I’m sorry I didn’t make my point clearer. The certification process, either on a state or federal level, is absurd. I estimated it would take a full time employee and a ten hour per week attorney fee to keep my certification. I raise 6000 # of asparagus per year and have about a hundred hens producing eggs. I just take pictures of the fields and the hens and people stand in line to buy from us.

The meat chickens I raise I sell to oriental and latino markets as live birds (livestock permit only required not a meat permit), they’re happy and so am I.

We cater bbq and events only. Have to buy my meat for events as I can’t serve my own animals.

quote:

Originally posted by BT

quote:

Originally posted by V960

The latest laws on organic certification make it almost impossible for a small farm to qualify. My farm was organic but passed on qualification due to the high expense. I now just tell my customers what we do and let them make their own descision.

My chickens free range but eat my corn and wheat. We don’t have inspectors or chemicals so we don’t qualify.

I’m not a pro, just a customer and observer of the food world, but it seems to me that this is an area where deception is so ripe and some people (not me) feel so strongly that, at least in California, legislation making it ILLEGAL–with significiant penalties–to say you have organic products if they aren’t certified is only a matter of time. But I do think there’s a diference between a resturant and a grocery store. In a store, it is possible to do as the local co-op does and offer various "grades" of organicity, from what V960 offers (essentially a personal warranty by the farmer) to full certification, with a detailed explanation posted above the product so people can choose. All this detail is impossible on a restaurant menu so there I’m betting "organic" will eventually, by law, mean only certified organic and the licensing folks or health inspectors will want to see the certification.

And that will mean more record keeping and paperwork for the small business who doesn’t have a corpoprate department to handle it and less time spent with food and customers.

quote:

Originally posted by V960

The latest laws on organic certification make it almost impossible for a small farm to qualify. My farm was organic but passed on qualification due to the high expense. I now just tell my customers what we do and let them make their own descision.

My chickens free range but eat my corn and wheat. We don’t have inspectors or chemicals so we don’t qualify.

I’m not a pro, just a customer and observer of the food world, but it seems to me that this is an area where deception is so ripe and some people (not me) feel so strongly that, at least in California, legislation making it ILLEGAL–with significiant penalties–to say you have organic products if they aren’t certified is only a matter of time. But I do think there’s a diference between a resturant and a grocery store. In a store, it is possible to do as the local co-op does and offer various "grades" of organicity, from what V960 offers (essentially a personal warranty by the farmer) to full certification, with a detailed explanation posted above the product so people can choose. All this detail is impossible on a restaurant menu so there I’m betting "organic" will eventually, by law, mean only certified organic and the licensing folks or health inspectors will want to see the certification.

here’s how it’s done here. I don’t think it’s a big crime problem.
http://www.tilth.org/

The latest laws on organic certification make it almost impossible for a small farm to qualify. My farm was organic but passed on qualification due to the high expense. I now just tell my customers what we do and let them make their own descision.

My chickens free range but eat my corn and wheat. We don’t have inspectors or chemicals so we don’t qualify.

i dont blame you for not wanting to do business with dishonest people.
however, that may limit your business to maybe one or two preachers in Utah. oh, and the first grader selling lemonade, but that one would be doubtful(did she really squeeze it herself?).
i guess the best thing is to know in advance someone is going to tell fibs, and to use that to your advantage. thats better than wondering wether or not the guy is lying…..
if you want to eat organic, grow it yourself.
if you want to eat good food, come see me……i will only tell a few lies.,.lol

legal or no—its WRONG! My mom called that "lying" Personally i make a point of not doing budiness with folks after i find that they lie to me—whether its a restaurant-a car salesman-the guy at radio shack that sold us the cell phone with the "extras’ or the salesman at the shop that sold us a computer promising $50 a month payments knowing full well he didnt get to deide that so our first bill daid $75—they got their computer back—we spent our 2000 elsewhere.

Right? Heck no. But most restaurants lie on their menus in some way — and while most of us here will say "That’s wrong" I bet almost every menu includes at least an exaggeration. As far as the legality, it really is all about how it’s phrased.