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Did you bug our house?  My husband and I have been discussing this issue at length for the last month.  We are full time farmers and have run into this issue head on this season at our farmers market.  Farmers that sell product that they didn't grow whether it be vegetables, fruit, meat, or anything else should have to clearly label all product that they did not grow themselves.  The profit margin is slim on most of our product, because our production costs are huge.  The small family farm that most market shoppers want to support is a completely different ball of wax  from someone who buys food wholesale and then resells it.  The prices we charge are very fair for what it costs us to get that product to market.  The vendors that sell product they didn't grow have an incredible advantage because they don't take on any of the costs of production.  I think a good way to help solve this problem is not to put all the burden on market staff, as they are all working very hard to keep the market running and don't have the ability to do site visits at every farm, but for customers to ask more questions of the vendors.  

posted 3 years ago
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ENOUGH ALREADY!

All of us have a right to farm our land, but we don't have a right to let our farming practices recklessly spill over our fence lines.  Why is an organic grower's right to keep their crop GMO free or pesticide free take a back seat to what conventional growers want?  We already have to give up part of our land to keep buffer zones (15 feet) from our conventional neighbors, we have to pay money to be certified organic, we have to constantly prove that what we do doesn't violate any rules.  A conventional farmer growing sugar beet seed, GMO field corn, etc. doesn't have to prove their pollen isn't contaminating crops in neighboring fields.  They don't have to prove that they didn't spray pesticides or herbicides over their property line.  The system is backwards.  Growers of GMO crops should shoulder the burden of proving that they have not contaminated neighboring crops whether they are organic or not.

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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