I found I couldn't make Sal's remarks much more concise. Almost all his =
statements are poignant and so were left intact.
sal wrote:
> the witch hunt goes on.
>
> this week was dog pile on the organic farmer week for me. On my birthda=
y DEC 8, I get two calls one from CCOF and one from the county both wanti=
ng to inspected me. So I have had two duplicate inspections and audits th=
is week and I pay for them both...I asked the county inspector why won't =
you certify me as you are doing the same thing that CCOF does but the ins=
pector said that CCOF would complain that the state is taking business fr=
om them and both want to bleed the turnip (me)...CCOF pays the state and =
has to registers as a certifier but the state must not trust CCOF because=
the state also charges us and does the same thing the certifier does. th=
e state told me that the law does not say I have to be certified but this=
new fed. law does say I must be certified and are forcing me to do both.=
. Also CCOF hand down their cost to the farmer much like the fed law whe=
re they charge the certifier and the certifier passes the cost down to th=
e farmer. the farmer pays for it all.As you all know
> in Ca. I have 4 groups of folks I have to pay off now to say I am organ=
ic and soon the feds. will be getting their pound of flesh. so it will be=
5. how many pencil pushers will I have to pay off...this kind of makes o=
ne think twice about being a organic grower. they say just raise the pric=
e you charge you customers. I don't want to raise my price I charge my cu=
stomers. I grow organic for my customers and I love my customers and I wa=
nt them to have a lower price and a good organic product not a higher pri=
ce. I think the farmer is paying more than his fair share and I feel the =
fed. law will just add another fee on top of what I am already forced to =
pay...all these other forced fees and paper work just because I grower or=
ganic is wrong.
> I would call the OFPA folly but I don't see any thing funny about it. T=
his is my time and my money they are taking .
Folly is not like the Follies. Folly means counter productive and self d=
efeating, because I'm becoming increasingly convinced that "organic" as a=
marketing tool is rapidly becoming trivialized, a scam who's days are nu=
mbered, due to the effects of OFPA & the control that the act lends to co=
mmercial interests and a few turncoats who are going commercial. I predic=
t there will be MORE ecological consciousness with a wider range a labels=
, some better and some worse, but human initiative for a better way & wor=
ld is not so easily corralled, packaged and sold through one channel. An=
d no act of congress is going to change that.
> Also I would like to ask the folks on this list is it probable that as =
these inspectors go from farm to farm they also carry with them pests and=
virus etc. from the other farms to mine...Could the inspector be carryin=
g say cinnamon root fungus on the soles of there foot from one farm to mi=
ne or worse. So my question is Can all these forced inspections bring pla=
gues to my farm. Can these county inspectors be carrying bugs and weed se=
eds and diseases from one farm to mine ?
Sal is perfectly right! I lived 8 years in North San Diego County, avoca=
do capital of the U.S. (and the world, after Uruapan, Michoacan), and eve=
n then, some 20+ years ago, many large commercial groves were fenced in s=
o not even a dog or coyote (both of whom love avocados) could run through=
it except by going through a gate with a vat filled with poison - anyone=
going in had to stand in that stuff. Sal, make those inspectors take of=
f their shoes - have some rubber boots on hand of your own for them.
> the CCOF inspector just came from a Avocado ranch just before she came =
to my yard and I know I have avocado root fungus and I know it is spread =
by the soles of shoes and that ranch she just came from may have had pers=
imolus mite or the new thrips every one is worried about and she could ha=
ve easily brought those hitchhikers over to my land along with what ever =
weed seeds that got a ride in her clothing. All these walks through and i=
nspections are not a joke .. what do you folks think.?
I think that OFPA, despite the good intentions underlying the efforts of=
most of those contributing to it, is the death march of the organic move=
ment. If the environment and healthy food really matter, the pressure ne=
eds to put on conventional growers, and that means that the cost of conta=
minating MUST be passed on to those who do it, and needlessly so. Why do=
n't legislators legislate to tax agrochemicals and underwrite research fo=
r non contaminating agricultural technology? And how much of that is due =
to the fact that too many sanet readers - who should be among the FIRST t=
o act - are too complacent, busy or afraid to rock a sinking boat? Measu=
res are needed to make organic food MORE competitive in the marketplace, =
not less. Sal complaints are totally justified and I fail to understand =
why more concrete support isn't forthcoming from those who subscribe to t=
his forum. This thing can be turned around but it will take a little mor=
e than I've seen offered so far.
As things stand, the birds will come home to roost within the framework o=
f alternative green labels, until they too get regulated to death. All O=
FPA needed to do was provide a legal definition of acceptable organic met=
hods - it's intrusion in the certification process is already contributin=
g to MORE abuse not less, for honest organic farmers, and most if not all=
of those who so vocally disagree, seem to be connected with marketing an=
d a certain marketing association that has managed to become very well pl=
aced within the new organic bureaucracy. (But then again, it's often sai=
d that barking dogs don't bite).
--Douglas M. Hinds, Director General Centro para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Rural A.C. (CeDeCoR) (Center for Community and Rural Development) - (non profit) Petronilo Lopez No. 73 (Street Address) Apdo. Postal No. 61 (Mailing Address) Cd. Guzman, Jalisco 49000 MEXICO U.S. Voice Mailbox: 1 630 300 0550 (e-mail linked) U.S. Fax Mailbox: 1 630 300 0555 (e-mail linked) Tel. & Fax: 011 523 412 6308 (direct) e-mail: cedecor@ipnet.com.mx, dmhinds@acnet.net, dhinds@ucol.mx
--------------82D43B89FD3A0D92B9B21CC4 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
I found I couldn't make Sal's remarks much more concise. Almost all his statements are poignant and so were left intact.
sal wrote:
the witch hunt goes on.this week was dog pile on the organic farmer week for me. On my birthday DEC 8, I get two calls one from CCOF and one from the county both wanting to inspected me. So I have had two duplicate inspections and audits this week and I pay for them both...I asked the county inspector why won't you certify me as you are doing the same thing that CCOF does but the inspector said that CCOF would complain that the state is taking business from them and both want to bleed the turnip (me)...CCOF pays the state and has to registers as a certifier but the state must not trust CCOF because the state also charges us and does the same thing the certifier does. the state told me that the law does not say I have to be certified but this new fed. law does say I must be certified and are forcing me to do both. . Also CCOF hand down their cost to the farmer much like the fed law where they charge the certifier and the certifier passes the cost down to the farmer. the farmer pays for it all.As you all know in Ca. I have 4 groups of folks I have to pay off now to say I am organic and soon the feds. will be getting their pound of flesh. so it will be 5. how many pencil pushers will I have to pay off...this kind of makes one think twice about being a organic grower. they say just raise the price you charge you customers. I don't want to raise my price I charge my customers. I grow organic for my customers and I love my customers and I want them to have a lower price and a good organic product not a higher price. I think the farmer is paying more than his fair share and I feel the fed. law will just add another fee on top of what I am already forced to pay...all these other forced fees and paper work just because I grower organic is wrong.
I would call the OFPA folly but I don't see any thing funny about it. This is my time and my money they are taking .Folly is not like the Follies. Folly means counter productive and self defeating, because I'm becoming increasingly convinced that "organic" as a marketing tool is rapidly becoming trivialized, a scam who's days are numbered, due to the effects of OFPA & the control that the act lends to commercial interests and a few turncoats who are going commercial. I predict there will be MORE ecological consciousness with a wider range a labels, some better and some worse, but human initiative for a better way & world is not so easily corralled, packaged and sold through one channel. And no act of congress is going to change that.Also I would like to ask the folks on this list is it probable that as these inspectors go from farm to farm they also carry with them pests and virus etc. from the other farms to mine...Could the inspector be carrying say cinnamon root fungus on the soles of there foot from one farm to mine or worse. So my question is Can all these forced inspections bring plagues to my farm. Can these county inspectors be carrying bugs and weed seeds and diseases from one farm to mine ?Sal is perfectly right! I lived 8 years in North San Diego County, avocado capital of the U.S. (and the world, after Uruapan, Michoacan), and even then, some 20+ years ago, many large commercial groves were fenced in so not even a dog or coyote (both of whom love avocados) could run through it except by going through a gate with a vat filled with poison - anyone going in had to stand in that stuff. Sal, make those inspectors take off their shoes - have some rubber boots on hand of your own for them.the CCOF inspector just came from a Avocado ranch just before she came to my yard and I know I have avocado root fungus and I know it is spread by the soles of shoes and that ranch she just came from may have had persimolus mite or the new thrips every one is worried about and she could have easily brought those hitchhikers over to my land along with what ever weed seeds that got a ride in her clothing. All these walks through and inspections are not a joke .. what do you folks think.?I think that OFPA, despite the good intentions underlying the efforts of most of those contributing to it, is the death march of the organic movement. If the environment and healthy food really matter, the pressure needs to put on conventional growers, and that means that the cost of contaminating MUST be passed on to those who do it, and needlessly so. Why don't legislators legislate to tax agrochemicals and underwrite research for non contaminating agricultural technology? And how much of that is due to the fact that too many sanet readers - who should be among the FIRST to act - are too complacent, busy or afraid to rock a sinking boat? Measures are needed to make organic food MORE competitive in the marketplace, not less. Sal complaints are totally justified and I fail to understand why more concrete support isn't forthcoming from those who subscribe to this forum. This thing can be turned around but it will take a little more than I've seen offered so far.As things stand, the birds will come home to roost within the framework of alternative green labels, until they too get regulated to death. All OFPA needed to do was provide a legal definition of acceptable organic methods - it's intrusion in the certification process is already contributing to MORE abuse not less, for honest organic farmers, and most if not all of those who so vocally disagree, seem to be connected with marketing and a certain marketing association that has managed to become very well placed within the new organic bureaucracy. (But then again, it's often said that barking dogs don't bite).
--
Douglas M. Hinds, Director General
Centro para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Rural A.C. (CeDeCoR)
(Center for Community and Rural Development) - (non profit)
Petronilo Lopez No. 73 (Street Address)
Apdo. Postal No. 61 (Mailing Address)
Cd. Guzman, Jalisco 49000 MEXICO
U.S. Voice Mailbox: 1 630 300 0550 (e-mail linked)
U.S. Fax Mailbox: 1 630 300 0555 (e-mail linked)
Tel. & Fax: 011 523 412 6308 (direct)
e-mail: cedecor@ipnet.com.mx, dmhinds@acnet.net, dhinds@ucol.mx --------------82D43B89FD3A0D92B9B21CC4-- To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with "unsubscribe sanet-mg". To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command "subscribe sanet-mg-digest".