Organic or Not Organic

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 11:39 am

Rob - Are you organic? or are you uncertified but follow the principles?

PS. Just remembered, so edited my reply - you're with the Wholesome Food Association.

Rob R · Post by **Rob R** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 1:39 pm

We farm the way we do for personal, as well as environmental reasons, rather than a marketing aspect. As it happens it does benefit marketing, because the product is consistently top quality & so sells itself. When we use up our home grown grain we don't buy organic though, we try to buy as close to the farm as possible- traceability & feed miles being as important as 'organics'. It's nice to see the biodiversity flourishing on the farm since synthetic N has been omitted for five years- the plant biodiversity is still there in the soil, it's just that the grasses have smothered out the light & stopped them germinating.

It's also nice to walk through the fields on an evening & be covered in insects, with the contentment of not having given a load of money to ICI or Monsanto.

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 2:10 am

We've been sowing chicory and plaintain in with our grass seed, for the last few years (much to the disgust of the guy sowing it for us :0 ), because it provides for more diversity of species in the fields and the cows are healthier for it. After all, we are constantly being advised to eat a wide variety of fruit and veges, for the good of our health. So why think that cows can manage on only Rye and Clover? ???