most people thought my farm was certified organic. She commented that I was riding the shirt tails of people who are certified. Just for clarity people: Purple Frog Gardens is NOT certified organic and we never use the “o” word when describing ourselves. We, most likely, will never be certified anything. If we are riding on any shirt tales, it’s the shirt tales of the farm families who have produced food for generations. It’s the shirt tales of the family who protected our land from development and eventually sold it to us at an affordable rate. It’s the shirt tales of the people who inspired me to believe in myself enough so I could become a first generation farmer.

I came to farming as a young woman trying to create a life where I could live much of it outside. I came to farming as an idealist, interested in earning an honest living that helped people and didn’t do too much damage to the planet. I came to farming with a somewhat naïve perspective and respect for all who farmed.
I have lost much of my naivety (farming is NOT a la de da stroll in the garden. It is physically demanding, somewhat brutal, relentless, hard work.) My respect for farmers and farming has never wavered and only grown. Again and again farmers prove their generosity, their love of the land and their community. In our valley, land prices have skyrocketed. Our Flathead farmers could easily sell their land, or a portion of it, and retire wherever they want, but many keep farming; some have even placed conservation easements on their land so future generations are guaranteed a working landscape. These farmers keep growing grains, raising cows, growing hay. Too few raise fruits and vegetables, but some do. They all hold a special, important place in our landscape and our lives.

My farm, most likely, will never be certified anything because I am incredibly fortunate to sell all the food I grow within 20 miles of my home. I know many of the people who eat the food I grow. I have seen babies, grow into toddlers, grow into children, grow into teens soon to be adults all while eating our food.

My farm, most likely, will never be certified anything because I think buying LOCAL is the most important issue facing our food system. If I have the choice to buy a conventional apple grown on Flathead Lake or an organic apple grown in New Zealand, I am all about the conventional local apple. I would take longer to wash it, but it would satiate me. This LOCAL apple would help build my community’s food system. It could, perhaps, be THE apple to convince one more American farmer that their work is valued. It could be THE apple that convinces a farmer not to sell their real estate to someone who will rip out the fruit trees, build a huge house and never feed anyone.

My farm, most likely, will never be certified anything because I encourage eaters to learn how to ask appropriate questions of the people who grow their food. I encourage eaters to forge a relationship with their farmers, and not to simply trust an outside entity to rubber stamp how the food was grown. I encourage eaters to tour a farm to try to begin to understand the complexity of the simple act of growing food.

On Sept. 6 at 2pm, AERO and FarmHands are sponsoring a tour of my farm. I would like to encourage anyone interested to come. A tour can begin to tell the story of how chickens, compost, worms, crop rotations, and cover crops have helped to eek our farm out of rocky clay soil. A tour can begin to tell the story of our diversified family market farm and our love of our land far better than the two not so simple words “certified organic.” Reservations for the tour are required, please call 406-862-0621 for more information or go to the AERO website.

I am Pam Gerwe for the Alternative Energy Resources Organization. My commentary is one of the many conversations we’re having at AERO. AERO is a grassroots membership organization that’s been building communities by linking people with sustainable agriculture and energy solutions for 35 years. To join the
conversation and become part of the solution, call us in Helena at (406) 443-7272.