LAKE COUNTY ? A new organic committee was approved last month by the Lake County Farm Bureau. The five-member committee has had two meetings and has a growing membership of 15 organic farmers so far, according to new Lake County Farm Bureau Organic Committee chairman Lars Crail, a long-time organic pear farmer and a Lake County Farm Bureau board member.
The largest group of organically-grown crops in the county are walnuts, followed by winegrapes and pears.
“With the growing interest in organic production and food, many of us felt that it was time to establish a method for interested parties to share and discuss ideas,” Crail said.
The committee aims to “start a network of growers that are certified right now, and is open to people that want to become certified organic. It”s also open to consumers,” Crail said.
He said many area restaurant owners are interested in serving locally-grown, organic foods and can join the group.
A peripheral goal of the committee is education. “Most people who say that organic pear farming is impossible are conventional growers. When you change, you have to change your mindset. It”s not any harder, it”s just a different way of thinking about how to farm ? I spray less than my conventional counterparts. It”s all about timing and understanding the biological aspects [of farming]. My fruit is the same quality or better than what they have.”
When pears are sorted in area packing sheds, they are placed into categories depending on quality and appearance. Frost and pest damage can mean a pear is considered lower quality. Organic pears are held to the same standards when sorted.
Having a committee for organic farming also ties into the genetically engineered (GE) crop discussions that have recently gained momentum among area farmers and the county Board of Supervisors, Crail said.
Cross pollination of genetically engineered crops with organic crops is worrisome to organic farmers. The phenomenon can occur to grapes, pears and other area crops when seeds from genetically engineered crops drift into organic farms, or genetically engineered crops cross pollinate. The latter isn”t common in area pear orchards, which mostly self-pollinate, Crail said.
An organic farmer”s certificate won”t get pulled if contamination occurs, but it will mean buyers won”t consider the crop organic, Crail said.
“If you knowingly try to sell the crop at that point and claim it”s organic, I would say that is unethical.”
Monday evening, the Lake County Farm Bureau discussed genetically engineered crops on its agenda for the first time since the topic became widely talked about.
Crail said although the Lake County Farm Bureau has remained in agreement with the state Farm Bureau”s pro-GE stance, it is not unheard of for an area farm bureau to form a different position, “but there is a lot of pressure being put on smaller bureaus.”
He and another Farm Bureau board member are on the endorsement list for responsible agriculture. “That right there is proof that two board members are saying that restrictions ought to be put on GE crops.”
The new Lake County Farm Bureau Organic Committee meets the first Friday of each month from 1:00-2:00 p.m. at the back patio of Studebaker”s Caf? in Kelseyville.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
