Organic : It’s Not Easy Growing Green

When Laura Avery tried to start an all-organic Saturday farmers market in Santa Monica, she found it impossible to attract enough organic farmers to fill out the lineup. In fact, today, fewer than half of the 27 farmers at the market are organic.

“I was completely shocked,” she says. “We even made more lenient requirements for our organic growers--they could pool together and have one stand for two other growers instead of one. I thought maybe we could get mini-organic co-ops starting where several could share a truck on Saturdays, but we just couldn’t.”

Her experience is not unusual. There are even fewer organic farmers at the huge Wednesday Santa Monica market. In fact, of 39 certified farmers markets operating on a weekly basis in Southern California, only one-third offer any organic produce whatsoever--and even then there are rarely more than one or two organic growers.

Not only is organic farming more labor-intensive and more begrudging in its yield of fruits and vegetables, there is also a cumbersome, expensive and time-consuming paperwork process--a peculiar blend of state, federal and private regulation--that farmers must follow to call themselves organic.

Before 1990, attempts to define what was organic farming and who was doing it were largely symbolic. Rodale Press, publishers of Prevention and Organic Farming magazines, began an early certification process for organic growers that in 1973 evolved into the California Certified Organic Farmers organization.

CCOF set up a stringent certification process that requires, among other things, that farmers practice at least three years of abstinence from prohibited pesticides and fertilizers. To pass the certification, a farm must go through a rigorous series of farm inspections, soil analyses and audits of chemical purchases. Even after being certified, every farmer is inspected annually to ensure continued compliance. Still, at the time there was little enforcement. If a farmer was caught cheating, he could be kicked out of the organization but there was no other punishment. And if he wanted to call himself organic without belonging to the organization, there was nothing to stop him.

In 1979, the state recognized organic farming by adopting a revision to the California Health and Safety Code that established the state’s definition for organic--similar to, but somewhat more lenient than CCOF’s. Again, there was little or no enforcement.

The big change came in 1990, when the state passed the California Organic Foods Act, a more stringent law requiring organic farmers to register with the state Department of Food and Agriculture, attesting that they had not used any prohibited chemical pesticides or fertilizers for one year. Still, there is no preliminary inspection or initial verification process--in essence, the state takes the farmer’s word for whatever he claims (though if a complaint is brought, the state will investigate and can issue fines and even bring criminal complaints). Farmers who follow this course are called “registered organic” as opposed to the CCOF’s “certified organic” designation.

Of course, all this costs money, and that angers the farmers. The CCOF assesses an annual membership fee on certified farmers of $75 to $225, depending on the size of the farm, a $125 application fee and an assessment of one-half of 1% of gross sales to cover the cost of inspection. Registration fees for the state program range from $25 to $2,000. For the average family farmer who is certified organic, costs can easily run in excess of $1,000, in addition to countless hours of paperwork.

Currently, approximately 60% of registered organic farmers are also certified, but even that is in the process of being changed. According to a federal law passed as a rider to last year’s Farm Bill, as of October, all farmers registered as organic will also have to be certified by the CCOF or another certification organization. And they will have to adhere to the tougher three-year minimum abstinence. But, at least for this year, there is no money to enforce this part of the bill.

Paul Branum, organic program manager of the Department of Food and Agriculture in Sacramento, says his staff will focus on catching those who are violating the practice of organic agriculture rather than those who are failing to fulfill the paperwork requirements.

“We have enough money to investigate complaints, but we won’t have enough money to go out and make sure everyone gets certified,” he says. “I’m not knocking certification organizations; we need them. But I can get a driver’s license and that doesn’t mean I’m going to obey all the traffic laws.”

In fact, the Department of Food and Agriculture is currently investigating 27 complaints of violations of the organic code. They are nearing completion of seven, with two expected to draw fines in excess of $10,000 each. Both of the big cases, Branum says, are against certified growers.

Some argue that there is a shadow population of farmers who follow organic practices but don’t choose to use the label “organic” because of the cost and difficulty involved with the certification and registration process. Of course, at the same time, they are avoiding any supervision that would ensure they were farming the way they claim. To avoid using the word organic , they’ll advertise that their produce is chemical-free, pesticide-free or spray-free.

“All these guys who for all these years have been in CCOF and have been doing good jobs, now they have to register with the county ag commission to use the word organic and they wonder why they have to do that,” says Avery. “What’s happening is a lot of people are looking at having to pay CCOF and then pay the state, and they’re saying they just can’t afford it.”

Even those farmers who are certified as organic are uncertain of its value.

Mary Ann Carpenter, who, with her husband, Paul, farms row crops on 15 acres near Camarillo, has been certified organic for three years. But she wavers when asked whether she’ll continue.

“At this point I’m planning on staying with CCOF, but I’m waiting to see how enforcement is going to be carried out after October,” she says. “We became certified so our customers could be assured that what they’re purchasing is organically grown produce. When you have an independent agency verifying organic status, that gives the customer more of a guarantee that what they’re buying is organically grown.

“For us, it’s going that extra mile. But there is a lot of paperwork and a lot of expense involved. Right now I don’t regret the extra hassle because we have a real loyal following who appreciate what we go through.

“But quite honestly, I resent people who are registered as organic but aren’t certified. There is no verification process and they’re riding on our coattails.”

Where to Shop

These Southland farmers markets have certified organic growers: * Costa Mesa: County Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. * Hollywood: Ivar Avenue between Selma Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. * Huntington Beach: Main Street and Orange Avenue. Friday, 2 to 6 p.m. * North Long Beach: Dooley’s parking lot, Del Amo Boulevard, west of Long Beach Boulevard. Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon. * Monrovia: Library Park at Myrtle and Lime avenues. Friday, 5 to 9 p.m. * Ojai: 236 W. Ojai Ave. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. * Pomona: Pearl Street at North Garey Avenue. Saturday, 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. * San Pedro: Third Street between Mesa and Centre streets. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. * Santa Monica: Arizona Avenue and Second Street. Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. * Santa Monica: Arizona Avenue and Second Street. Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. * Thousand Oaks: Janes Mall at Wilbur Road. Thursday, 5 to 8 p.m. * Venice: Venice Boulevard and Pacific Avenue. Friday, 7 to 11 a.m. * West Hollywood: Plummer Park, 73377 Santa Monica Blvd. Monday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.