thought for the day: organic = sustainable
what customers are saying: I left Countryside for cheaper, "All-Natural" feed. When my customers started COMPLAINING about the taste of my eggs I came back to Countryside!
— Better Feed Makes Better Eggs, Better Eggs Make Happier Customers
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By Bill, on February 28th, 2013 This looks to be a great FUTURE HARVEST event:
Thursday, April 4, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
 Calvert’s Gift Farm – Sparks, MD
Future Harvest CASA Members $10; Nonmembers $20
Jack and Beckie Gurley of Calvert’s Gift Farm have 17 years of experience growing certified organic vegetables. They have used unheated high tunnels for 12 years to extend their growing season, taking weather out of the equation in early spring, which allows them to offer a fuller CSA box and have a greater variety of vegetables at farmers’ markets at the beginning of the season. Using three high tunnels, the largest of which is 96′ x 30′, the Gurleys conservatively estimate they have seen a bottom-line boost of some $10k per year since using these tunnels.
The farm tour and discussion will cover topics including soil, irrigation, temperature, crop selection, high tunnel rotations, harvest methods and overall production techniques. Visit www.futureharvestcasa.org/events to register (step-by-step online registration instructions are also online), or call 410-549-7878.
Attendance is limited so advance registration by April 2 is required for this event!
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By Bill, on February 21st, 2013 We’ll be at the Georgia Organics Conference February 22 & 23. Come see us and join the fun, education and positive energy. Here is all the info.
By Bill, on February 14th, 2013 Kevin will be there. Countryside Organics is a proud sponsor. Here is our message:
We buy certified organic grains.
Here is the link.
If you see Kevin please give him a little wink just to make sure he wonders what is going on.
By Bill, on February 14th, 2013 What is an Herbal Ley?
An Herbal Ley is a foraging mix comprised of multiple grasses, herbs and clovers. It should produce a well-balanced forage that reduces fertilizer inputs and provide increased levels of vitamins and minerals to livestock. Additionally, it should build and restore soil fertility. The higher initial cost of Herbal Leys are offset by improved animal performance, reduced fertilizer inputs and reduced supplementary feed input.
Seed Ingredients
Berseem Clover, Yellow Clover, VNS Alfalfa, Multileaf Alfalfa, Austrian Winter Peas, Sainfoin, White Dutch Clover, Ground Hog Radish, Small Burnet, Hairy Vetch, Bonar Forage Rape, Dwarf Essex Rape, Forage Chicory, Tonic Plantain, Medium Red Clover, Buckwheat
Application Instructions
Broadcast spread at rate of #5 – #7 per acre. Optionally add grass seed mix and/or fertilizer to increase broadcast efficiency.
By Bill, on February 13th, 2013 It used to be that there was more of a seasonal variation in this business. There used to be more of a winter, more of a space between fall harvest and spring restart. It’s still there, still noticeable, but things have leveled out more as more folks go deeper into winter with hardiness zone expanding high tunnels and earlier into spring with the same early-season-productive high tunnels. Winter barely has a chance. Especially against high tunnels.
Things are very busy here. The mill is cranking and continually growing. A little tweak here with a new digital scale and conveyor to move bags off the line quicker. Little tweaks there and there with what seems like a constant addition of storage. We still don’t have a soy bin though, just to be sure.
We are increasing our efforts to find more local growers of certified organic grains. If you have certified organic grains please contact us, we are interested in buying your certified organic grains. That still doesn’t mean soy. We are still soy-free. If you are considering putting acreage into organic production we may be able to offer meaningful advice, so don’t hesitate to call us at 888-699-7088 or email to info@countrysideorganics.com.
Kevin is going down to the Carolina Farm Stewardship’s Organic Commodities and Livestock Conference on Friday, February 15, to look for more certified organic grain. See him there.
And a little update wouldn’t be complete without something non-GMO. Here is a report from the Center for Food Safety and Save Our Seeds entitled, “Seed Giants vs. U.S. Farmers.”
By Bill, on February 5th, 2013 The Harvest Table Restaurant in Meadowview, VA is currently accepting applications for the position of farm manager for The Harvest Table Farm. This is a salaried and full- time position, and requires that the person occupy the residence at the farm. The position has three primary responsibility categories. First, to operate the 3-acre sustainable farm to grow produce in coordination for the needs of the Harvest Table Restaurant. Second, to coordinate and help organize tours of the farm. The Harvest Table Farm is designed not only to supply our restaurant with produce, but the facility also operates as a demonstration farm, serving an education and visitation role in our community. Third, the farm hosts WWOOFers and interns on a seasonal basis, and short-term day volunteers, and the farm manager would be responsible for supervision of these workers.
More information available here…
By Bill, on February 5th, 2013 When you buy Certified Organic products you know that there are no GMO’s in the product. Why? Because products that are Certified Organic under USDA standards do not allow Genetically Modified ingredients. Period. When you see the Certified Organic label you know that there are no GMO’s in the product.
What else does Certified Organic mean? It means a lot more than Non-GMO. It means NO synthetic, chemical fertilizers. No toxic, synthetic pesticides or herbicides. No radiation. No sludge. Certified organic growers must also show that they are improving their soil.
What else? No antibiotics, growth hormones and anti-parasitic drugs. Organic farming promotes diversity and ecological systems. Organic farming nurtures the soil instead of killing it with multi-cation chelators like the active ingredient in Round-Up™, glyphosate. Glyphosate kills everything in the soil, including the bacteria and fungi that symbiotically aid the growing plant by helping to deliver nutrients to the root system. That’s why conventional farming requires excessive applications of synthetic fertilizers, because the soil biota has been attacked, diminished, and weakened.
When you encounter a product promoted as “Non-GMO,” ask whether it is Certified Organic. If it isn’t, you should ask, “why not?” There is a good chance that the “Non-GMO” product has been raised using conventional pesticides, herbicides, synthetic chemical fertilizers and other products that damage the soil, the environment, you and your animals. If you are concerned about Genetically modified organisms and the whole issue of transgenics, and you should be, buy organic.
Here is a great top ten reasons to buy organic from CCOF
By Bill, on January 10th, 2013 It’s right around the corner. This Friday and Saturday. Mark your calendar. Set aside a day to explore what is new and good and happening in Biological Farming. Check out the speakers, activities and cool out of town visitors, here: http://vabf.org/conference/conference-2013/
By Bill, on January 7th, 2013
Farmers to Attend January 10th US Court of Appeals Oral Argument in Appeal of DismissalOSGATA et al v. Monsanto; 10am Citizen’s Assembly for Family Farmers to Follow
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 4, 2013 - Dozens of family farmers, Plaintiffs in the landmark lawsuit Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al v. Monsanto,will travel from across America to Washington, D.C. next week to take on Monsanto and demand the right to farm. They will attend the January 10th Oral Argument in the Appeal of Dismissal to be aired before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. A Citizen’s Assembly in support of family farmers at 10am in Lafayette Square will coincide with the beginning of the Oral Argument inside the court room.
“Our farmers want nothing to do with Monsanto,” declared Maine certified organic seed farmer, Jim Gerritsen, President of lead Plaintiff Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association. “We are not customers of Monsanto. We don’t want their seed. We don’t want their gene-spliced technology. We don’t want their trespass onto our farms. We don’t want their contamination of our crops. We don’t want to have to defend ourselves from aggressive assertions of patent infringement because Monsanto refuses to keep their pollution on their side of the fence. We want justice.”
Many farmers have been forced to stop growing certain crops to avoid genetic contamination and potential lawsuits from Monsanto. This case challenges the validity of Monsanto’s genetically engineered seed patents and seeks Court protection for family farmers who, through no fault of their own, may have become contaminated by Monsanto’s patented seed and find themselves accused of patent infringement.
Monsanto filed 144 lawsuits against America’s family farmers and settled another 700 out of court between 1997 and 2010. These aggressive lawsuits have created an atmosphere of fear in rural America and driven dozens of farmers into bankruptcy.
“The District Court erred when it denied the organic seed plaintiffs the right to seek protection from Monsanto’s patents,” said attorney Dan Ravicher of the not-for-profit Public Patent Foundation ”At the oral argument on January 10, we will explain to the Court of Appeals the District Court’s errors and why the case should be reinstated.”
A Citizen’s Assembly In Support of Family Farmers is scheduled for 10am in Lafayette Square on Thursday, January 10. Family farmers, their lawyers, and supporters will join after the hearing to explain why they traveled thousands of miles to protect their farms and communities.
“Farmers have planted and saved seeds for more than 10,000 years without interruption until Monsanto’s genetically engineered seeds entered the market in 1996. Almost immediately Monsanto began a campaign of harassment against America’s farmers, trespassing on their land and launching frivolous patent infringement lawsuits,” said Dave Murphy, founder and executive director of Food Democracy Now!. “It’s time to end Monsanto’s campaign of fear against America’s farmers and stand up for farmers’ right to grow our food without legal threats and intimidation.”
The lawsuit was originally filed in March 2011 by a large group of 83 Plaintiffs, which included individual family farmers, independent seed companies and farm organizations, whose memberships total over 300,000 individuals. The case was dismissed in February 2012 by Federal Judge Naomi Buchwald who ruled that the farmers lacked standing.
Lawyers from the Public Patent Foundation representing the farmers have identified numerous reversible legal and factual errors committed by the judge, which they assert caused her to mistakenly dismiss the case and have filed a powerful appeal brief with the court. Amici briefs in support of the Plaintiffs have been filed by a group of eleven prominent law professors and by a group of fourteen non-profit agricultural and consumer organizations.
OSGATA has established a Farmer Travel Fund to provide travel assistance to Plaintiff farmers for the case. Donations can be made here.
A high resolution photo of attorney Dan Ravicher is available here.
A high resolution photo of farmer Jim Gerritsen is available here.
Complete background on the OSGATA et al v. Monsanto lawsuit is available here.
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About OSGATA: The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association is a not-for-profit agricultural organization made up of organic farmers, seed growers, seed businesses and supporters. OSGATA is committed to developing and protecting organic seed and it’s growers in order to ensure the organic community has access to excellent quality organic seed free of contaminants and adapted to the diverse needs of local organic agriculture. www.osgata.org
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By Bill, on January 3rd, 2013 Here at Countryside Organics, we continue to grow. The demand for organics continues to grow. If you are considering growing organically or biodynamically for market sale consider that the conversion of agricultural land to organic is not keeping up with the increase in demand. Opportunities abound. We are always looking for local sources of grains. If you are producing certified organic corn, oats, high-protein wheat, barley or field peas in the Central Atlantic area please give us a call, we could be your buyer.
People want healthy, non-toxic, non-genetically modified food that is grown in healthy, rich soils in a sustainable way. It’s simple. The simple message is spreading. Keep up the good work spreading the news.
At the other end of the spectrum the biotech industry is finding it increasingly difficult to communicate their industrial products as natural and simple. Here is an interesting article detailing some of 2012′s non-trivial biotech problems.
Thanks for going organic. Have a great day!
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what customers are saying: I would just like to say that I am extremely satisfied with the
quality of your soy-free organic chicken feeds. My laying hens have been raised on it since birth and are now healthy and productive. I know that what I am feeding them is good for the Earth, good for the chickens, and good for myself, and free from herbicides, pesticides, and the hormones in soy. Everyone who has tried my eggs has commented on how much better they taste than supermarket eggs. Plus, the feed is always shipped fast so I can order a new bag a few days before I run out and have the new feed on time.
— Max Z., Massachusetts
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