Why Certify?

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Why  Certified Organic?  A few folks have been curious why we decided to get  our produce certified organic and it's a great question I'll try to  tackle here.  We sell all our farm products directly to you, our  customers, which means we're available to answer any questions you have  about our farming practices.  We've been at the Charlotte Farmers'  Market for over 15 years and had a CSA program in Asheville and Rutherford  County for 13 years and hope that we've earned your trust in regards  to the health of the food we produce and our care for the land.  Why go  through the hassle of paperwork and inspections required for  certification?  There are two main reasons: 

1.  "Certified Organic" is a  term that most people are familiar with and its standards are verified  by a third party.  There are a lot of other terms used at the farmers'  market to describe various growing practices, like "no spray",  "natural", and "pesticide free", but these claims mean different things  to different people, and no one is checking to make sure the farmers is upholding their claims.  "Certified Organic" requires that a farm follows  the written National Organic Program rules and opens their farm to inspections.   This takes out a lot of the  guess work for market goers.

2.   Organic products have become a big industry, but the initial push for  an organic certification process came from small, organic farmers in the  1960s and 70s.  We believe that in order to maintain the spirit and  high standards of "Organic" there need to be a lot more small farmers  getting certified and providing input to the Organic Standards Board.   There are so many farmers like us who are inspired to farm, not for the  big business potential, but for the ideals of stewardship, health,  biodiversity and productivity.  

    In response to the USDA beginning to cave to corporate lobbyists and watering down the rules of the National Organic Program, we  joined a grassroots movement of farmers and consumers at the Real Organic Project  and became Real Organic Certified in 2020.  You can join, too!  Find out how you can be a part of this incredible movement of farmers and eaters.